Latest news with #NarayananRamaswamy
Mint
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
US Embassy in India cautions students against skipping classes or leaving midway
The US Embassy in India has cautioned students that skipping classes or leaving the program without informing authorities will lead to visa revocation, as the Trump administration mounts scrutiny of overseas students. 'If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future US visas,' the embassy posted on social media platform X. The warning comes when the Trump administration is embroiled in a battle with Harvard University. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked Harvard's certification to admit foreign students for the 2025-26 academic year. The university sued the US administration in the district court of Massachusetts, which blocked the order, providing temporary relief. The Trump administration has already ended Federal grants worth more than $2 billion to Harvard. It also aims to cancel remaining contracts, the NYT reported. While 788 Indian students are studying at Harvard, thousands of others are enrolled in colleges across the US. According to data provided by Open Doors Report, a portal for international students, the number of Indian students studying in the US in the 2023-24 academic year hit an all-time high of 331,602, rising 23% over the previous year. 'If you have applied for a student visa, you cannot misuse the opportunity to leave it mid-way and take up a job, etc. for which the visa process is different,' Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and head of the education and skill development practice at KPMG in India, told Mint. 'Although similar reinforcements have happened before, this message comes at a time when there is scrutiny over government interference in US universities.' Many Indian parents are concerned that political clashes will impact the future of their children. As a result, other destinations may see a rise in popularity. 'The Trump administration has upped its scrutiny over international students. The latest post is the US government warning students to stay away from campus politics, or participate in any activity that the government considers "illegal" and not be part of groups who often take up jobs to make ends meet when they do not have the correct visa,' said Suchindra Kumar, partner and education sector leader at PwC. The other reason for increased scrutiny are allegations that students often use their visas to work without valid documents. Over the last couple of years, even Canada, the UK and Australia have increased their checks for incoming international students. In 2023, Australia announced that it would no longer permit international students to enrol in affordable vocational courses immediately upon arrival in the country. In an attempt to clamp down on large-scale immigration, the UK tightened visa rules for international students, making it tougher to bring in dependents. In 2024, Canada, too, tightened visa rules. According to data provided by the Indian government in Parliament in March, 750,000 Indians were studying abroad in 2022. That number shot up to 892,000 in 2023 but dipped to 759,000 in 2024 in the wake of geopolitical crises and visa curbs.
Mint
24-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
J&K colleges to see fewer admissions in upcoming season due to attack: Analysts
Education analysts caution that the recent attacks in Kashmir's Pahalgam will hit a number of students who plan to take admission in Jammu and Kashmir's top institutes such as IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, NIT Srinagar, etc., in the coming years. "It (the attack) is definitely bad news for admissions in institutions in the region. People might look for alternatives to institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, because as parents, the first concern would be the safety and wellbeing of their children. All education institutes in Jammu should be worried,' said Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and head of education and skill development practice at consulting firm KPMG in India. 'Having said that, a swift and definitive action by the Government with visible measures to assuage security concerns will go a long way in positioning J&K institutions as potential destinations,' Ramaswamy added. Faculty members at the institutions in the valley are assuring that campuses are secure and functioning as usual. 'We are working today. All of us are in office and safe. Terrorist attacks can happen anywhere, they have happened in the past in Mumbai too. It won't really affect the education here, so we are not concerned about placements or admissions,' an official at the Indian Institute of Management Jammu told Mint on Wednesday. Registrar of National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, Atikur Rehman, also said, 'There is no law and order situation here. The campus is safe. Our institute is a national-level institute and we are not concerned about admissions or placements at all. Everything is fine.' This is not the first time students in Jammu and Kashmir are facing such a situation. 'Only the Central institutes in J&K have got any substantial number of outside state students in the state. Except NIT Srinagar others are not based in the valley and are considered safe,' highlighted Suchindra Kumar, partner and sector leader for education sector at consulting firm PwC. 'There have been multiple issues during the last decade of local vs non-local issues at NIT campus itself, and the administration has taken agile steps to end the crisis, and bring the focus back on teaching-learning quickly. There have been cases of remote classes, and classes in Jammu for brief periods,' Kumar added. 'While the disruptions do impact the teaching and learning, the quality of students coming through JEE criteria, and the NIT brand has ensured continuity…Even during the 2010s when there was quite some disturbances in the valley, NIT Srinagar has operated on almost 90%+ of the total intake capacity,' Kumar said. State of J&K colleges In NIRF 2024, IIM Jammu ranked 42nd among the country's top management institutes and IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar ranked 62nd and 79th respectively among the top engineering colleges. In the overall ratings, University of Kashmir was ranked 69th rank while the University of Jammu (JU) was at rank 87. As per the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2020-21, the latest data available on number of students studying in Jammu and Kashmir over 230,966 students are enrolled in under graduation courses and 20,278 post graduation as of 2020-21.
