The National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK hosted an exclusive first-of-its kind webinar for Indian students as it warned them about some educational agents spreading false information in India.
Attended by over 2000 viewers and with a reach of over 15,000, the #AskNISAU session saw current students in the UK addressing questions raised by prospective students interested in joining the UK university in the next academic year.
The session provided general insights about studying and living in the UK, career advisory, and changed realities in the wake of Covid-19. Panelists represented a cross-section of more than 30 universities covering universities in all 4 countries of the UK, that are sought after by Indian students. Commenting on the #AskNISAU event, Sanam Arora, founder and chairperson of NISAU said,
“This is the first time such an event has been organised and we’re delighted to see the phenomenal response, which demonstrates how valuable and timely both our survey and intervention to provide this time-sensitive information to students have been. So far, the NISAU is the only body of its kind to unite Indian students and alumni outside India on a national platform; and today by using technology to connect current and potential Indian students to help the latter make the right choice, has emerged as a pioneer once again when it comes to ensuring the welfare of young Indians abroad. The Indian diaspora is a true asset, which must be cherished, nurtured and effectively deployed to shape India’s future but it all starts with empowering our youth with the right information that can enable sound decision-making in the first important step of their careers. We are delighted to be this platform that provides credible and unbiased information.”
NISAU recently conducted a survey of prospective Indian students and offer-holders to capture the concerns and requirements of Indian students in greater detail. It found that students have increasingly been complaining about receiving misleading/biased information from educational agents; a sector that remains unregulated in India. Notably, NISAU had previously called on the Indian Government to appropriately regulate this sector.
The session for Indian students hoping to begin their courses from September or in the future covered an overview of the UK's new points-based visa system applicable from January 2021, including the new post-study or Graduate Route visa, which allows overseas students the chance to stay on and find a job in the UK for a period of two to three years at the end of their degree course.
The NISAU will next be conducting a pre-departure briefing at the end of August for all those students who have chosen to commence their studies in the UK from September 2020.
