“My son and daughter and their families are in America,” says a proud mother. She had visited them, celebrated Indian festivals with them and posted photos on a social media website. Now she is back in India. Her children were educated in India and are now in another country.
A number of graduates from our country go abroad each year for higher studies. Many of them might be hard-working top-scorers with aptitude. The reasons they state for going abroad ranges from fewer opportunities in India to maintaining their status. The investment needed to study abroad is huge. Some parents plan for it and save money, and some avail of educational loans.
Studying abroad often gets them a job there with a good salary. Many of them stay there at least for a few years, with the reasoning that the amount spent for the higher studies has to be earned back.
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Of these students, some might have studied in government institutions. The students of government institutions would have definitely saved a lot for their parents; the difference in tuition fees between government and self-financed colleges is clear. The extent of money the government spends on them goes unnoticed.
This does not stop with students. People who are employed also want to go abroad and stay there for a few years. Here, one of the reasons is to earn more. The percentage of people who return and the time period after which they return needs an analysis.
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Ultimately, every year we end up with a cream of our population migrating to other countries, to stay there permanently or for a few years. Most of them post photos of their celebrations on social media sites, indicating that they still follow our customs in the foreign land.
Some might have forgotten the national pledge beginning with ‘India is my country’ taught in school. Some will want to remove the identity ‘Indian’ from themselves. Many would have forgotten the amount of time, energy and money the nation and its citizens have spent on them.
The extent to which India could have gained had they stayed back in India cannot be easily quantified. Many of them could have become entrepreneurs and research scientists in India, encouraging and motivating others, too.
The importance that many of our citizens have given our country has borne fruit. They are the reason why it is possible to find opportunities for higher studies and growth here.
With migration to other countries, especially by the students, continuing, the question is whether this drain would cost our country dear.
a.chitra19@gmail.com