Under the spell of COVID-19, the year 2020 has been very challenging both for the under graduates and post graduates respiring to pursue education abroad.
Now with the vaccine coming up we are quite hopeful to bounce back with a bang. A critical review of the challenges faced and assistant, however forced upon residents of the international education industry has highlighted that the consumer – here I mean the prospective students and parents have responded to the pandemic in different ways
- Remain unaffected and imitate their international education plans adopting and online modality.
- Defer their study plans with a hope to see a ray of light with an on campus mode post-pandemic
- Succumb to the COVID-19 situation and alter their career aspirations and take admissions in India only.
While I was going through an article from a major International recruitment player confirmed our experiences were seen validated by the survey conducted by them 60% of respondents said that the students are choosing to postpone the decision to study abroad as the preferred on campus.
70% of the students do preferred an on campus approach but would like to begin online.
While this scenario, one can expect the students flooding the big English speaking countries maybe in September 2021 intake or down the line somewhere in 2022. Though this would be a Practical and logical thinking but adversely impacted the student morale and revenue loss for sure. Recovery of the lost revenue and an ego boost of the students can be expected towards the latter half of 2021 and early 2022.
Those deciding to limit themselves to India itself, do jumping to master degree and other post-graduate programmes, would still remain in this Is it with the two options.
- Disconnected India programme and moved to the international market as and when the situation is right.
- Adopt this as a destined affair and stay where ever in India they are with the long face however both the scenarios remain fluid and could be reversible the earlier the vaccine reaches all metros and tier 2 city‘s where a majority of the prospective students reside. The situation is with the possible outcome of an increased deferment, an increasing trend in the update of unpopular programmes.