Curbing outbound mobility trends of Kerala students

The unexpected announcement by Kerala Finance Minister in the 2024-25 FY budget on February 5 about inviting foreign universities to set up campuses in Kerala has been received with skepticism and also stirred a storm in a teacup within the ruling CPM and its feeder organisations.

The immediate provocation for this surprise decision is because, over the past decade, the number of Kerala students opting to study abroad has ballooned as more families moved into the middle class and could pay for foreign education, obtain easy student loans, and the aggressive marketing strategies employed by international student recruiters.

Anecdotal evidence and surveys suggest that Kerala students are:
    1. Determined to study abroad as they consider it a better option than attempting to break through bleak job prospects in the state.
    2. The competitive edge that a foreign degree could represent in a tight and stagnating job market.
    3. The lure of securing a lucrative job in any Western country, and ultimately settling down there. Hence, destinations, institutions, and programmes, are being chosen with great deliberation and planning. 
4. Post-study work opportunities are also more compelling than in the past.
5. The university market is also getting more complex, and more destinations and institutions are competing in it. 

The Big 4 English-language destinations – USA, UK, Canada, and Australia enroll the lion’s share of Kerala students to study, European countries such as Germany, Spain, Netherlands, and Ireland are also hot spots. 

An immediate cause for the Youth bulges – large volumes of students opting to go abroad, caused by a milestone in a country’s development, where the infant mortality rate falls but the maternal fertility rate does not – creates both opportunities and challenges. Theoretically, a youth bulge presents opportunities because those under the age of 35 have the capacity to contribute greatly to a country’s economy and development. But in practice, a heavy and accelerating proportion of youth creates stress on infrastructure such as healthcare, education, and employment. Especially in developing countries, it is difficult for governments to expand social services and jobs at the same rate as the expanding youth demographic.

Where a youth bulge occurs, it is evident that there has been a mindless enhancement in educational capacity without being able to ensure quality across the board. Uneven systems of higher education, results, with some colleges being excellent but incredibly difficult to get into, and, umpteen colleges being available, but of subpar quality.

In such systems, a large number of students emerge with diplomas and degrees but many lack the skills needed by employers. The top asset valued by any employer in assessing new graduates is work experience, followed by skills, hobbies and talents, volunteerism, internships, and having studied overseas. Hence, study abroad programmes with an internship component are especially attractive to Kerala students, and a top factor determining students’ choice of any study abroad programme.

The decline in the quality of education, especially in engineering, management, and nursing, is because of the indiscriminate mushrooming of such institutions, without assessing the exact demands in the job market.  Soaring student-teacher ratios have undermined the quality of existing programmes, as teaching and other learning practices continue to be traditional in most higher education institutions, with over-reliance on rote learning and outdated curricula. A similar fate is now discernible in medical education. All this is causing deep financial distress, creating an insolvency crisis, for many substandard institutions. There is a constant clamour every year to hike university fees, indicating an overwhelmed, and underfunded system.

Another crucial factor is the destructive politicisation that has mired every government university and college in the state. Whether it is the unsavoury incidents that happened recently in Maharaja’s College Ernakulam, the ongoing tussle between the Governor and state government over appointments of Vice Chancellors, or appointments of qualified teachers, the signals being sent out to the student community are totally wrong and disastrous. No wonder students in droves are leaving to join educational institutions in neighbouring states, and abroad, depending on affordability.

The easy availability of student loans for studying abroad has become a force multiplier, for those opting to go abroad. Lavish loans on liberal terms are available in the financial markets, which are attracting even students from economically weaker sections. All this has resulted in many educational institutions in the state, reporting unfilled seats, which in turn is affecting their viability and very existence.

The social consequence of this outbound student traffic is visible in the many desolate houses and apartments, that dot the state, lonely elders relocating to retirement homes, or even going abroad to live with their children. 

In the above circumstances, the government had to intervene, by announcing an education policy that encourages setting up new private universities, and most importantly, welcoming foreign universities to set up their campus in Kerala, in the hope that this would restrict the outbound student traffic. While the new policy and the intentions appear plainly discernible and appreciable, the success of this initiative remains debatable.

While many existing private autonomous colleges and institutional clusters are planning to elevate into private universities, the entry by foreign universities into the state will depend upon the complete eradication of politicisation on the campus. Politically affiliated student institutions, internecine clashes among students, political manipulation of even cultural programs, and student violence, are not a conducive atmosphere for institutions seeking to set up a campus in the state. Entrepreneurs seeking to set up an educational institution are mostly motivated by profit motive, and a peaceful atmosphere on the campus will be a determining factor. If they are going to be threatened by campus violence, political interference in appointments of teaching staff, unhealthy trade union practices like ‘Nokukooli’, and forcible extortion of funds for conducting political events, most entrepreneurs may be unwilling.

As full details of the Act and rules thereunder are yet to become public, the policy announcement itself has caused ripples and curiosity in educational and political circles. Perhaps, the educational sector will see better times. 

The author is former Director General of National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics