Leaving the comfort of home

Educational Purpose

Recently, a paper on Internal Migration for Education and Employment among Youth in India, commissioned by UN-HABITAT’s Global Urban Youth Research Network, revealed that in the past decade, around 37 lakh students have left their home states to study in Karnataka, the most popular choice for migrating students.

Taking Bangalore into consideration, Metrolife tried to understand the reasons for this trend.

For students who opt for Bangalore, the choice is based on a variety of factors. Sachin Singh, a student of Acharya Institute of Technology and originally from New Delhi, says that the benefits of studying in Bangalore include better faculty, proper facilities for study purposes, good weather, a variety of courses and a safer stay in hostels compared to other cities.

“On the other hand, the fee is quite high in most colleges, the cost of living itself is expensive and the language often creates barriers with teachers and localites,” he notes.

While the paper does not address whether migrating students return to the original place of residence after completing their education, many choose Bangalore with placements in mind.

Anisha Jain, a third-year BA student of Christ University from Kolkata, says, “Academically, there’s a lot of healthy competition, which keeps students on their toes. It’s the sort of conducive environment that’s required as it benefits us when we start working here. Also, Bangalore’s really bustling and there are always interesting events happening. The only downside is that the roads are horrible and transport is a problem because of the gunda attitude of auto drivers.”

Educators like Radhika CA, a teacher at MS Ramaiah College of Arts, Science and Commerce, feel that the reason for the trend is the improved infrastructure in the state and emergence of private universities.

“We have top institutes like the IIM here. There are also many who can’t afford to study abroad and Bangalore, being the metropolitan that it is, offers the job opportunities they’re seeking,” she says, adding that 70 per cent of her students are from other states. But moving here can also have negative impacts.

“Many students get into bad habits and come under peer pressure. We’ve encountered many students who were toppers till class 12 but failed at degree level,” adds Radhika.
Sreeraj KS, vice-principal of Indian Academy, feels that it has also become a haven for foreign students.

“Bangalore’s termed as the educational hub of India. There are over 600 colleges in and around the City offering diversified courses, which are especially popular among students from South Asian, African and Middle-Eastern countries.

A majority of our 1,000 plus foreign students go for computer science and biotechnology as the major chains are based here. The credit for this migration goes to private colleges, who have created this market. The Indian system is also a good host and enables students to get basic things like driving licences with ease,” he states.

Despite a few untoward events, a large number of students from the North East have also made it their home. Vanhmingliani Hnamte, a BA psychology student of Jyoti Nivas College, moved here from Mizoram five years ago.

 “I love the weather here. I also like the lifestyle of the people and friends I’ve made here. Plus, the inter-cultural experience is something I wouldn’t get back home. But there are situations when my Mongoloid features become a curse — shopkeepers often hike prices looking at my face and auto drivers often take longer routes thinking I don’t know the way,” she declares.