Corona virus has a major impact on student mobility and overseas education. China and India account for more than 56% of all students studying abroad. According to the Open Doors Report of 2019,China is the largest source of international students in the U.S. in 2018-19, with 369,548 students in undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and optional practical training (OPT) programs. With India being the second largest source of international students, in the short term, the outbreak of the corona virus, in both India and China, will be a huge hit to the international student recruitment of universities globally, especially in the U.S.
India has the largest young demographic in the world, with more than half of the population comprising of the youth. The lack of foreign investment in the country stems from the fact that Indians do not have access to quality education and so, do not have the skillset to work for the modern economy. According to Harjiv Singh, Founder and CEO, BrainGain Global, considering India has 18% of the world population and a workforce of more than 520 million, there is an imperative need to ensure jobs for them which can only happen if our education is aligned with the changing demands from the workforce. “We, as a nation, need to recognize that global forces of change –the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Artificial Intelligence and future of work – are disrupting the ways people learn and work. There is scope for major improvement in the quality of our education system since we need to keep up with the changing educational landscape and factors altering it, such as, lifelong and experiential learning,” he adds.
