Follow the Dream

International student populations not only enhance their own learning capacities through their exposure, they also enrich host cultures and boost host economies.

In today’s globalized, inter-dependent world the value of cross cultural learning cannot be ignored. Global engagement to broaden perspectives and vision is a necessity for growth and advancement in all fields.

Many South Asian students look towards foreign shores for higher education because the existing infrastructure in their own countries proves insufficient to accommodate the large number of intellectually motivated individuals. Competition for better job prospects compels others since most prestigious national and multinational corporations seek foreign-qualified professionals for their more challenging positions. Armed with new skills, these professionals also play an important role in helping their home countries move forward in scientific advancement.

The host countries benefit significantly from the revenue that international students bring in. More than 10% of the revenue in universities in Australia and New Zealand is believed to come from international students. According to a Time magazine report, Indian students comprise the second largest foreign student group in the US after China, while a 2008 report by The Guardian revealed that “international students contribute an estimated £2.5bn to the UK economy each year in tuition fees alone and an overall contribution of £8.5bn.” Alan Ruby, of the University of Pennsylvania writes that, in Australia, “education is considered second to iron ore and coal as an export earner and worth more than tourism… In British Columbia, foreign students are compared with fishing and trapping and the Vancouver film industry as contributors to the provincial economy.” As a destination of choice, the US still remains at the top of the list. According to James Hosek, who tracks global science and engineering trends at the RAND Corporation, the research papers published by US scientists is double that of their European counterparts, and four times as many as the ‘Asian 10’ which include China and India.

The issue of costs is a huge consideration for students from developing countries because their resources are truly stretched thin. Most US colleges have a yearly expenditure of international students comes to around $50, 000 including tuition, boarding etc. Merit scholarships afford motivated yet financially constrained students a chance to utilize their potential without the stress associated with a loan, but these scholarships are very hard to find and most cover only part of the expense. The World Bank and UNESCO’s joint Task Force on Higher Education and Society in its 2000 report, ‘Higher Education and Developing Countries: Peril and Promise’ raised a valid point: “the cost of overseas instruction, particularly if it takes place in a developed country, is generally extremely high. If the student's home country pays for this education for a large number of students, this can represent a significant fiscal drain. Even if an outside donor is paying for the student's education, study abroad means that funds from donor agencies are being used to pay for a very expensive type of higher education. Such funds could, in principle, be used more effectively to promote quality higher education in the developing country itself.”

Some initiatives in this regard are being taken by collaboration of private sector in developing countries and foreign universities of developed countries to further strengthen the existing programs in South Asia. Building country campuses would accommodate those who cannot travel abroad, without compromising on opportunities for educational excellence. As part of the same idea, India has taken the lead in inviting world renowned universities to strengthen their own educational institutions. York University's Schulich School of Business has been developing educational ties with India for 15 years. The Montreal universities of McGill and Concordia, the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia are among the schools with large Indian student associations. The Richard Ivey School of Business in London, Ont., is world renowned for its case-writing and case-teaching workshops in India and has signed a partnership deal in 2009 with the Indian School of Business for a new Case Development Centre.

Another related issue of importance for international students is whether they are getting good value for their money. An international education scam unearthed by the BBC in a 2008 report detailed how “the bogus Irish International University (IIU), has been allowed to flourish in the UK - virtually unchecked by the government - for the last seven years.” The IIU maintained a misleading website to project its validity. When faced with this reality, the British Higher Education Minister Bill Rammell insisted, "Our universities are rightly regarded as world class and any attempt by bogus institutions or conmen to tarnish this hard won reputation will not be tolerated”, but the fact that this had been going on for years unchecked is seen by some as simply looking the other way for the sake of the revenue the international students are bringing in. Though steps have been taken by the British government since to prevent further misuse, for many it is already too late.

Exploitation and lack of protection has also been a serious issue between the Indian and Australian governments of late. Racism driven attacks in 2009 on Indian students have caused much tension in the community. Pawan Luthra, chief executive of the local Indian community newspaper, Indian Link, insisted that "If even 0.1% of the $15 billion or so earned by Australia from the sector had been invested in safeguards and [better conditions], this situation would not have occurred ... Coal and iron are commodities, but these are human beings, with feelings and emotions. They need to be protected."

In the last decade despite a very high number of students travelling abroad, not many returned to benefit their home countries. Hence a valid question arises whether it is even feasible to send the top brains abroad when a significant number is lost to the brain drain. UNESCO estimates indicate that about one-third of foreign students studying in the USA do not return to their home countries. Another interesting observation made by the UNESCO and World Bank’s Task Force noted that “study abroad is often a student's first step toward resettling abroad. A country may invest large amounts of money in training students abroad only to find that they very often do not come back. Various schemes have been employed to encourage students to return, but in the end they have met with only partial success. It is apparent that the benefits of this accrue with donor countries, not developing countries.” The report suggested that “countries would benefit by improving their higher education systems sufficiently to attract a greater portion of their students to study in-country”

However, a report in The Christian Science Monitor 2009 quoting a survey at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology introduced a counter observation regarding ‘reverse brain drain’. The author of the report Peter N Scotts asserted that countries like India and China with impressive growth rates are trying to attract expatriates back from the US offering better career opportunities, a better quality of life, and the most valued prospect of being close to family again. The report also implies that the US may not be able to fill the vacuum if the trend continues. The report is supported by another analysis by Michael Finn at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in the US which points out that percentage of those staying in US two years after receiving their PhDs has been found to have reduced from 71% between 2001 and 2003 to 66% in 2005. This is causing some concern in the academic circles.

To conclude, the benefits for developing countries from study abroad can be significant in terms of human resource development and scientific advancement, while economic benefits for host countries are also substantial. If issues like expenditures, bogus universities and the student visa delays etc are amicably resolved, not only students, but countries as a whole, would benefit greatly from this experience.

Published: SouthAsia Magazine, as Follow the Dream April 2010.

Investment into the Future

South Asia is considered to be a region that promises dynamic growth and potential. However, it lacks in some crucial elements of social development that risks its progress; and education and health are two factions high on the list. The World Bank is aware of the significance of this part of the world and true to its mission to “help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.”

The World Bank is a vital source of technical and financial assistance for many developing countries as it supports initiatives essential for the countries’ progress and stability. It was founded in 1944 and consists of two institutions; the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA) that provide low interest loans, interest free credits, and grants for investment in development initiatives in the field of education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management.

In South Asia, the World Bank has supported several programmes over the years to increase literacy rates and support development of a healthy, skilled workforce as an investment into the future. However, many social challenges faced by the developing countries of South Asia affect their progress including extreme poverty, low status of women, orphaned children, unemployed youth and war ravaged widows, shortage of well-trained professionals and sometimes a lack of commitment by governments towards effective management. These developmental issues pose challenges for policy planners and practitioners and require constant evaluation and adaptation of strategies in order to meet the goals.

Since South Asia is home to some of the world’s poorest countries, literacy does not always fare well on the priority list. The estimated percentage of people living below the UN defined poverty line of less than $2 a day is 40% in Pakistan and 84% in Bangladesh. In India, 75% of the population lives on less than $1/day, according to a World Bank study. In these societies, keeping children out of school is not seen as a violation of their rights, but simply a means of survival. India also has 18 million street children, the world’s largest concentration (HRWA 2000), while Nepal is home to about 30,000 street children according to a 1996 estimate. These school-age children constitute the marginalized group often neglected by governments when implementing welfare schemes.

Moreover, widespread gender bias and discrimination exists in societies across the globe and an estimated 2/3rd adults without access to literacy worldwide are women. In most of the patriarchal societies of South Asia, it is even more rampant. However, there is a source of relief for development experts in the tiny Buddhist state, the Royal Republic of Bhutan with a population of 700,000. A 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices about Bhutan issued by the US State Department revealed that about 30% of Bhutanese women constituted the formal workforce in 2004 and 60% of women held land registration titles. A recent WB study has also shown near gender parity at 93% at primary level. The World Bank programmes in Bhutan focus on improving quality of education, strengthening institutional capacity, teacher training management and monitoring.

Similarly, Bangladesh takes pride in achieving gender parity at the primary and secondary school level, and primary school enrollment shows a steady upward trend with 91% girls and 87% boys enrolled in 2007 (UNICEF). The World Bank provides assistance to Bangladeshi government at the primary and secondary level, reaching out-of-school children and continuing-education projects. Another success story is Sri Lanka which has one of the best performing education sectors in South Asia. With primary enrollment of boys and girls well above 90 % for two decades, and a secondary enrollment rate of above 80 %, through a network of state-supported schools, the commitment of the Sri Lankan government and society can certainly serve as a source of inspiration for others to follow.

Pakistan’s participation in the education sector remains among the lowest in South Asia, with just 2.3% of the GDP allocated to this sector, and widespread gender bias. In the more conservative Northwest of Pakistan, cultural customs clash with religious sentiment and access to schools for girls has been a grave issue in the past years with extremist clerics declaring modern education as un-Islamic and misleading. Small wonder then, that only 14% of the formal workforce in Pakistan comprises of women. The World Bank is making a significant contribution towards quality education and policy reforms in educational institutions in Pakistan. A series of four one-year education development policy credits in the Punjab province has resulted in an increase in enrollments in 15 districts which had been identified as having the lowest literacy rates. The reforms in NWFP and Sindh showed similar benefits, as gross primary enrollment among girls increased between 2001- 2002 by 11%. Another important programme of the World Bank in improving the quality of learning in Pakistan is monitoring of student learning through regular assessments with a National Education Assessment System. A Higher Education Support Programme is in the starting phase, and the private sector is being supported through education foundations. In June 2009, World Bank also approved $900 million in loans, most of which would serve to improve education in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces as the country has also had to battle with a balance of payments crisis in the last one year due to fighting in the northwest of the country which has left 2.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) struggling to survive.

The issue of children belonging to conflict zones has also drawn attention from the humanitarian agencies. In Sri Lanka, in the North-Eastern Province alone, it is estimated that 2,000 children have been involved in guerilla warfare as child soldiers, and face difficulties readapting to age-appropriate, stable lifestyles. Education in crisis situations can actually provide children with a sense of normalcy, but unfortunately, the first Global Survey on Education in Emergencies shows that “over 27 million children and youth do not have access to education in 10 countries affected by conflict.” Other disabled children and young adults of war-torn countries like Afghanistan are left with very few options in societies already stretched thin in terms of resources.

In Afghanistan, there are serious developmental concerns regarding status of women and absence of a well-educated and skilled workforce to build institutions, as the country struggles with almost three decades of war and instability that have resulted in huge numbers of widows and orphaned children. Hence education, skill development and vocational training programmes are taking priority. It is hoped that WB’s Afghan Skill Development Project which is estimated to cost US $35million (WB is providing US $20 through the IDA), will bring in some respite for these vulnerable sections of the population.

Moreover, the World Bank’s reform programmes are working with governments in recruitment and monitoring of teacher presence. South Asia’s schools lack sufficient number of qualified teachers and present a huge challenge to the goal of universal education. In Pakistan, the student/teacher ratio is 1:35 in primary schools and 1:48 at secondary level while in 75% of Indian schools there is only one teacher for several classes. Bangladeshi pupils are found to be in the most crowded classes, with a ratio of 1:57. More serious, however, is the presence of ‘Ghost’ schools in remote areas where teachers simply don’t turn up. A 2004 World Bank study in India showed that 25% of teachers are absent from class at any time.

The World Bank is also providing technical support and conducting joint research and analysis exercises on improving access for girls and other marginalized groups in different countries of the region. Since 2000, the World Bank has committed over US $1 billion to education in India. However, extensive inter-regional, rural-urban and male-female disparities exist despite the government’s commitment to the cause of ushering in ‘a new era’ of literacy. As reported in an article in Asia Sentinel, August 2009, “a third of India’s billion-strong population is illiterate and 70 million children are denied schooling of any kind.” A US $250 million World Bank operation is also helping improve India’s technical and engineering education.

Educational challenges in South Asia continue to be daunting, but it would serve South Asian governments and citizens well to realize that in order to build any kind of potential for economic prosperity, they must show an unwavering commitment to initiatives that can help build a future for themselves and their coming generations.


Published Oct 2009 Investment Into the Future, SouthAsia Magazine

Dispel the Darkness

“Education for all is important for three reasons. First, education is a right. Second, education enhances individual freedom. Third, education yields important development benefits." John Daniel, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education.

How committed are the South Asian nations to promoting education for all? How focused, indeed, are they on building their future?


At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, an important Millennium Development Goal (MDG) was drafted that focuses on increasing literacy among children around the world. It asks the member States to “ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.”

Unfortunately, a look at the status of education in some Asian countries depicts a worrisome trend and it is feared that they might not be able to achieve this goal within the stipulated timeframe. The drop-out rates are on the rise among children from poor families, girls, street children and other marginalized groups.

According to UNESCO, Asia has the world's largest share of children not receiving an education. UNESCO’s Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2007 states that Pakistan ranks second in the world with the highest number of out-of-school children. Of these 6.5 million out-of-school Pakistani children, “80 per cent were never enrolled, 10 per cent dropped out, while the remaining could get to school at some later stage.” India ranks third with 4.5 million such kids. India also houses the largest number of 'working' children in the world - about ¼ of the world's total. The official Indian Government figures estimate the number of working children to be at about 59 million, though Oxfam estimates speak of 100-150 million.

Out-of-school children – whether not enrolled at all or drop-outs – often end up in the child labour markets, working in some of the worst working conditions imaginable. This includes working in brick kilns and factories in bonded-labour with no fixed hours or minimum wage-limit, as well as being forcibly recruited to fight in conflict areas and sold into commercial sex tourism.

Girls comprise about 57% of all out-of-school children and 2/3 of adults without access to literacy are women. In a majority of developing countries, girls suffer serious forms of discrimination. In Pakistan, over half of the population comprises of children, roughly a ¼ of which are girls. Sadly, only 25% of these girls manage to finish primary school. UNESCO supports girls’ education in developing countries by sponsoring their access to, and retention in, primary education and by encouraging education policies and strategies of governments and NGOs that aim to provide girls and women with equal opportunities of learning and decision-making regarding their future.

The United Nations (UN) estimates the number of street children to be around 100 million. According to Asian Development bank (ADB) reports, the world’s largest number of street children resides in South Asia. They constitute the marginalized group of many Asian societies and are often neglected by governments when implementing welfare schemes. The Human Rights Watch has found that India has 18 million street children, the world’s largest concentration (HRWA 2000). Other Asian nations offer similar trends. In Afghanistan, more than two decades of war has resulted in huge populations of orphaned street children struggling to survive - about 37,000 based on a headcount in 2002. Nepal is home to about 30,000 street children according to a 1996 estimate. These street children constitute a big part of the statistics of children who are either out-of-school or are drop-outs.

Some experts estimate that half of the 104 million out-of-school children live in countries that are in, or recovering from conflict. Education in crisis situations can provide children with a sense of normalcy, but in the first Global Survey on Education in Emergencies, research shows that “over 27 million children and youth do not have access to education in 10 countries affected by conflict.” In Sri Lanka, in the North-Eastern Province alone, it is estimated that 2,000 children have been involved in the guerilla warfare as child soldiers, and face difficulties readapting to age-appropriate living conditions. In such areas, UNESCO not only provides emergency educational assistance but also helps local aid agencies and governments to establish makeshift schools, improve learning conditions and provide other necessary materials.

One major hurdle, in the provision of basic education to children, is limitation arising from some form of disability such as physical handicaps, cognitive, motor, visual or auditory disabilities. According to UNESCO the number of children under the age of 18 with disabilities around the world has been estimated to be between 120 and 150 million, and more than 90% of such disadvantaged children in developing countries do not attend school. Although humanitarian aid agencies insist upon special initiatives for the disabled, many South Asian nations are lagging far behind in undertaking the necessary initiatives.

For the Asian nations still struggling in the education sector, the drop-out rate is a bigger problem than enrolment, though both offer serious cause for concern. According to UNESCO’s Education For All Global Monitoring Report 2007, “the net enrolment ratio (NER) in Pakistan is less than 80 per cent as compared to other developing countries where enrolment ratios jumped to over 85 per cent by 2004”, says the report, adding that “NERs increased significantly in South and West Asia from 77 per cent to 86 per cent, with the exception of Pakistan and Nepal.”

A UNESCO 2004 study reveals that Asia tops the school dropout league. An Asian Development Bank (ADB) report suggests that in South Asia, for every 100 children who start grade one, less than 60 will complete grade five within the prescribed time. The Primary school drop-out rates for some Asian countries are:
Pakistan – 55%
India – 53%
Laos – 47%
Burma – 45%
Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh - 35-38%

Despite efforts of the UN and Aid Agencies, as well as governments and NGOs, the drop-out rates clearly establish that much more needs to be done. Some of the steps that may be taken to improve enrollments and decrease drop-out rates are:

• It is important for enrolment and sustainability that States make primary education free and compulsory According to the new edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report, “Primary-school fees, which are a major obstacle for universal access, are still collected in 89 countries out of 103 surveyed.” It must also be accessible to all, without any form of discrimination - as the Salamanca Statement urges: "... schools should accommodate all children regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions."
(Article 3, The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action, Salamanca, Spain, 1994)

• It is important to fight all kinds of injustice done to the girl-child. Recently, one religious cleric in Pakistan declared girls’ education as un-Islamic. As a result, parents of more than 2,000 girls in that area stopped sending them to school. It is important not to allow anyone to manipulate religious sentiment, and impress upon parents and other community members the value of an educated female as a useful community member who would also pass on the benefits of education to the future generations.

• There is a need for a large number of qualified teachers in Asia. In 75% of Indian schools there is only one teacher for several classes. In Pakistan, officially, there is one teacher per 35 students in primary schools and one teacher per 48 students at secondary level, but a serious problem for Pakistan government is the presence of ‘Ghost’ schools in remote areas where teachers simply don’t turn up. Bangladeshi pupils are found to be in the most crowded classes, with just one teacher for every 57 pupils. Cases of physical punishment also result in increasing drop-out rates. UNESCO officials stress the need for properly trained teachers with adequate command over their respective subjects and teaching skills. Neglected groups must be targeted specifically in all social uplifting schemes with approaches having flexible non-formal teaching methodologies rather than promoting standard schooling.

• Improving the quality of curriculum would increase its value and, hence, sustained participation. The education curriculum must include teaching of technical skills and life skills to give children a chance at practical and productive livelihoods. That would also encourage parents to get their children enrolled.

• Poverty alleviation schemes involving government and NGO sector should focus on countering the effects of lack of basic necessities such as food, clothing etc. Creating awareness about the importance of support and guidance from parents and the relevance of formal education would also go a long way in solving the drop-out problem.

If the efforts of organizations committed to spreading education around the world are supplemented by a stronger political will of governments, there is no reason why the MDG on literacy cannot be achieved by 2015. It would be a very small investment in terms of the far reaching development benefits it would yield.


Published in SouthAsia Magazine
Dec, 2007