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In a big move to support Indian students overseas, Indian insurance firms have introduced travel insurance that offers protection against visa cancellation, loss of job, and unexpected emergencies. The insurance is aimed at safeguarding students financially and providing them with peace of mind as they navigate foreign education, reports The Times of India.

Indian insurers have launched student-specific travel insurance policies covering risks such as visa cancellation and unemployment upon study, providing an economic and comprehensive safety net for foreign students.

As increasing numbers of Indian students make a trip abroad for higher education in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, there is growing demand for robust insurance coverage. Traditional international insurance policies are typically pricey and not tailor-made for Indian students. Seeing this gap, Indian insurance companies have joined the race with superior, flexible, and competitive coverages.

Such fresh policy coverages extend beyond ordinary general medical cover, TOI reported. They even cover cases of visa denial, cancellation, and job loss after graduation. Some policies also offer coverage for paying accommodation fees and repatriation costs should a student need to leave the host country in urgency. The introduction of these aspects has been driven by the growing numbers of students whose studies have been disrupted due to policy adjustments and global uncertainties.

Radhika Saran, a 22-year-old student who is studying in Ireland now, talked about her experience with The Times of India, "My medical expenses were all settled, and the settlement process was trouble-free. My policy is much cheaper compared to the global insurances you find here. I purchased a flexible policy and opted for add-ons like access to an emergency fund as well."

Indian policies are another huge advantage in terms of cost-effectiveness. Industry estimates say the price of an Indian student travel insurance policy is one-third of what the global versions cost. For example, a $100,000 health insurance policy purchased abroad would cost significantly more than a similar policy from an Indian insurer.

Kapadia, the head of travel insurance at policybazaar, noticed the rising trend, "At Policybazaar, we've seen much more students and parents taking plans with coverage ranging between $100,000 to $500,000, and in some cases even up to $1 million. That is a pretty new shift from earlier times when students were happy with minimum basic mandatory coverage.".

Insurers such as Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and ICICI Lombard have witnessed an increase in students buying domestic insurance with extended coverage options from the usual basic policies. Aashish Sethi of Bajaj Allianz explained, " Several students are opting for value-added plans with greater medical cover, trip cancellation benefit, and emergency evacuation. Students typically opt for sum insured between 1 to 2 lakh under coverage plans.". But when students take loans for education, the majority of the loan-giving institutions recommend opting for plans with a larger sum insured.

Priya Deshmukh, head of ICICI Lombard's health products, operations and services, added further, "Students can opt for add-on covers such as maternity, cancer screening, alcoholism and drug dependency treatment, and medical coverage for inter-collegiate injuries in 'Plus' plans."

However, aside from the cost advantage and other features, foreign providers' university-recommended insurance remains the choice of some students due to easier claim settlement in the host nation. ForeignAdmits founder Nikhil Jain explained, "For US study, students are opting for insurance policies that cover visa revocation support and unemployment support.". They are also actively looking for assist covers which come handy in case there is a cancellation of the visa etc. Indian insurers are going through extremely rough times comparing themselves with international players on the basis of what they offer and the services."

To have equilibrium, education counselors recommend a hybrid plan. Dilip Oak, founder of an overseas education consultancy in Pune, told TOI, "We have a large number of students going to the US, and if they take a policy that is recommended by their university, then settling too becomes convenient. Indian insurers are offering all kinds of discounts to students."

As more Indian students go abroad, the insurance industry is responding to their needs with appropriate and affordable options. The new products will be part of student planning, reducing the cost involved in going abroad for education.

There was a record turnout of India students for Cambridge University Press & Assessment exams during March since it falls in alignment with the Indian academic calendar. India students also get an opportunity to sit for exams during the June & Nov series.

The results of the March series exams were declared on Wednesday across more than 420 schools and more than 17,000 students. Nearly 85,000 exam entries (total subject papers by total students) were noted, an increase of 11% over last year. Cambridge IGCSE (equivalent to Class 10) entries increased by 12% to reach the 62,000-level, while the AS & A level cohort (Classes 11 and 12 equivalent) increased 10% to more than 20,000 entries. There are nearly 120 CIE schools in Mumbai and 180 in Maharashtra.

Four students from Rustomjee Cambridge International Schools featured among world toppers with 100/100 marks in individual subjects: Dhruv Gambhire (mathematics) and Adit Telang (second language English) from Dahisar campus; Reva Vikas Hiran (mathematics) from Virar and Mukta Gautam (second language English) from Thane campus.

Debika Chatterji, principal director of JBCN International School, Borivli, indicated the school has two subject leaders achieving 100/100 in extended maths, with "more to come as we wait for the rest of the results from the May-June exam series."

"These were very diverse. Last year we had three world toppers, this year we have none. None of them managed 100, but all of them performed very well. There are two students who have 7A* and one 7," said Hema Doshi, director, Ajmera Global Schools. At Billabong High International School, Mulund, Aagam Malde won the exceptional Cambridge Learner Award, with a perfect 100 in chemistry in class 10.".

Maths, physics and chemistry remain the favorite among Indian students, "highlighting an enduring preference for STEM subjects", stated a Cambridge release. "Cambridge IGCSE biology is seen growing in popularity, with 16% more entries this year compared to the previous year. This indicates an expanding interest within the field of STEM and increased awareness of the relevance of biological sciences among Indian students."

Entries for exams also reflect a greater emphasis on acquiring skills for the future, with a 24% growth in entries for Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives. "By challenging students with some of the most significant issues facing the world at present, Cambridge Global Perspectives fosters critical thinking, research and collaborative problem-solving skills that are essential to success in a fast-changing global world," said the release.

Statistics indicate that economics and business are in equally strong positions in Cambridge International AS & A level, coming fourth and fifth, respectively, indicating a keen interest in learning about the "dynamics of the global economy.".

IIM Kozhikode has released a statement that it has terminated the deal with Turkey's Sabancı University effective from the date of this letter as a measure in line with national interest.

The five-year deal in September 2023 as a gesture of student transfer academic collaboration to the extent has been unilaterally cancelled by IIM Kozhikode owing to the latest developments and national interest matters. All corresponding academic endeavors also have been revoked, an institute statement released in regards to the same stated.

IIM Kozhikode has also notified Sabancı University of this step and asked the Turkish university to remove IIM Kozhikode's name from the whole official reports, website, and pages of the Turkish university.

In a letter of decision, IIM Kozhikode Director Prof. Debashis Chatterjee stated: "At IIM Kozhikode, we have highest in maintaining our international alignments in national interest. The decision to withdraw the MoU with Sabancı University is taken after due consideration and as part of our institutional practice of protecting the values and national interests of our nation. We are firm in having the establishment of international alignment in a spirit of mutual respect, strategic positioning, and common national values."

IIM Kozhikode reaffirms its commitment to maintaining the highest level of academic achievement and cooperation with foreign institutions founded on Indian learning and strategic interests.

It is being initiated by other leading Indian universities in the quest for the same, which includes Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Lovely Professional University (LPU) and IIT Roorkee.

The universities guaranteed their nation of seniority continues as they make a transition to international scholarly interaction on the platform of India's intellectual and strategic agenda.

The above decisions are an expression of a change of overall Indian institutions of higher learning policy towards international coordination, i.e., with Turkey affiliated institutions.

British scholar and author Nitasha Kaul has provided evidence to the report that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) tag was cancelled by the Government of India. Government of India notification listed her "anti-India activities" as grounds for cancellation of her OCI, for having done so in bad faith and repeatedly trying to intrude into India's sovereignty in international forums and social media. The Kashmiri Pandit intellectual had deposed before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2019 against the Indian government for "human rights abuses" in Kashmir.

Nitasha Kaul shared a portion of the government notification on X on 18th May:

".and whereas it has been brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history."

The government statement went on, "By your diverse critical writings, orations, and journalism pieces on different foreign websites and social media, you continuously besmirch India and Indian institutions in the matter of India's sovereignty."

The majority of social media also welcomed the government action of revoking Kaul's OCI status and felt that she "didn't deserve any kind of access to India.".

Kaul was deported within the hours she landed at Bengaluru's international airport in 2024. She had visited India on a special invitation from the Karnataka Congress government and her deportation was an offer of a big hue and cry. 

KEY WITNESS IN US HOUSE COMMITTEE AGAINST INDIA ON ARTICLE 370

Nitasha Kaul was one of the principal witnesses to a 22 October, 2019, hearing conducted by the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the condition of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir.

This followed the August move to abrogate Article 370 by annulling the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian Constitution and bifurcating the state into two union territories.

Kaul is a lecturer in the politics, international relations, and critical interdisciplinary studies of University of Westminster. Her witness statement appears on the website of the university.

"Both Indian and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have instances of the misuse of human rights. India is part of Jammu and Kashmir but never ceases to be the same non-respectful vis-a-vis the inhabitants of Kashmir and does not shy away from depriving them of their basic human rights.".

"The Indian reaction to Kashmiri protests, peaceful, peaceful, if violent, has been more state violence," she continued.

Kaul is also credited to "commemoration of one massacre at the expense of the other".

She also demanded revocation of Article 370.

"Whatever was done on 5 August 2019. Jammu and Kashmir by another name in the Indian constitution – did it have de jure autonomous statehood?" And in fact, the act was followed by a lock down in the state," she said.

"This is India's routine run, neither colonial autocracy nor democracy," she vowed while taking oath. "Thousands of young people, including children, have been arrested and taken to prisons in far-flung parts of India so that their parents cannot welcome them with a monumental inconvenience."

NITAHSA KAUL, Delhi University civil rights activist

Nitasha Kaul is a departmental research fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Westminster. She is a post-graduate from Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), and holds a Master's and PhD from Hull University, UK.

On May 18, in her weblog, she applied the term to the 2024 one when she herself was deported the very moment she arrived at Bengaluru airport and had termed it an "insult" to the non-BJP Karnataka state government who had invited her.

The Karnataka state government likewise invited Kaul to speak at a convention, but immigration authorities allegedly kept her out by "informally" making "references" to her "censure of the RSS.".

"DDdenied entry to India to give a speech on democratic & constitutional values. Invited to a conference as (an) distinguished delegate by (the) Govt of Karnataka (Congress govt) but (the) Centre refused me entry. All my documents were valid & in time (UK passport & OCI)," Kashmiri Pandit scholar had tweeted shortly after the event in 2024.

The OCI card on which the tweet was made has been revoked now.

A Texas woman has been arrested and charged with allegedly providing her son with ammunition and tactical equipment as he prepared to attack his San Antonio middle school. Ashley Pardo, 33, was charged on Monday with facilitating the commission of terrorism after the authorities alleged that she knowingly provided her son with items that were meant to be used in a plot for mass violence at Rhodes Middle School.

Pardo's son had been displaying frightening behavior for months, according to court filings obtained by CNN, ABC News, and KSAT. In January, school officials found his sketch of a map of the school marked "suicide route" with the name of the school next to a rifle. The boy had reportedly declared fascination with previous mass shooters, even reading the manifesto of the Christchurch mosque gunman. He was suspended in April for searching on a school computer about the 2019 New Zealand mosque shooting that killed 51 individuals.

The grandmother of the boy alerted authorities when she found live ammunition, tactical equipment, and a crude explosive device in his bedroom. The device contained white supremacist symbols and mentions of Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant, including "14 words" and "SS" symbols. A list of names of mass shooters and the victim counts was also scribbled in handwriting.

Even after being cautioned by law enforcement, child protective services, and school authorities concerning her son's plans, Pardo is said to have had no apprehension and even defended his violent actions. She is said to have obtained the tactical gear such as magazines, ballistic vest, helmet, and military uniform via visits to a nearby surplus store and traded the items for babysitting her son's younger brothers.

On May 12, the boy went to Rhodes Middle School dressed in a camouflage jacket, tactical pants, and a mask but departed quickly, issuing a security alert. The campus was searched for potential threats, and more police officers were sent. The student was subsequently detained off-campus and charged with terrorism.

Pardo was freed from Bexar County Jail after posting $75,000 bond and is due in court again on July 17. Principal Felismina Martinez of Rhodes Middle School reassured parents in a letter that the school takes all such threats seriously and takes student safety seriously. The case raised immediate questions about how worries regarding possible school violence are dealt with and the role played by family members either in preventing or facilitating such threats.

The case is ongoing, with the local authorities and San Antonio Independent School District still keeping a close eye on the situation.

The Chicago Board of Education is hosting meetings throughout the city before it chooses its next superintendent and CEO.

Throughout May and June, there will be an event in each of the 10 CPS Elected School Board districts. There will be focus groups, community meetings, and an online survey that will be available.

The community of Chicago Public Schools is encouraged to give input in person as part of the search process.

The complete schedule of the community events is listed on the website of the Chicago Board of Education.

Chicago school board votes to terminate CPS CEO

The Chicago Board of Education voted to terminate troubled Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez in December of 2024.

The vote, unanimous, was the end result of a month-long battle, Martinez against the mayor, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the mayor's personally appointed school board.

He sued over the firing.

During September, Martinez claimed he turned down a demand from Mayor Brandon Johnson that he quit his position after he defied the mayor's plea to take out a $300 million high-rate loan to fund the expense of a new proposed teachers' contract and pension expenses formerly funded by the city. The entire former school board resigned last month after they were pressured by the mayor to remove Martinez. Johnson subsequently appointed a new school board in a matter of days.

Mayor Johnson has flatly denied requesting Martinez resign during ongoing Chicago Teachers Union contract talks—although sources informed CBS News Chicago that he did.