Will the Farmington University bust play on the minds of students headed abroad, particularly to the USA where several dodgy institutions lure Indian students with low fee structure and complete freedom to work from day one against norms?
More than the issue itself, the severity with which the US administration is taking penal action, including detaining students, may instill a sense of fear. Indian students, particularly those from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, who are crazy about US education, may now have to think twice. Some education consultants, with whom The Hindu spoke, said parents are more concerned now due to US President Donald Trump’s tough stance on immigration.
“Earlier regimes were far more liberal in dealing with students caught in fake university stings as they gave them an option to apply to other recognised and genuine universities or leave the country. But now authorities have detained them straight-away and shifted a majority of them to detention centres. This will have a huge psychological impact on parents,” says Monica of Astra Immigration, a licensed consultancy with recognition from Canadian authorities.
Fear factor
The fear factor is on the upswing for the fact that the US authorities themselves floated a fake university to find out how students are misusing their student visa status, a big crime in the USA. Shekhar Reddy, an employee of a private firm, doesn’t want to spend lakhs of rupees on his ward’s US education, considering how fragile a student’s stay on campuses of the States can be. “Why do US varsities allow such institutions on their soil?” he asks.
“Higher education abroad is not an individual’s choice but a family decision because there is collective sacrifice on resources and time for their kids’ future,” says Nishidhar Borra, managing director of Atlas Consultants, a licensed consultancy recognised by Australian Universities.
Word of caution
Mr. Borra advises parents and aspiring students to understand that overseas study is expensive and they must have sufficient funds to meet tuition fee and living expenses. “A student cannot work while studying and the only option is on-campus jobs for up to 20 hours per week which are very competitive and difficult to obtain. Moreover, Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment only granted for 12 months,” he says.
The Farmington incident has once again revealed fraud submissions will be dealt with severely and students must do sufficient research before they choose their study destination and examine the post study opportunities, fee, living costs, etc., say consultants.
