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On Wednesday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had a meeting with a group of academic leaders from 24 top Canadian universities led by Amb Christopher Cooter, High Commissioner.

The Minister of Education held talks with a delegation of academic leaders from 24 top Canadian universities that was headed by Amb Christopher Cooter, High Commissioner. The discussion was centered on opening up new avenues of collaboration at the academic and research level with Indian HEIs and deepening India, Canada cooperation in higher education.

As posted on the microblogging site, X by Pradhan, the Canadian universities are willing to set up international campuses, strengthen academic, research and innovation capacities, talent development and building workforce of the future, as well as create innovative models for advancing the long-term educational agenda.

According to data shared by the Ministry of External Affairs during the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2025, there are 4,27,085 Indian students in Canada. The number includes both those studying in schools and those studying in universities and tertiary institutions.

In 2024, Canada was the top international higher education destination with a total of 4,27,000 Indian students visiting the country.It was then the USA with 3, 37, 630 Indian students, the United Kingdom with 1, 85, 000, Australia (1, 22, 202), and Germany (42, 997) that followed the list, the NITI Aayog report said.

So why is Canada seeing fewer arrivals in 2025?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have released official data where it is shown that the country saw a drop of almost 60% in new international students arrivals in 2025 compared to the previous year. Within a year, the number of new arrivals decreased by about 1.32 lakh, the change that reflects the impact of the introduction of extensive reforms in the student and temporary worker programs since late 2023.

 In early 2024, the federal government introduced an annual limit of 3.60 lakh study permits nationwide to “stabilise growth” and address pressures on housing and infrastructure.

In 2025, the cap was further reduced by 10%, bringing down allocations across provinces and territories. Alongside this, Ottawa made it mandatory for every acceptance letter to be verified through an official process to curb fraud and unauthorised enrollments. The government also increased financial requirements for study permit applicants — a move aimed at ensuring students are better prepared to meet living costs in Canada’s high-inflation environment.

These changes, coupled with the slower processing of applications submitted under earlier rules, have significantly reduced new arrivals this academic year.

What’s behind the policy shift?

The government has emphasised that the goal is not to restrict genuine talent but to make immigration “sustainable and better aligned with labour market needs.” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement that the new limits were aimed at "reducing the number of temporary residents to less than 5% of Canada's population" within a few years.

There had been worries that the increase in the number of short term residents, especially international students, was leading to problems like shortage of housing, skyrocketing rents, and lack of job opportunities. The government explained that the changes were intended to make it a win, win situation for students and local communities.

On Tuesday afternoon, disagreement with the UGC Bill spread to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where a group of students protested vehemently. The student issues raised were sufficiently loud to have attracted the attention of the university administration and local police rapidly.

Protest Governed By Social Justice

The protest mainly featured the students from the OBC, SC and ST categories. The event unfolded close to the Vishwanath Temple (VT) on the campus.

The protestors demanded the government implement the bill without delay. Community based organisations from these groups had been holding a number of meetings before the rally on Tuesday. Students continued to accumulate with their placards and banners in the afternoon at the Temple complex.

While the protest slogans grew louder, the university administration increased its action. The protesters were very determined for a long time, showing banners while the officials of the administration tried to convince them to leave the place. In order to keep order and prevent any trouble, a heavy police presence was established throughout the campus. The police allowed the students to protest peacefully but remained vigilant in order to prevent any breach of security.

Students' Demands For Equality

The protesting students claimed that the implementation of the UGC Bill would be an equalizer in the higher education sector and create more opportunities. They said that this bill is one of the instruments to guarantee social justice in the educational domain. "It is not only about our rights; it is about all the students' future, " the protesters expressed their unity in the struggle for the administration to change.

Ongoing Movement

Despite several attempts by the university staff to calm the students and persuade them to stop the protest, the students still continued their sit, in demonstration. The university campus is kept under very strict security, and the student groups have declared that they will not cease their struggle until their demands are met.

The clash between the officials and the student body was protracted till very late hours, the security guards were watching.

The Union Public Service Commission has revised its eligibility criterion for candidates already accepted into the civil services — outlining several changes in its 2026 exam notification. Eligible individuals can submit their applications via the online portal till February 24 for the nationwide recruitment scheme. The Commission is looking to fill nearly a thousand vacancies as part of its CSE recruitment drive this year.

What are the changes?

The revised norms have specified that the candidates who had been appointed to the categories of Indian Administrative Service or Foreign Service are excluded from the list of eligible candidates to appear for CSE 2026. Also, those who are appointed to IAS or IFS posts after appearing for the CSE 2026 preliminary examination will not be allowed to sit for the UPSC Main exam even if they have passed the prelims. The candidate will also not be considered for appointment to any service based on CSE 2026 if they find such a position after both tests but before the results are announced.

The UPSC also outlined specific and expanded restrictions for the Indian Police Services. As per the latest notification, a candidate who has been selected or appointed to the IPS on the basis of an earlier examination will not be eligible to opt for or be allocated the IPS again on the basis of the CSE 2026 result. 

The commission has also laid down a detailed framework for candidates allocated to IPS or any Central Service Group A through CSE 2026 who wish to appear again in CSE 2027. Such candidates will be allowed to appear in CSE 2027 only if they are granted a “one-time exemption from joining training” by the concerned authority.

UPSC CSE applications underway

The UPSC is planning to recruit 933 personnels through its 2026 CSE recruitment drive. Candidates who are interested can apply online at the official UPSC website upsc.gov.in. The deadline for submitting the application is February 24.

For her commitment to education and her activism, the Indian teacher Rouble Nagi has been recognised with the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026, which comes with a million dollar prize.

The Prize is part of the Varkey Foundation's initiative by UNESCO and the award ceremony was held at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, bringing together political leaders and government officials from different parts of the world.

For the past twenty years, Nagi through her Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF) has set up nearly 800 learning centres in more than 100 highly deprived communities of India.

To children who have not been to school, these centres offer them the opportunity of structured learning. They also help children who are already in the formal education system to catch up with their studies and offer them creative enrichment too.

At the heart of her activities are the "Living Walls of Learning" which are essentially educational murals through which children can learn literacy, numeracy, science, hygiene, history, environmental awareness, and social responsibility.

These works of art are not simply to beautify the wall or house but rather serve as neighborhood classrooms for children and also communicate with parents and members of the community.

Nagi's approach is geared to address the issues of poverty, child labour, early marriage, erratic attendance and lack of facilities in schools, among others, her model is geared towards addressing these issues.

Flexible schedules, learning through experience with recycled materials, and the development of practical skills make education both accessible and relevant. Her programmes have led to a decrease in dropout rates by more than 50 per cent and have positively influenced long, term school retention.

Besides, she has already educated over 600 volunteer and paid teachers, thus generating a scalable model able to serve various needs of children's academic, social, and economic areas.

Rouble is determined to invest her prize money in establishing a training school that will provide vocational and digital literacy courses for free. This initiative is expected to grant an entirely different dimension to the issue of marginalised children and young people.

A GLOBALLY RECOGNISED ARTIST

Along with her educational work, Nagi is an artist of worldwide recognition and leader of urban renewal.She has created over 850 murals and sculptures, exhibited in more than 200 shows worldwide, and was the first artist invited to exhibit at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum, with her work included in the President of India's permanent collection.

Her honours include the Jijamata Award, GR8 Award, MAP Noble Artist Award, and HELLO! Urja Award. Rouble Nagi is the tenth educator to be awarded the Global Teacher Prize since the award was created in 2015, thus becoming a part of an outstanding group of teachers who have influenced individuals' lives all over the world.

Speaking at the presentation of the state assembly budget on Tuesday for the 2026, 27 fiscal year, Finance minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav said the govt was working towards improving the standard of higher education in Bihar and had made a decision to develop and upgrade two existing universities into model institutions.

Yadav said that two universities selected for the project were Patna University in Patna and Lalit Narayan Mishra University (LNMU) in Darbhanga. Initially, Rs 100 crore in total has been provided to each university to start the upgradation process, he informed. In line with this initiative, work was also underway for the modernisation and conservation of the Mithila Shodh Sansthan in Darbhanga.

He said the govt had recently constituted a separate higher education department by bifurcating it from the education department to improve quality and governance in the higher education sector.

To facilitate access to higher education for needy students, the govt has also provided for interest-free education loans up to a maximum limit of Rs 4 lakh, which has attracted students towards pursuing higher education.

As much as Rs 1,812 crore was allotted in the 2025-26 fiscal for loan disbursement among 52,616 candidates whose applications were selected. Of this amount, loans worth Rs 1,002 crore have already been disbursed to the selected students, Yadav said.

The budget speech also mentioned the govt’s decision to open an Adarsh Vidyalaya (model school) in each of the 534 blocks under the Saat Nischay-3 programme adopted for the 2025-30 period.

Under the same programme, a degree college would be opened in every block, while old and reputed educational institutions would be developed as centres of excellence. A decision has also been taken to develop an education city in the state under the Saat Nischay-3 programme.

At the school education level, as many as 838 schools have been selected under the PM SHRI Schools scheme. These include 47 middle schools (Classes six to eight) and 789 higher secondary schools. The infrastructure of these schools would be upgraded and modern equipment installed to enable smart classrooms, drone training and language laboratories, among other facilities.

In addition, one higher secondary school in each district, along with 47 others — making a total of 85 schools — would also be developed as model schools. 

Around hundred foreign medical graduate interns at the Government Medical College, Ambernath (GMC), have not been paid their stipend for the last five months. The Ambernath Citizens' Forum has sent a letter to Dr. Ajay Chandanwale, acting vice, chancellor of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), informing him about this and has also warned that if the stipends are not released soon, they will take the matter to the Human Rights Commission and file a lawsuit against the college dean. An FMG or Foreign Medical Graduate is a person who is either a citizen of India or hold Overseas Citizenship of India, has done MBBS or equivalent medical degree abroad and wants to practise medicine in India. Oncoming FMGs are not permitted to work immediately after coming back and have to pass a compulsory licensing exam like the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam. When they pass this exam, they must do a one, year compulsory internship in a hospital recognized by the National Medical Commission. After that, they will be entitled to permanent registration with a State Medical Council.

Satyajit Burman, a member of the Ambernath Citizens’ Forum who raised the issue on social media, said, “These interns have been working day and night in the hospital without being paid a single rupee of their stipend of ₹18,000. They are spending on their daily commute, accommodation and other expenses from their own pocket. Not paying them a stipend for such a long period is inhuman and a violation of their human rights. Despite raising complaints, no one is listening to them.”

The college administration explained the payment of stipends was the authority of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), Maharashtra that had not yet released the funds. But the college, on humanitarian grounds, has already paid two months stipend to the interns by sourcing funds from other ways.

Dr Jai Ganesh, president of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), Ambernath, told HT, “The non-payment of stipends for five months is not the fault of GMC Ambernath alone. Medical colleges across the state that have foreign medical graduate interns have not received funds from DMER. Despite this, interns at GMC Ambernath were paid stipends for two months, which the college arranged from its own resources. There are also issues related to irregular attendance among some interns.”

Dr Santosh Verma, Dean of GMC Ambernath, told HT, “Our college is less than two years old and currently functioning from rented premises. This is only the second batch at the college, with around 100 foreign medical graduate interns. As we have not received funds from DMER for this batch, we were unable to pay the stipends. On humanitarian grounds, I arranged payments for two months, but beyond that it was not possible. Once the funds are received, the pending stipends will be cleared.”

Dr Verma added that not only interns, but faculty members as well as Class III and Class IV staff of the college had also not been paid their salaries.He also mentioned that faculty members reports on interns attendance were still awaiting to be submitted and that the attendance issues were being sorted out. I have had meetings with the interns' representatives to update them on the situation, he said.