Bengaluru: Abhinav G was all set to send his son to pursue higher studies at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland this year but the Ukraine-Russia war left him in a fix.
A resident of Kumaraswamy Layout, said they are now applying to universities in Australia
and Canada. He said his son is completing his graduation and is glad the Covid-19 threat is reducing – just in time for him to fly out.
“I want him to be as far away as possible from the crisis,” he said. “The entire European continent seems unsafe. You never know how this situation will play out. I do not want to take a chance with my son’s future.” He said Poland was their first choice because several of his son’s seniors were studying and working there.
Sherin Shalom, who will graduate this year, had also applied to universities in Poland and Germany for her master’s but her parents, who live in Bengaluru, have asked her to drop her plans. “Going to other countries is not an option now because of the costs, so I will wait for things to cool down before applying again.”
A government employee said the authorities’ reaction and public sentiment are a big discouragement. “We send our kids so far away hoping our government will help us in case of an emergency,” the parent said. “The way parents and students have been pilloried for their choice of study destination is disappointing. If we had the opportunity and resources to and resources to send our children to the US and Canada like rich politicians, we would too.”
A student counsellor said she had four applications from students wishing to change their destination from European countries to the US or Australia. “We primarily help students with English-speaking countries, but I also guide those for countries like Ukraine, Hungary, Belgium and Germany. Four students have requested a change because of the war. Fortunately, there is still time to apply to some Canadian and Australian universities,” she said.
Another counsellor said trends in international education shift every two or three years and the war has only intensified it. “The US has always been in the spotlight, but Canada is now getting crowded and Australia, with its open borders, is getting popular again.” She said students wishing to pursue medicine will now shift from Ukraine to the Philippines.
Bharath Arvind, head, Overseas Education Counselling Services at Yocket, said more students will now want to stay clear of Ukraine and the region around. “Whether this will be a longer-term shift remains to be seen,” he said.
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