These days school students are encouraged to evaluate taking undergraduate courses abroad as the first option. Even though the government is aware that every year a minimum of 3 to 4 lacs aspirants who qualify for quality higher education year after year, they eliminate more than 99% of the eligible students under some fancy evaluation basis and pride itself on having completed its duty. They could not have been more wrong. What a practical and performing government will do is to exploit this strength of talent and built one of the most qualified young force in the world. But we are yet to realize this potential. However the other governments who do not have the youth as we have, are alive to the situation and are here to exploit it. They are fighting amongst themselves for our brilliant minds, with or with out funds. There are advertisements and promotions, school sponsored visits which all bring in a major influence to favor this option. Peer pressure through previous batch students who have taken up the course and who give a measured feed back also add to the influence.
As a person who has had first hand experience in children currently on study assignments abroad I list some of the most common issues which crop up after one decided to take up the course (which for reasons best known never crop up earlier!).
Familiarize with the place through a personal visit: First and foremost is to get a first hand experience of the place where you intend to send your ward. It would be best to travel with your family and visit the university. You may drop by on your journey abroad or join the numerous promotional travels being arranged. Even if the entire family cannot travel one of you, best visits the place. It is necessary to meet the staff, past students and current students studying in the institution and discuss with them all your doubts; how is the teaching? What about ragging? How is the syllabus? What about mess facilities? What are job opportunities after completion of course so on and so forth. You may identify Indian students who are studying there and catch up with them here in India on their holiday. It is necessary to convince yourself about the course content, especially for higher studies, for most of the information available through the internet medium and the printed brochures are only indicative.
Hostel facility is another important consideration. It is necessary to ascertain whether hostel accommodation is available. Typically, no separate Girls hostel is available. In some cases, girls & boys share the same room and in others, girls & boys share the same hostel though in different floors. This may come as a major surprise for some as we are all used to separate hostels for girls and hence tend to be presumptuous on this account. There are universities which recommend off campus stay which in most of the cases is very painful as we do not train our wards to run a household at this young age. In case you consider it as an option, it is necessary to train your ward to be independent to the extent of running the house (for self of course).
Another is the food. For both vegetarians & non-vegetarians, there will be issues on the food front. It is indeed a disappointment that international institutions which promote Indian students to join them is not encouraging establishment of Indian Non Vegetarian & vegetarian cuisine as an option in the campus and their mess / canteen. In some locations the absence of food of your liking combined with severe climate does put a lot of pressure on the ward which one must carefully evaluate and prepare for.
On the curriculum the method of teaching and evaluation are totally in line with CBSE syllabus but students who have studied under different schemes where memorizing is given importance, over understanding basic concepts do find the going tough. In extra curricular activities, though plenty of facilities are available the ward needs to have a certain standard of play for participation. Typically, a beginner finds the going tough as other players who regularly use these facilities have had prior training and are proficient at these levels.
Cultural difference and its impact on your children need to be understood. Dress code as practiced by us and what is acceptable outside is entirely different and you must prepare yourself and your children for it.
Summing up, parents need to apply their mind more thoroughly and evaluate not only the main curriculum related issues such as method of teaching, but also off curriculum items such as Hostel facilities, Canteen facilities, cuisine, extra curricular activities and preparedness of your ward for running the household alone.
3 comments:
haha! simply but superbly put!! b
wow peripa....awesome..it is true..our government has failed to notice the flowers that bloom in its garden and also that they are being picked out rapidly by our neighbours and competitors..but one more thing about our youngsters and abraod is true..that there is a lack of direction not just with education and the collgeges we pick but also when starting a career,a large chunk of the youth, prefer abroad chiefly for monetary benifits. it is true that money is important but what could compramise for the love,affection and pride in one's own land and countrymen. the youth of today how much ever they campaign for cases,acts and etc. fail to realise such a simple thing.......
Interesting comment from Mr. Rahul Shankar. It may all seem that education 'abroad' is 'far' better than that offered at home. This perspective also makes sense considering the immense competition levels in India. But, highlighting Mr. Shankar's perspective, how do parents prepare their wards for an abroad life? Life is not just about going to another place and studying; its about living with a different culture, whether this culture is really open minded to foreigners; mental impacts of a ward living away from the family; nay not just family but his/her culture/roots? These are aspects one cannot address and prepare for, nevertheless they, to a large extent determine the ward's performance & survival abroad. One must factor in these aspects too, and not approach this aspect with a 'Black Box' view.
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