Principal Secretary (Education) Burra Venkatesham speaking at the inaugural session of 20th edition of The Hindu Education Plus International Education Fair 2024 in Hyderabad on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
The State government is committed to ensure a safe and secure study abroad environment for students. Plans are underway to set up an overseas education advisory system that will guide students in making informed choices, Principal Secretary (Education) Burra Venkatesham said on Thursday.
“We will conduct hand-holding sessions. We will also develop a portal where students planning to study abroad can fill in their details, so that we can guide them and prevent them from becoming victims of bad systems,” he said.
Mr. Venkatesham was addressing young students, their parents, consulate education experts and representatives of banks, at The Hindu Education Plus International Education Fair here.
Citing his recent interaction with a fraud detection official from a consulate, he cautioned students about how certain agencies game the overseas education system, which in certain situations end in students’ deportations, arrests, embarrassment and financial stress.
Finding the right university with an advanced preparation and a focused approach, he advised, will help students from becoming “guinea pigs” of the system.
A financial relief offered from the government in the form of about 2,000 overseas scholarships every year, he added is also a way to ensuring a safe route to a foreign university. He expressed confidence that the number of overseas scholarships would also see an improvement soon.
According to Mr. Venkatesham, the commitment to overseas education for skills and future employment of students stems from the government’s priority on skilling – evident from the recent passing of Telangana ‘s ‘The Young India Skill University (Public Private Partnership Bill) 2024’.
“Skillfulness goes a long way in making a mark on the world stage, and in finding the right universities, when industry requirements are embedded as modules in the curriculum, and skilling and on-the-job trainings are fulfilled. The gap between what industries demand and what universities supply is filled,” he said.
With the largest youth population in the world, skilling and overseas education and employment, Mr. Venkatesham simply put: “The sun never sets on the British empire was the saying. It can be now said that the sun never sets on Indians.”
