Students continue to flock foreign varsities
S. SANDEEP KUMAR
Photo: Nagara Gopal
Preferred destination: The increasing crime rate in foreign varsities appears to have little impact on the number of students willing to pursue higher education abroad. -
Twenty-three-year-old, Soumya Tummala, an Electrical Engineering student from the State was found dead in a car near Southern Illinois University, where she was studying recently. Later her cousin, Vikram Tammula (27), a software engineer was also found dead.
There were many such instances like the killing of Abhijit Mahato from Jharkand at Duke University of California in January 2008 and the sensational double murder of A. Kiran Kumar and K. Chandra Sekhar Reddy pursuing their higher education in Lousiana University in December 2007.
With the increasing crime rate and mounting security concerns in educational institutions and universities abroad, many expected an adverse impact on the aspirations of students’ (from the State) plans to pursue higher education in universities abroad and a slump in the applications sale.
But on the contrary, educational consultancies and academicians say the rising security concerns seem to have cast no impact on the students’ willing to study abroad as the sale of applications for winter 2008 season is on the rise. “Every season, nearly 500 students approach us for assistance in obtaining offer letters and admissions in universities abroad and it is continuing this year as well. Interestingly, last year we sent 12 girl students to Australia and this year it has gone up to 55,” says Inthiyaz Bannuru, Manager (Hyderabad) of IDP Education India Private Limited, which represents Australian universities and institutes in the State.
However, many university managements are now enhancing the security measures and working onto deploy more private security personnel on the university premises to lure students and to set aside safety worries among parents. “On an average, 500 Indian students, of which 150 from Andhra Pradesh apply for different courses in our university every year. We expect the same number of students, if not more to join our university this year. There is no security concern,” said Concordia University Director of International Student Programme, Darlene Khalsa. Addressing at a free seminar organised by the university recently in the State capital, she said it was mandatory for American universities to file a statistical report of different crimes or any form violence taken place on the respective university premises to the United States Department of Education every year.
“Our university has an exclusive safety and security department with over 100 surveillance cameras to help them in monitoring the security of students ,” she says. On the desire and need to study in universities abroad, Pallavi Reddy, an engineering student who attended the free seminar said it was for giving a boost to her career. While there were some like Aproova Chowdary, an M.Com student who said studying abroad would help students and their parents.
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