Study Abroad and the Dichotomy of the Underprivileged Student: An Indian Perspective 

Within the international mobility of students for study abroad, India contributes one of the largest number of students to overseas universities each year. Helping these students make informed choices is an equally large pool of study abroad agents and the staff from overseas universities for whom competing in an increasingly complex and dynamically changing Indian market place is both challenging, and necessary. In the recent years, the most nuanced terminology used by universities for their internationalization efforts and in their marketing and promotional activities are ‘inclusion and diversity’. The marketing messages of agents spell out high success rates for top admits, visa approvals and devising special counselling cells for the students aiming for Ivy Leagues and Oxbridge institutions.

Yet do these inclusivity messages hold true for the entire pool of eligible and bright students, or does the Indian landscape of study abroad guiding and student recruitment is completely out of the reach of those born in disadvantaged groups - the economically poor, and the physically challenged.

As per an estimate the percentage of poor and differently able Indian students going overseas to pursue higher education is not even 1% of the total Indian students who make a trip overseas for undertaking bachelor’s, master’s or PhD studies. This is despite the fact that the Indian government has a specially instituted scholarship for such students for financing their overseas education.  

Perhaps it is time to think how agents and HEIs can facilitate disadvantaged students in accessing information on the overseas education opportunities, and scholarships that would ensure their aspirations can be financially realized. There can be a collective effort on part of the Indian study abroad agents, the NGOs, the educational philanthropic organizations, the CSR cells of Indian corporate companies, and the central and state education ministries in India in bringing the disadvantaged students closer to an international education.

CBSE, India has signed a MOU with UNICEF in setting up a portal for career guidance and higher education options at its affiliated schools. The Government of Delhi, has signed MOU with International Baccalaureate (IB) in setting up IB programs at some of its schools. Agents can surely become the information experts on study abroad for such government initiatives. A research by Yalena Ablaeva in 2012 concluded that study abroad promotes higher level of identity development in students with disabilities.

Thus to encourage such students to study abroad is a positive economic advantage, since as per FORD Foundation's fellowship program the motivation for such students to come back and work to uplift their communities is much higher than those of the other students.      

Collective efforts in this area are the need of the hour, and necessary.