As a student in India, we have to choose whether to pursue medical or engineering. Most of us get scared by seeing the curriculum of MBBS(6 years), so, fortunately, we do engineering. But becoming a doctor is a few student's only choice to fulfil their dream. Our dreams have no limitation but our financial conditions though. You can see many such students in my country. Neither could they afford coaching classes for the entrance examination nor compensate great amounts drafted by private institutions. Have you ever been in a situation where you can see the chance slips from your hands? Yeah, I have gone through the same once. After looking, JEE-MAIN results, I saw my chance of getting into an NIT fading away. The same might happen to NEET aspirants. After NEET results, Indian students have two options. One, to prepare for examination once again and reappear. Two, pursue medical in other countries which demand a lesser fee than native private institutions. This is when the education agent comes into play. How do they explain the process of your journey in medical admission will be like butter spread over bread? He baits you with facilities, education curriculum, course fees. But the reality is different.
WHY STUDENTS OPTS ABROAD?
The number of students filling forms for medical courses abroad is rising steeply. Right to Information (or RTI) application stated that the Medical Council of India (MCI) had issued 3,386 more eligibility certificates to foreign medical aspirants in 2018 than in 2017, a rise of about 24%. The year before, the number had nearly doubled. Lack of facilities, government seats, and costly private institutions has made foreign medical a viable option for students. Allotment of seats based on caste plays a major role in this term.
HOW AGENTS EXPLOIT STUDENTS?
To explain this, I would like to give an example. I read it in The Hindu daily. A 17-year-old girl(protagonist) from Gujarat opts to go the Philippines in March 2015 to pursue medicine. The protagonist applied for a loan to fulfil the dream of becoming the first doctor in the family. The protagonist is one in 15000 Indian students who head to other nations for a medical degree, lured by easy admission criteria and lower fees than in India's private colleges. The protagonist's agent kept delaying her visa, demanding a lump sum of $12000 for the pre-medical course. The Protagonist entered the Philippines on a tourist visa on the agent's advice. A few days after classes started at Our Lady of Fatima University, the protagonist got a notice that the college had not received her pre-medical course fees. The college authorities claimed that the annual medical fees of $3750 which she had paid for four years should have been $5000. Without the money being paid, the college refused to release her degrees or support her visa extension request.
To limit your risk of running into a problem:
- Search for an authorized education agent. Mostly you can find the list of agents in the respective institution's website.
- Before signing a contract, entering into an agreement, or paying any money. Make sure you read the agreement properly. Also, get clarified the same with the institution by mailing or calling them.
- Ask your agent questions about your course and institution. Your agent must be able to tell you about your potential studies.
- Avoid baits that your agent throws before you. Like campus, good facilities etc.
- Ask your agent about their business, their website address, whether they have connections with other providers, how to contact them, and whether they have connections or ties with other organizations operating in your country.
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ReplyDeleteGreat work brother, keep it up
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