Haryana faces brain-drain as youngsters go overseas to study, work

Thousands of Haryana’s students are heading abroad for study. There are a string of reasons and factors which have forced students to go to other countries for study which is a matter of concern as the plight of the talent as well as youth is most likely to affect the state as well as country in future. Thus, the brain drain is a worrying situation as talented and skilled youth continue to migrate. The statistics released by the Ministry of external affairs (MEA) revealed that as many as 9802 students have visited abroad on study visas in 2018 and the number of visiting foreign countries for study continues to witness an acute spurt year by year. In this series, a total of 12709 students made visits abroad for study in 2019 and the number is much higher as compared to previous year.

Countries like Australia, Canada and America exist among the most preferable destinations for Indian students.

Apart from these, New Zealand, UK Spain and Portugal also emerge as other options for Indian students. Besides, the list of districts of Haryana with maximum students visiting abroad for study includes those adjoining the neighbouring Punjab state. To some extent, the districts like Kurukshetra Ambala Karnal Yamunanagar and Kaithal are on the top in terms of the maximum number of students visiting foreign countries for study. The rising trend also started in other districts of Haryana. Dr Rajender Singh Saharan, an expert and Assistant professor working in DAV college Cheeka said that among the chief factors and reasons cited for Haryanvi students opting to study abroad is the acute lack of facilities and education infrastructure which continues to result in their plight from the state. Besides, he said the high fee structure in professional courses in Haryana and across the country also emerges as another crucial factor.

The data provided by the Ministry of External Affairs revealed that nearly 30000 students hailing from Haryana headed towards other countries for study from 2018 to February 2022, that is, a period of about 3 years 2 months. The data of 2020 2021 depicted that around 71 lakh Indian students had visited 85 countries and most of the students started working and providing their services in countries namely US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, China and several European countries after completing their study. The only way to sort out the issue is to bring about structural changes in our system so that the students can be offered some respite. Young, well-educated, healthy individuals are most likely to migrate, especially in pursuit of higher education and improving their financial prospects.