A complete guide to the top countries for studying abroad in 2023

 According to recent research, 95% of the students surveyed agreed that studying abroad has accelerated their maturity levels and influenced their long-term worldview. From global perspectives to industry exposure and hands-on learning to the blend of cultures, the primary aspect of studying abroad is to identify educational opportunities that are valued highly across all borders.

Before selecting these countries to study overseas, significant factors must be evaluated, including average cost of living, employability rates, and tuition expenditure. For comparing and evaluating countries based on universities, courses offered, the monthly cost of living, and rent, below is a detailed list of countries along with their pros and cons.

1. United Kingdom

There are several reasons why the UK is a prestigious place to study abroad, including no language barrier for students from many other English-speaking nations, renowned institutions, a thriving student culture, and quick access to European countries. Furthermore, it has shorter duration courses and a high acceptance rate with diverse research and innovation opportunities. The top five universities include the University of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh, and King's College London. The average monthly cost of living, including rent as recommended by UKVI, is $1250.

2. United States

With exceptional education and intellectual rigor, the United States provides international students with innovative practices and prestige. The top five universities include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, and the University of Chicago. Furthermore, it has extensive undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with financial aid that are available such as scholarships and grants.

3. Germany

With innovative art, literature, and iconic monuments, Germany has reasonable living costs with a rich background history. From business to hard sciences, it provides academic internships for innovation and growth at leading companies. Furthermore, it was found that about 50% of students who were studying abroad were employed or participated in international internships/volunteer work. The top 5 universities in Germany are the Technical University of Munich, Freie Universitat Berlin, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Humboldt University of Berlin and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The expense per semester for tuition fees is $3000.

4. Singapore

With low crime rates and budget-friendly options, Singapore is one of the safest countries for studying abroad. With diverse religions, architecture, and food, it is a country rich in culture and ethnicity. The top 5 universities include the National University of Singapore, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, and INSEAD- Singapore. The total expenditure to be incurred on tuition each semester is $3050.

5. Canada

With liberal government policies for immigration and budget-friendly lifestyles, Canada has consistently grown as a preferred destination for pursuing higher education in recent years. About Three-fourths of students who chose to study abroad believe that it has helped them develop skills for future careers, such as improved interpersonal skills, increased self-reliance, foreign language proficiency, and overall adaptability to new environments. The top 5 universities are the University of Toronto, McGill University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Waterloo, and the University of Alberta.

6. Australia

With a smaller local population and student-centric cities, Australia hosts programs for students interested in geological, wildlife, and other biological studies. The top five universities include the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, and the Australian National University. The average spending every month amounts to $1750.

7. Spain

With a diverse cultural, artistic and linguistic background, Spain provides international students with a comprehensive history for developing and enhancing their linguistic skills. The top 5 universities include the University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and the University of Navarra. For tuition fees, a student incurs an amount of $2,000 per semester.

8. New Zealand

With adventure sports and small college towns, New Zealand has bustling cities which provide leadership opportunities and a deep understanding of the Māori culture. The top 5 universities include the University of Auckland, the University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Canterbury, and Massey University. The average monthly cost of living, including rent, is $1250.

9. Ireland

With an international hub for technology, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry, Ireland provides unique cultural opportunities for students. The top 5 universities include University College Cork, Dublin City University, University of Limerick, National University of Ireland, and Technological University Dublin. The expected expenditure for a month is about $1600, which is inclusive of rent.

About 40% of US companies missed out on global business opportunities because of a need for internationally competent persons. Studying abroad helps act as an investment, both professionally and academically. Therefore, it is essential to carefully evaluate and understand the different countries based on employability rates, costs of living and growth rates.

About The Author

Mr. Rohit Sethi, Director, ESS Global 

Source: The Telegraph, 30/12/22

Context is key

 India is a pre-modern, pluralist society

At the Tory conference in the United Kingdom (October 2022), the home secretary, Suella Braverman, referred to the “vocal” and the “ethnic minority” creating serious problems for the “law-abiding majority”. This can be understood as scripting an antithesis to the famous thesis by the British liberal philosopher, John Stuart Mill, who cautioned against the “tyranny of the majority”.

Now, while a word or a concept can be used differently from its original usage, the difference must be recognised. Mill, for instance, was reacting to his predecessor, John Locke, who criticised Robert Filmer. Filmer defended the divine rights of kings. Locke, in turn, proposed moving away from earlier forms of feudalism and theocracies, with citizens choosing their leader as their representative. In case of a lack of consensus, Locke proposed, the majority’s decision would prevail over the minority’s. This provided the foundation for representative democracy as a modern form of politics.

The majority and the minority in Locke and Mill comprise unencumbered modern citizens. However, Braverman’s use of these terms differs from that of Locke or Mill. She uses the word, minority, to refer to non-modern aspects such as ethnicity. Ethnic minorities, in her usage, are ‘encumbered’ within a community or region that falls outside that of ‘unencumbered’ individuals. At the least, she uses minority to refer to an overlap between modern citizens and the pre-modern self encumbered within a community. There is thus a difference between using these key terms within and outside liberalism.

Independent India adopted modernistic ideas of individual freedom and liberty, as well as institutions like parliamentary democracy from liberalism. This progressive move by our national leaders put India’s international profile on a par with other modern states. However, there is a difference between modern Western and Indian experiences. Modern Western nations have modern citizens as premises in the public sphere, and their institutions are based on these modern individuals. At least they projected themselves as such, and this is how the outside world perceived them.

In contrast, while the provision of citizenship is enshrined in the Indian Constitution, there is a vast difference between political ideals and social reality. People are entrenched in pre-modern communities, cultures, regions, religions and languages. The words, majority and minority, which are intrinsic parts of representative democracy, do not have an immediate referent in India. Hence, there is a cleavage between what is and what ought to be.

India is primarily a pre-modern, pluralistic society. Forcibly imposing modern liberal political terminology on Indian society can be problematic and misleading. For instance, Indian liberals and secularists use the terms, minority and majority, to refer not to citizens but to religious communities. This difference, if not recognised, can lead to confusion.

In Locke’s concept of liberalism, the majority is constituted first. The minority is then formed by those not included in the majority — in that sequential order. However, secularists and liberals in India claiming to represent modern liberalism not only used these terms to refer to realities that lie outside of liberalism but also inverted the sequence, creating confusion. They designated the minority first and then created a majority still in the making. These concepts were used as if they were predetermined — the past tense instead of the present continuous.

Critics of secularism have now taken on these concepts and embarked on a massive drive to define the majority by highlighting instances of minority appeasement and are steadily gaining followers. The confusing use of these liberal concepts has also taken its toll outside the political domain, beyond the concepts of minority and majority.

In a plural society like India, there are several majorities and several minorities. For instance, a non-Hindi speaker can feel a deep sense of being the minority in the company of Hindi-speaking people. Similarly, a Hindi-speaking person classified under the majority religion may feel like the minority in a non-Hindi-speaking place. And we find numerous such instances all over India.

An essential feature of a pluralistic society like India is that it allows each person to feel like a minority. Many aspects of a plural society are unfamiliar to its people. For example, several languages and cultural practices are unknown. And, when accessed, you are either alone or in a small group. In turn, this feeling in plural societies can sensitise people to similar feelings in others — a unique, yet common, virtue in a pluralist society. The way terms like majority and minority are used today fails to capture this special feature. Within this context, we can mostly use the shifting nature of the majority and minority.

Terms like majority and minority are thus used within the liberal framework by liberal philosophers like Locke and Mill. However, Braverman’s use of these terms and their use in India falls outside the liberal framework. It is imperative to distinguish these and avoid conflating one with the other. Maintaining this difference can lead to clarity.

Braverman’s comments provides the context to re-examine the background of various theories of liberalism, identify the use of concepts such as minority and majority outside liberalism, investigate the misleading nature of their use in India and highlight their unique aspects.

We also need to focus on making pragmatic political decisions that are sustainable in the long run. Since modern liberal ideals are not indigenous to India, we need to understand their history, their background and the complexities associated with the Indian context to utilise them for more effective decision-making.

Source: The Telegraph, 9/01/23

Quote of the Day January 4, 2023

 

“The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’”
Jeffrey Bezos

“आम सवाल जो कारोबार में पूछा जाता है, ‘क्यों?’ वह एक अच्छा सवाल है, लेकिन एक उतना ही सटीक सवाल है, ‘क्यों नहीं?'”
जेफरी बेज़ोस

On her 192nd birth anniversary, a look at the life of Savitribai Phule, India’s first woman teacher

 

We recall the legacy of Savitribai Phule, who along with her husband Jyotirao Phule, helped pioneer the education of women and backward caste communities in India

“Be self-reliant, be industrious
Work, gather wisdom and riches,
All gets lost without knowledge
We become animal without wisdom,
Sit idle no more, go, get education
End misery of the oppressed and forsaken,
You’ve got a golden chance to learn
So learn and break the chains of caste.
Throw away the Brahman’s scriptures fast.”

– Savitribai Phule (Kavya Phule, 1854)

A pioneer who challenged oppressive social norms in her quest for women’s education, equality and justice, Savitribai Phule is formally recognised as India’s first woman teacher. The above poem titled Go, Get Education, is among the many Phule wrote to make a clarion call to the downtrodden to pursue education, and break free from the shackles of the caste system.

Who was Savitribai Phule?

A Dalit woman from the Mali community, Savitribai was born on January 3, 1831, in Maharashtra’s Naigaon village. Married off at the tender age of 10, her husband Jyotirao Phule is said to have educated her at home. Later, Jyotirao admitted Savitribai to a teachers’ training institution in Pune. Throughout their life, the couple supported each other and in doing so, broke many social barriers.At a time when it was considered unacceptable for women to even attain education, the couple went on to open a school for girls in Bhidewada, Pune, in 1848. This became the country’s first girls’ school.

The loud opposition to Phules’ schools

The Phules opened more such schools for girls, Shudras and Ati-Shudras (the backward castes and Dalits, respectively) in Pune, leading to discontent among Indian nationalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak. They opposed the setting up of schools for girls and non-Brahmins, citing a “loss of nationality”, and believing not following the caste rules would mean a loss of nationality itself.

The opposition to the couple was so hostile that eventually Jyotirao’s father Govindrao was forced to kick them out of his house.

Savitribai herself faced great animosity from the upper castes, including instances of physical violence.When serving as the headmistress of the first school in Bhide Wada, upper-caste men often pelted stones and threw mud and cow dung on her. It is said that Savitribai would have to carry two saris when she went to school. She would change out of the soiled sari once she reached the school, which would again be soiled on her way back.

But this would not deter the work and the schools came to be hailed as a success. One report from 1852 in The Poona Observer states, “The number of girl students in Jotirao’s school is ten times more than the number of boys studying in the government schools. This is because the system for teaching girls is far superior to what is available for boys in government schools… If the Government Education Board does not do something about this soon, seeing these women outshine the men will make us hang our heads in shame.”

According to the memoirs written by Balwant Sakharam Kolhe, Savitribai was undeterred by these attacks and would say to her harassers, “As I do the sacred task of teaching my fellow sisters, the stones or cow dung that you throw seem like flowers to me. May God bless you!”

Phule’s role as a social reformer, beyond education

Along with Jyotirao, Savitribai started the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (‘Home for the Prevention of Infanticide’) for pregnant widows facing discrimination. This was inspired by a turn of events wherein a young Brahmin widow was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Andamans after she killed her newborn child. The man who had raped the illiterate widow refused to take up any responsibility for the child, driving the widow to infanticide.

Savitribai Phule also advocated inter-caste marriages, widow remarriage, and eradication of child marriage, sati and dowry systems, among other social issues. The Phules also adopted Yashwantrao, the child of a widow, whom they educated to become a doctor.

In 1873, the Phules set up the Satyashodhak Samaj (‘Truth-seekers’ society’), a platform open to all, irrespective of their caste, religion or class hierarchies, with the sole aim of bringing social equity. As an extension, they started ‘Satyashodhak Marriage’ – a rejection of Brahmanical rituals where the marrying couple takes a pledge to promote education and equality.

The couple also set up ‘Balyata Pratibandak Gruha’, a childcare centre for the protection of pregnant widows and rape victims. Urging women to break free of caste barriers, Savitribai encouraged them to sit together at her meetings.

At her husband’s funeral procession on November 28, 1890, Savitribai again defied convention and carried the titve (earthen pot). Walking ahead of the procession, Savitribai was the one who consigned his body to the flames, a ritual which is still predominantly carried out by men.

Setting an extraordinary example of living a life of compassion, service and courage, Savitribai became involved in relief work during the 1896 famine in Maharashtra and the 1897 Bubonic plague. She herself contracted the disease while taking a sick child to the hospital, and breathed her last on March 10, 1897.

Savitribai’s literary works

Savitribai Phule published her first collection of poems, called Kavya Phule (‘Poetry’s Blossoms’), at the age of 23 in 1854. She published Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (‘The Ocean of Pure Gems’), in 1892.Besides these works, Matushri Savitribai Phlenchi Bhashane va Gaani (S’avitribai Phule’s speeches and songs’), and her letters to her husband have also been published.

Her poems also pointed out the necessity of learning English, as one reads:

“Make self-reliance your occupation,
Exert yourself to gather the wealth of knowledge,
Without knowledge animals remained dumb,
Don’t rest! Strive to educate yourself.
The opportunity is here,
For the Shudras and Ati Shudras,
To learn English
To dispel all woes.
Throw away the authority
Of the Brahmin and his teachings,
Break the shackles of caste,
By learning English.”

Calling out to the oppressed and the downtrodden to fight for justice, she says:

“Weak and oppressed! Rise my brother
Come out of living in slavery…”
“Awake, arise and educate
Smash traditions-liberate!
We’ll come together and learn
Policy-righteousness-religion,
Slumber not but blow the trumpet
O Brahman, dare not you upset.
Give a war cry, rise fast
Rise, to learn and act.”

Source: Indian Express, 3/01/23

UPSC is more about conceptual clarity than just mugging up, says expert

 UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is without a doubt, one of the most highly-competitive and prestigious tests in the country. Every year, several lakhs of aspiring candidates fill out the applications for different exams under the UPSC, but only a few succeed in cracking it.

The UPSC exams’ uncertain nature, its mammoth syllabus size, along with the fact that there are only around 1,000 vacancies in total, often make preparing for it a very daunting experience for candidates.

Moreover, the exam has three stages - preliminary exam (objective), main exam (written), and interview (personality test). Therefore, just mugging up the several topics and points around the syllabus is not going to be enough for success in it.

Rather, candidates must prepare for it thoroughly understanding all concepts, and replicate their learnings in the actual examinations to do well.

Here are some expert tips for candidates to follow:

1. SCANNING CORE SYLLABUS & DEVELOP EXAM STRATEGIES

One of the biggest challenges of the UPSC CSE is that candidates need to go through an extensive list of topics in various fields to have a chance of success.

However, while it may seem like a mountain to climb, proper planning through the help of scanning the entire syllabus goes a long way in preparing for the exams.

Scanning the UPSC syllabus helps you in understand your core strength areas as well as the things that you need to work on. Once, you’ve understood that you can follow it up by checking previous years’ question papers. This will help you in knowing where you stand in terms of learning and how much time you need to prepare for the exam.

2. DEVELOP A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF TOPICS THROUGH RIGHT SOURCE MATERIALS

Memory power is indeed a key ingredient in cracking the UPSC CSE examinations. However, it is equally important to be able to comprehend each topic and explain it in proper detail under the strict word limit and time restrictions.

Often, candidates rely on many guides and handbooks to study for the exams during the early stages. Instead, you should refer to standard textbooks to develop a proper understanding of each topic.

The road to UPSC success starts with picking suitable source material, as in the case of the school-level NCERT books. You should start with these books to have a comprehensive understanding of the basics. Once you have mastered it, you are free to move to other source materials.

3. PRACTISE WRITING

Just reading for the exams will not cut it if you want to crack UPSC. You must focus on your writing skills as much as your reading. Attaining high marks in the Main exams is dependent on your writing ability. You not only need to write fast to attempt all questions, but the writing also needs to be grammatically correct.

You don’t need to be a literary genius to have excellent writing. All you need to do is to practice writing in such a manner that you are able to smartly explain, discuss, and elaborate answers to complex questions in simple and jargon-free language.

If you feel your handwriting is difficult to read, you must practice writing at least 500 words on a daily basis from the get-go. Later, you can start attempting questions from the previous years' papers and mock tests.

4. GAIN COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Candidates appearing for the UPSC Mains examination are required to have a thorough knowledge of different fields like history, general knowledge, politics, and others.

To secure high marks in the Prelims, Mains, and even the interview, it becomes crucial for candidates to have a good understanding of the Indian Constitution.

There are around 450 Articles in the Indian Constitution, and while you don’t need to remember all of them, it is very essential to have a clear-cut understanding of all the political concepts to ace UPSC.

The candidates must be thoroughly briefed about the nature and salient features of the Indian Constitution, which includes Fundamental Rights, judicial review and activism, federalism, Separation of Powers, and others.

A clear understanding of Article 1, Article 3, Article 14, Article 19, Article 21, Article 25, Article 32, Article 51A, Article 54, Article 55, Article 72, Article 161, and Article 280, is crucial before attempting the exams.

5. DEVICE EFFECTIVE LEARNING & REVISION TECHNIQUES

The UPSC CSE syllabus can often be intimidating for any candidate. Often, it takes strict and dedicated long hours of studying for more than a year for candidates to cover the entire syllabus.

However, even when you’ve managed to finish it, you need to follow it up with timely revisions to not forget what you learned. This can be very physically and mentally taxing, and therefore, it becomes crucial for all candidates to devise techniques around it.

This can be done by developing successful shortcuts wherein you seek the best method of summarizing long texts, making quick notes, and explaining them.

Moreover, you can also follow a timetable, set daily targets, assign strict revisions daily, and also practice answer writing for prelims and mains every now and then.

Source: Telegraph, 29/12/22

International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023

 The Government of India has sponsored the proposal for the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023, which has been accepted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This has given the Indian Government the opportunity to celebrate the IYM and position India as the global hub for millets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also shared his vision for the IYM to become a “People’s Movement”.

What are Millets?

Millets are small-seeded grasses that are often referred to as “Nutri-cereals”. Some common types of millets include sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), little millet (kutki), foxtail millet (kakun), proso millet (cheena), barnyard millet (sawa), and kodo millet (kodon). These grains are a staple cereal crop for millions of smallholder dryland farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and offer a variety of benefits such as nutrition, income, and livelihood for farmers. They can also be used for food, feed, fodder, biofuels, and brewing.

Significance and Benefits of Millets

Millets are nutritionally superior to wheat and rice due to their higher protein levels and a more balanced amino acid profile. They also contain various phytochemicals which have therapeutic properties due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In addition to being climate resilient, millet grains are rich in nutrients like carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, and good-quality fat; minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and B complex vitamins. Importantly, millet production does not depend on the use of chemical fertilizers, making it a sustainable and environmentally friendly option.

India’s Prioritization of Millets

• In April 2018, millets were rebranded as “Nutri Cereals” in India, and the year 2018 was declared as the National Year of Millets with the goal of increasing promotion and demand for these grains. The global millets market is expected to have a CAGR of 4.5% between 2021 and 2026.
• The Indian Government has recognized the significant potential of millets and has prioritized them, aligning with several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In December 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations hosted the opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 in Rome, Italy, which was attended by a delegation of senior government officials from India.
• In the lead-up to the year-long celebration of the IYM, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in India hosted a special “Millet Luncheon” for Members of Parliament at the Parliament house.

Activities for the International Year of Millets

Several Indian ministries and states have planned activities for the IYM in January 2023. The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has planned 15 activities over 15 days, including engaging sports persons, nutritionists, and fitness experts through video messages, conducting webinars on millets with leading nutritionists and dieticians, and promoting millets through the Fit India App.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries will be organizing Millet Fair-cum-exhibitions in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will hold Eat Right Melas in Punjab, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Assam Achieves Zero Poaching of Endangered Rhinos

 For the first time in nearly 45 years, Assam recorded zero poaching of endangered rhinos in 2022. These animals, known for their valuable horns, were poached 191 times in Assam between 2000 and 2021. The highest number of incidents occurred in 2013 and 2014, with 27 rhino deaths each reported. In 2020 and 2021, two rhinos were killed each year. The last time no poaching was reported in Assam was in 1977.

Coordinated Efforts by State Departments

Officials attribute the success in reducing rhino poaching to the sincere, concerted, and coordinated efforts of the state’s forest and police departments. Upon taking office in May 2021, the special director general of police (law and order), G P Singh, made it a priority to implement zero tolerance towards rhino poaching. In June 2021, a special task force was created with Singh as its head and 22 senior police and forest department officials, including chief wildlife warden MK Yadava.

Previously, the forest and police departments worked independently to address wildlife crimes such as poaching. The task force was established to coordinate the fight against poachers. Yadava reported that the coordinated efforts have been effective, stating, “We have intelligence both from forest and police sources about activities and movements of poachers, which helps in action against them.”

Database and Use of Technology

The task force compiled a database of past incidents of rhino poaching, including details of when, how, and where they occurred. Information was also collected on the entry and exit points used by poachers to access Kaziranga, Manas, Orang, and Pobitora, as well as the identities of all criminals associated with rhino poaching. The task force used this information to take tough action against poachers, including the deployment of armed commandos and the use of technology, such as drones and dog squads, to track poachers’ movements.

Assam’s One-Horned Rhino Population

Assam is home to nearly 2,900 one-horned rhinos, making it the largest habitat for this vulnerable species. According to the State of the Rhinos Report 2022, the total population of one-horned rhinos, found only in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, is 4,012. Poaching has long been a concern in Assam’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, with poachers linked to international wildlife parts smuggling gangs responsible for 191 rhino deaths since 2000. In 2014 and 2015, the highest number of poaching incidents occurred, with 17 each year. The number of rhinos killed decreased in subsequent years, with 18 in 2016 and only one in 2021.

Government Commitment to Zero Poaching

The BJP-led government, which was reelected in May 2021, made a commitment to achieving zero poaching. This issue was also raised in the election manifestos of the Congress party and other political parties. In June 2021, the state government established a 22-member task force headed by GP Singh and deployed armed commandos to vigilantly and strictly combat poachers. The task force included senior forest officers and SPs from 11 districts and six wildlife divisions, as well as armed commandos from the police and state forest personnel. These resources were deployed in the core areas of rhino habitats, including Kaziranga, Manas, Orang, and Pobitora. The use of drones and dog squads helped to track poachers and bring them to justice.