KATHMANDU, Jan 1: The number of Nepali students going abroad has increased. A few decades ago, only children from affluent families went abroad for higher education, but in recent years, students from ordinary families have also started pursuing the same goal abroad.
Ramesh Ghimire, head of the "No Objection Certificate (NOC)" branch at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, says that earlier, students went abroad to study subjects unavailable in Nepal. However, now students are going abroad to study subjects that are available in Nepal.
In the last four years, Nepali students have received NOC to pursue higher education in 111 countries. During this period, 338,974 students obtained NOCs. Ramesh Ghimire stated that the primary goal of students obtaining NOCs for higher education is to seek opportunities abroad.
According to the data provided by the branch, the fiscal year 2023/24 saw the highest number of NOCs issued during the four-year period. In that year, 112,593 students received NOCs to pursue higher education in 111 different countries. The data from the past four years indicates that the number of students going abroad has been increasing.
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From July 16 to January 28, as many as 46,785 students obtained NOCs. Ghimire estimates that this number will exceed last year's total by the end of the current fiscal year. "On average, around 400 students obtain NOCs daily," Ghimire said.
Ghimire said, "Although not all students who obtain NOCs go abroad, the trend of students wanting to go abroad is still increasing. What is surprising is that students are going abroad to study subjects that are available in Nepal, which is concerning."
He further added, "The ministry has registered foreign colleges that are already offering their education here, yet the growing desire among Nepali students to go abroad is concerning. Students who have only completed grade 12 are holding both an educational qualification certificate in one hand and a visa for abroad in the other. This shows that students are seeking opportunities abroad at a young age, alongside their education."
The branch's data shows that the most preferred destinations for students in the fiscal year 2023/24 were Japan, Canada, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. Of the 112,593 students who obtained NOCs during this period, 34,731 are heading to Japan. After Japan, 15,982 students are going to Canada, 14,372 to Australia, 13,339 to the United Kingdom, 11,261 to the United States, and 6,889 to South Korea.
Similarly, in the fiscal year 2022/23, authorities issued a total of 102,610 NOCs. Among them, 28,079 were for students seeking higher education in Australia.
Similarly, in that year, 20,810 students obtained NOCs to study in Canada. Additionally, 4,098 students obtained NOCs for the United States, 10,280 for the United Kingdom, and 21,641 for Japan.
In the fiscal year 2020/21, 28,239 students obtained NOCs to study abroad. Among them, the highest number, 8,577 students, received NOCs for Japan. Additionally, 4,669 students obtained NOCs for Australia, 2,470 for the United Kingdom, 2,468 for Canada, and 1,266 for the United States.
In the fiscal year 2021/22, the government issued 95,532 NOCs. During that year, 50,300 students obtained NOCs to study in Australia. After Australia, 16,695 students received NOCs for Japan, 5,268 for Canada, 6,381 for the United States, 5,151 for the United Kingdom, and 1,251 for South Korea.
Ghimire said, "Most of those obtaining NOCs are students in the fields of management, IT, medical sciences, humanities, law, nursing, and engineering. Now, the state should investigate how many of those who went abroad for studies found opportunities, how many returned to Nepal, and how many stayed abroad. In the past, only affluent individuals used to go abroad for higher studies, but now even people from weaker families are selling their property to seek opportunities abroad. It is important to investigate whether they found opportunities."
