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Education

India introduces register to protect overseas students

By Crystal Low | 21 July 2009

The Indian government is to put in place a mechanism for registering students going overseas to be educated as part of the ‘e-governance in emigration’ project implemented by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.

The move is in response to concerns for the welfare of the increasing number of Indian students going abroad for higher education, according to the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi.

Precise number are unavailable, but 264,324 Indian students are thought to be studying abroad at present; the largest contingent of 104,522 was in the US, followed by Australia (97,035 students).

Education agents have been accused of duping students on fees, especially those going to Australia, and the Minister has said that steps have been taken by both countries to rein them in by introducing a registry system for students.

This will be part of India’s e-governance project aimed at making the process of emigration “simple, orderly and transparent”, according to Vayalar.

The database of Indian students going abroad is targeted for completion by the end of 2010.

“The ministry has undertaken e-governance in emigration project to transform the process of mobility of Indian workers and students going abroad into a simple, orderly and transparent process through an IT platform,” Vayalar said.

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