AAP govt promotes MEA's scheme for students going abroad

Asks schools to inform students about online registration

Students from city schools aiming to take up courses in foreign universities will no more have to suffer mentally and physically in case of trouble in a far flung land as the Delhi government has now started popularising a scheme that may rush help to them.

On Chief Secretary K K Sharma’s direction, the Education Department has asked all private unaided recognised schools to inform their Class XII students about an online module which helps them register themselves with the Union Ministry of External Affairs for seeking help in the hour of need in any other country.

The Department has set out to educate foreign university aspirants and, through their parents and school staff, other students who are already studying abroad to avail the registration facility.

“Managements of all the private unaided recognised schools are hereby directed to place this circular on their Notice Board for information of all concerned,” said a note issued to all schools by Deputy Director of Education Yogesh Pratap.

The student-friendly initiative of the Arvind Kejriwal government comes close to a shocking incident of  a student from Najafgarh in west Delhi, who took admission in a college in Kyrgyzstan for medical studies, died here of suspected heart attack and depression related to his education loan taken in the city.

Registration process

While advising all private unaided schools in Delhi, the Education Department has clarified that the MEA has initiated the process of registration of Indian students who are studying abroad, in order to compile data about the Indian students in various countries so that the Union Government is able to advise them in the hours of need.

“Data entered into this module in a voluntary manner by the Indian students abroad will provide useful inputs about the pattern of migration of Indian students globally, educational courses that they are registering in and related matters,” said Pratap in his note issued to schools.

A letter sent to the Chief Secretary by the MEA said that the students’ registration module has been place on the ministry’s portal – MEA in Aid of Diaspora in Distress (MADAD) – that is used as the consular services management system.

By rough education sector estimates, over two lakh Indian students go abroad for studying in foreign universities every year. A bulk of them is from north India.