With Canada being a top destination for higher education among students in Punjab’s Malwa region, now many are fearing the impact of strained relations between the two nations could hit their study plans.
Managers of International English Language Testing System (IELTS) coaching centres in Bathinda, the hub of these institutes in Malwa, say this winter, student enrolment at IELTS institutes has dropped manifold.
Paramveer Singh, 17, from Gehri Buttar village in Bathinda is in the process of completing schooling and was keen to go to Canada. “My parents are consulting my uncle, who is settled in Australia, and another relative in Canada. I was looking forward to going to Canada with my cousin but the there is a lot of uncertainty related to admission and work permit. The worsening diplomatic ties have added to the confusion. I hope relations improve soon,” he says while attending coaching at a centre on the local Ajit Road.
Entrepreneur Sulakhan Singh says he wanted to send his younger daughter to study in Canada for a bachelor’s programme, but the strained relations between India and Canada have compelled him to postpone his plans.
{{/usCountry}}Entrepreneur Sulakhan Singh says he wanted to send his younger daughter to study in Canada for a bachelor’s programme, but the strained relations between India and Canada have compelled him to postpone his plans.
{{/usCountry}}“After studying information technology in Canada, my elder daughter is working in a government department in British Columbia. Due to the rising inflation, dwindling job prospects and strained political ties, we decided otherwise for our younger one,” he says.
Dharanpreet Kaur, 17, says she intends to study business administration in a college in the US or Canada. “We have relatives in Canada, but the US offers better academic prospects and stability. My relatives say the job sector and inflation in Canada are not as bad as portrayed on social media, but we are sceptical,” she says.
Struggling for survival
According to a veteran IELTS consultant and managing director of a coaching centre network, Ashok Sadiora, the current strain in relations between India and Canada has severely impacted the confidence of Canada-bound students.
He says coaching institutes in Punjab have shut down due to paucity of students, while most IELTS centres are struggling to admit students. “Winters see lower registration in Punjab but this year, it has been the lowest ever. Till last year, the average student footfall in the non-peak season was 2,000 students. But this year, we have 275 students on roll, and it is probably the highest in Bathinda. The industry is struggling for survival. Sharp changes in rules by the Canadian government last year have dealt a blow to the confidence amid rising cost of living and shrinking job opportunities in Canada,” he adds.
Biding their time
Another manager of a consultancy firm says, “Education fee from overseas students is a key contributor to the Canadian economy and a stable new government may again bring a set of relaxed rules. Till then, Punjabis have limited option in Canada due to fewer jobs and escalated living cost. As getting entry into Australia, the UK or the US is strict, there has been a trend where students are taking admission in undergraduate programmes in Punjab till a way to fly abroad becomes simpler again,” he adds.