Number of students going abroad keeps rising

The number of Bangladeshi students going abroad to pursue higher studies has increased by 10 per cent this year, owing to the improved Covid-19 situation here and around the world.

According to the latest report of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 49,151 students went or will go abroad in 2022. The number was 44,338 in 2021.

The US is still the top favourite among the destinations. In 2022, some 8,665 Bangladeshi students went to the US for higher education. The number was 8,122 in 2021.

Besides, 7,548 students went to Malaysia and 5,647 to Australia in 2022. The numbers were 6,904 and 6,191, respectively, last year.

Moreover, 5,136 students went to Canada in 2022, against 3,735 in 2021; 3,930 went students to Germany, against 2,920 last year; 3,194 to the UK, against 2,645 in 2021; 2,750 to India, against 2,258 last year; 2,436 to Japan; 1,136 to South Korea, against 1,121 in 2021; and 1,168 to Saudi Arabia, against 1,062 in 2021, according to the UNESCO data.

Also, 973 students went to Sweden in 2022; 907 to Cyprus; 821 to Finland; 686 to Turkey; 393 to Qatar; 235 to Thailand; 233 to Russia; 224 to Estonia; 222 to Norway; 213 to Poland; 182 to Hungary; 181 to New Zealand; 178 to China and Hong Kong; 174 to Denmark; 149 to Italy; 139 to Oman; 135 to Ukraine; 134 to France, and 110 students to Portugal.

The UNESCO data shows that the US, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Germany, the UK, India, Japan, Korea and Saudi Arabia, are the top 10 destinations for Bangladeshi students.

Around 80,000 students go abroad every year on average even though higher education scopes have increased in Bangladesh with more and more public and private universities established over the years.

The number fell in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But it increased by 4,813 this year so far as the pandemic situation improved.

Academics, however, blame the failure of Bangladesh’s education system for this brain drain, which deprives the country as the majority of these students do not return home after completing their studies or training and start living in foreign countries.

In the past, thousands of students used to go to India for higher education but the introduction of private universities somewhat checked the flow. But there are no steps to stop the flow of foreign degree-seeking students.

Bangladesh approved its first private university in 1992. Currently, there are 109 private universities and 53 public universities across the country.

Prof Abdul Mannan, former chairman of the University Grants Commission, told The Business Post that students are going abroad to have better qualifications, develop skills and improve job prospects.

The number of such students is increasing fast also because of Bangladesh’s overall progress, including financial capacity, he said.

The educationist also suggested increasing the educational quality of the country’s public and private universities.