Opinion Why retaining talent in India will require more than foreign campuses

At a time when the government is embarking on far-reaching reforms in the higher education sector, including instituting enabling measures for foreign universities to set up campuses in the country, data compiled by the US State Department and the non-profit Institute of International Education provides interesting insights. An analysis of the data in this newspaper reveals that an increasing number of Indian students studying in the US are staying back after their degree to join that country’s workforce. In 2021-22, nearly 35 per cent of the 1.99 lakh Indian students in American universities enrolled in the Optional Training Programmes that allow foreign students with F-1 visas to join paid or voluntary work for up to three years in the US. One takeaway from this is that merely paving the way for campuses of prestigious foreign universities may not be enough to retain talent in the country. Planners need to find ways to link the reforms in education with the job market. But this task cannot be left only to the government — industry bodies will also need to contribute to this endeavour.

The trends related to Indian students in US campuses hold for their peers who seek education in other parts of the developed world. Last year, an OECD report on international migration patterns pointed out that Indians studying in economically developed countries are the most likely among all foreign students to join the local workforce. The transition rates from study permits to work permits were far higher in Indians compared to the Chinese — students from the two countries constitute the lion’s share of the foreign students in campuses in the US, UK, Australia and other developed countries.

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For decades, engineering institutes held the highest attraction for Indian students in the US. The trend began to change about seven years ago. Data for the last academic year, 2021-2022, show that 38 per cent of Indian students in American campuses study mathematics and computer sciences and about 30 per cent are enrolled in engineering courses. The OECD report shows that this trend holds for Indian students attending universities in other parts of the developed world. This, of course, is in line with the increased demand, globally, for skills related to digital technology, data analysis and cyber security. The role of Indian talent in powering global technology powerhouses is well-known. At the same time, the country that aspires to become a $5 trillion economy by 2025 cannot afford to keep losing home-grown talent. In the coming months and years, as planners give shape to the NEP’s vision, addressing this vexing question cannot be postponed.