Malwa, the new Doaba

Sukhmeet Bhasin in Bathinda

In the last decade and a half, Bathinda city has turned into a hub of IELTS and immigration centres in the Malwa region of Punjab. More than 300 IELTS and ‘study abroad’ centres have come up here in recent times. Most youngsters want to head abroad after Class XII and registering themselves with one of these institutes is the norm now. The average fee charged by these institutes is around Rs 9,000 to Rs 11,000 per student per month. A student usually takes two to three months of coaching before appearing for an IELTS exam.

The most sought-after destinations are Canada, Australia and New Zealand. An immigration expert said that youngsters go abroad to pursue higher education, but they are clear in their mind that they are going to settle there. He said most are not even bothered about which course they will pursue in a foreign university. All that matters is the opportunity to go abroad. What’s interesting to note is that parents today support their kids’ foreign dreams, which they were not very comfortable with earlier.

Bhavdeep Kaur, director of an immigration agency, said, “Canada and Australia have been the leading destinations for students from Punjab this year. The number of students keen on studying in Canada has increased substantially because of the country’s friendly visa policy.” She says the craze to settle abroad and fewer job opportunities in the region are the major reasons behind the growing trend of studying abroad.

Experts say the kind of regard given to those abroad lends impetus to foreign dreams. “Tags such as ‘NRI’, ‘foreign returned’, ‘green card holder’ etc., are held in high esteem in our country. Even in the marriage market these tags are valuable. This mentality has also led our students to dream of going abroad for higher studies and jobs,” says an expert.