Are you an Indian student wanting to study abroad in the coming months or an agent planning to help students find the right college or course? Do you have queries related to visa, immigration issues, student loans, and post-study options? Or do you need information about travel to your target countries?
If you are one of the two then the following news could be of use to you. The Indian government is planning to set up a “one-point service delivery platform” called the Global Indian Students’ Portal (GISP) this year for those wanting to go overseas for higher education.
Some of the resources to be made available on the portal include country-wise information on courses, colleges and universities, with links to the institutes and comprehensive information on the country of choice such as the political, economic situation, and also foreign students already studying there, as per sources in the ministry of external affairs.
It will also host information on the recognition of an institute or university and the equivalence norms, links to Indian Missions in various countries, details of education counsellors, government and private scholarships in other nations, information on banking and financial institutions in case a student wants monetary support or loans, and links to agents or institutions helping with health insurance. Information on accommodation, logistics support, travel, food and languages will also be provided. There will also be FAQs on various countries.
The portal will have a dynamic database and will be updated on a real-time basis for all services and information being provided.
It will have a well-structured design and will be very secure, easy to navigate, and appealing to the viewer.
The site will help the current and future set of students aiming to travel to other countries for tertiary education. Currently, more than 1 million Indian students are projected to be studying abroad in a single academic year.
It will also prevent students from enrolling in fake universities or institutions or those that do not have the necessary approvals and permissions for operations from their respective education bodies and governments.
The external affairs ministry has taken other measures to create a comprehensive and exhaustive database of Indian students going abroad. The Students Registration Module set up in 2015 was meant to allow students to voluntarily provide information about their courses, institutions, location, and type, among other details.
The database of students collected through this also enables the Indian government to contact the students in case of an emergency.
