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Indians have sent a whopping Rs 1.76 lakh crore abroad in the last decade to finance studies of students who are studying abroad, new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) figures have revealed. The amount is so colossal that it would have been sufficient to build over 60 new IITs.

In 2023–24 alone, students transferred a combined total of almost Rs 29,000 crore abroad to pursue studies, slightly short of last year's figure. A decade ago, this figure was a paltry Rs 2,429 crore. That is education remittances have grown as much as 1,200% in the past decade.

The RBI released this data in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application, in US dollars initially and subsequently converted into rupees based on the existing exchange rate.

Although there is a decline in student travel, yet the spending remains high. The number of Indians traveling abroad for studies actually declined by 15% in 2024 as opposed to 2023 since several nations strengthened their visa conditions.

Government data reveal that 7,59,064 students left the country for studies in 2024, down from 8,92,989 in 2023. But the number is still much higher than during the pre-pandemic period. In 2019, only 5.9 lakh students had left the country.

OVERSEAS SPENDING VS INDIA'S EDUCATION BUDGET

The level of spending abroad becomes clearer by contrast with India's higher education budget. The Union government has budgeted approximately Rs 50,078 crore with the Department of Higher Education for 2025–26. Indians alone spent more than half this amount on overseas education over the last year. Over the decade, the total so far is well over three times the government's aggregate higher education budget annually.

That is, if it is taking approximately Rs 2,823 crore to set up one IIT currently, the amount of money drained out of the nation in a single year alone could have established over 10 IITs. The total outflow for 10 years could have built some 62 of them.

NO CLARITY ON BANK CHARGES

Even though the RBI detailed how much money is sent out of India for education, it does not know about bank fees or mark-ups on foreign exchange that students and their parents incur while sending money abroad. The central bank also did not have figures on whether more of these remittances were through banks or non-banks like fintech platforms.

Between FY 2018–19 onwards, RBI statistics show the education remittance transactions have risen sharply — from 3.63 lakh in 2018–19 to nearly 10 lakh during 2022–23, before decreasing slightly to 9.43 lakh in 2023–24.

The figures paint a telling picture: Indian families are shelling out more than ever before to send their children overseas to study at advanced levels. And while the numbers indicate a foreign education spend boom, they also raise challenging questions regarding the quality, capacity, and affordability of higher learning at home.

Age of school entry will remain five years, declares school education secretary B Chandra Mohan. In a telephonic interview to TOI on Saturday, a day after the state education policy (SEP) for school education was released, he explains the policy aims, how the govt intends to implement them, and reacts to criticism that the SEP is on the lines of the national education policy (NEP). Edited excerpts:

■ What is the state education policy aiming for?

With change in Technology, needs are changing, and the socioeconomic context of the state is changing. Artificial intelligence will reshape living, working, and playing. We have to prepare the child as future-ready, though we cannot anticipate everything. How our children become future-ready is the focus of the SEP and vision behind it.

■ How do you intend to do it?There are many. The two-language policy will link us to our culture, origins and identity, providing us with a background to who we are, where we originate and what we wish to attain. It provides us with an appreciation of the social context and lived experience of our people. English competency will enable us to relate to and interact with the world, unlocking doors of opportunity and advancement.

Conceptual clarity, contextual use of concepts, scientific temper, experiential learning, problem-solving and working with multi-disciplinary groups are abilities that will assist. Physical education to maintain fitness and health. Life skills will enable students' minds to be sharpened and equipped to deal with challenges in real life confidently and with flexibility.

■ Educationists opine SEP lacks wider concepts pertaining to school education.

School access was the core agenda of govts in the last several years. Today, govts are preoccupied with quality and transformational education.

■ There is criticism that the SEP is identical to the NEP with the difference of some provisions. 

In educational parlance anywhere on the globe, terms like primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary are universal. Inputs at these stages are determined by proper learning outcomes. There could be some coincidences in certain areas. For instance, children from Class I to III need to learn elementary literacy and numeracy. This is not just at the national level, but globally. It is in what type of stress you are placing, what is the content you are emphasizing, and the way you contextualize it. Each child will be taught about his village, district, state, country, culture, morals, festivals, arts, history and this will help him to remain grounded and develop character and identity.

■ SEP for school education does not speak of early childhood education.

The original report is much bigger in size with three parts – early childhood education, school education, and higher education. We have now published the school education portion. The concerned departments are working on the other portions and will soon be publishing them.

■ NEP states six years as the age of school entry. Tamil Nadu has five years. What would it be now?

What is being done and exists has changed over time according to local requirements. School-going age will still be five years. There are a lot of such things we have been doing, which we will keep on doing.

■ NEP does talk about the new school education system of 5+3+3+4. But, SEP states there would be only board exams from Class X onwards, and it clearly suggests that the 10+2 system is to be continued.

Whatever we are following now, we will continue to do so, I said.

■ SEP lays emphasis on assessment reforms. Are open-book exams on the cards in the near future?

We are in need of the periodic review of the school curriculum. We will essentially make sure the curriculum is redesigned and rationalised with emphasis on future skills, robust conceptual understanding, problem solving abilities, scientific temper, climate literacy, digital literacy, and financial literacy. While revamping the curriculum, it is essential and required that you modify your assessment tools to verify if these objectives are met or not. Thus, we intend to restructure the assessment system. The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and the Directorate of Government Examinations will work out the details, consulting experts.

■ How does the policy aim to eliminate drug abuse, caste violence, and sexual abuse from schools?

The SEP has a whole chapter discussing safe, inclusive schools and holistic child development. We would like to ensure, in different ways, that schools are institutions of social integration. Particularly today, we are noticing caste-based problems arising in schools. The govt has taken a strong view that this is not tolerable. We will ensure that the learning and activity be so framed that children learn, play, and grow with respect for each other and work in a team with diversity. We will also provide gender-sensitive and child-friendly infrastructure in the schools. We also wish to enhance mental health and emotional well-being among students.

■ Some also fault that the existing schemes are offered as solutions to problems in the future. How do you respond to this?

A new policy NEVER overrides all that has been done previously. But a good policy surely builds on what has been done in the past, learns from it, and reimagines it for the future. That is what this policy intends to do.

Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TGBIE) has asserted a significant increase in student admissions in government junior colleges this year. However, lecturers are expressing their suspicion that uncomfortably large numbers of these admissions are "bogus".

With the TGBIE, up to 94,155 students from 430 colleges in the state enrolled, a rise of more than 10,000 compared to last year's 83,844. Members of the Government Junior College Lecturers' Association, nevertheless, have sounded warning bells, alleging that close to 30,000 of these enrolments are a mere illusion. They maintain the inflated enrolment statistics are because of rumors of college shutdowns, contending there is pressure on colleges to inflate numbers.

This has resulted in student names being included on rolls without their actual presence. For example, the Government Junior College in Huzurabad, where 240 students are enrolled as per records, but only 160 students have produced their transfer certificates. In Kacheguda, among 524 admissions, 72 students are missing, having neither produced certificates nor ever attended the classroom.

Likewise, 42 of the 607 admissions in Government Junior College, Nalgonda, were suspected to be bogus; in the Government Junior College, Malkajgiri, out of 577, only 350 students were found to be attending classes. Lecturers TNIE spoke to, on condition of anonymity, estimated that the true enrolment across the state hovers around 60,000.

Amidst these allegations and counter-allegations, more than 100 colleges have shown enrollments of less than 100. This is being ascribed to poor infrastructure and the fact that the intermediate education system needs 12,000 more junior lecturers.

Madhusudhan Reddy, president of the Government Junior Colleges Lecturers' Association, provided some indication where the discrepancy in numbers could have arisen. "Fearing college closures, lecturers took student memos from neighboring schools and added names of students who might never enter a classroom.".

Some students register to get a certificate while studying elsewhere," he explained. "It is time for the TGBIE to wake up and take action. If the TGBIE can audit private colleges, why not the government ones?" he asked.

Admits 1,000, but a single student in class

A breakthrough by Shiva, a first-year student of Government Junior College, Suraram, seems to substantiate the statement of Madhusudhan Reddy. According to Shiva: "I was informed about 1,000 admissions, but when I joined college, I was the sole student in my class."

Efforts by TNIE to get a comment from TGBIE Secretary Krishna Aditya and top officials were ignored. Now the question remains: how many of such enrolments are genuine, and what does it portend for Telangana's future of education?

Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) will open the Tony James Centre for Private Equity and Venture Capital on 6 August. This will be the opening of the first Global Centre of Excellence in research, learning, and networking in the private equity and venture capital (PEVC) space in Asia's third-largest economy

The Centre, named after Blackstone's Hamilton "Tony" James, has been established with support from Mathew Cyriac, Chairman of Florintree Advisors, Co-founder of Yali Capital, and 1994 IIMB graduate.

An MoU for establishing the Centre was signed on 24 August 2024 between IIMB and Cyriac, the top management institute stated in an official release, while mentioning that it is one of the biggest individual alumni gifts in IIMB's history. 

"This is not just a tribute, it is a pledge towards a future where Indian talent defines global investing discussions," Cyriac stated prior to the inauguration.

Cyriac, a gold medalist of his batch and the IIMB Distinguished Alumni Award winner in 2025, has donated one of the most valuable contributions in the history of the institute. His donation covers the new Centre, student scholarships studying finance in the PGP and Doctoral programmes, and naming four classrooms to honor influential faculty members.

The 6 August launch event will bring together the most prominent leaders in the international private equity and venture capital world. The proceedings will begin with a welcome address by Professor Sourav Mukherji, Dean of Faculty and Dean of Alumni Relations and Development.

Professor Dinesh Kumar, Director In-charge of IIM Bangalore, will give the opening address, welcome the newly established Centre, and declare Professor Ashok Thampy from the Finance and Accounting division as its Chairperson, whose appointment has been announced. Professor Thampy, holder of the Florintree Chair in Private Equity and Venture Capital at IIMB, will unveil the vision of the Centre and lay out its future projects.

"The Tony James Centre will be a catalytic influence for shaping the future of PEVC in India and worldwide. Through teaching, research, and continuous interaction with industry, we aim to produce a new generation of leaders who will redefine the boundaries of investment and enterprise," stated Professor Thampy.

Professor Ashok Thampy, who has been designated Chairperson of the Centre and is Florintree Chair in Private Equity and Venture Capital, will give the Centre's roadmap. "The Tony James Centre will be a catalytic influence in determining the destiny of PEVC in India and globally," he mentioned.

Conceived as a premier platform for policy discourse, industry interaction, and academic research, the Centre seeks to pool global experts and cultivate extensive insight into upcoming private equity and venture capital developments. It also seeks to cultivate a next generation of finance professionals based on robust ethics and international best practices.

Why Everyone’s Talking About Ozempic

A Type 2 diabetes drug,Ozempic exploded in popularity as a weight -loss shortcut. Driven by celebrity mentions,viral TikTok stories,and skyrocketing hashtags like #OzempicJourney,which has billions of views,the drug transformed into a symbol of fast-track slimming even for people with diabetes. This surge caused global shortages leaving diabetics' patience scrambling. Many doctors warn that this is a direct result of off label nonmedical use driven by social media culture.Ozempic may offer real benefits,but it is not a magic bullet.

Risk vs Realities - while clinical trial shows 10-15% average body weight loss among diabetics,happens naturally.the drug has side effects,nausea,vomiting ,constipation,gall stones,pancreatitis and even a possible thyroid cancer are the prominent disorders that are caused due to the medicine. Long term outcomes are uncertain and weight often comes back once the drug stops unless sustainable lifestyle changes are made.

Social Media & Mental Troll- Forms like raeddit echo how triggering this trend can be for those who are fat and having eating disorders. It’s disturbing ,celebrities are promoting weight loss that feels like enforced eating disorders. People with eating disorders,seductive lifestyle may get influenced and they start using the medicine without realizing the side effects that may trigger after a heavy dose intake. In India , this is now a new trendsetter for people who are over-cautious about body.Celebrity from bollywood,hollywood,fashion,sports are taking drugs and facing side effects.

Microdosing- Is the Smaller Dose Smarter- There is no published clinical evidence to endorse microdosing. Microdosing is gaining traction especially among Gen Z in western countries…with claims of gradual weight loss, fewer side effects and lower cost. Some private clinics in the UK and India are offering programs tailored to the lowest effective dose for habit breaking and appetite control.This drug keeps the food in the stomach for a long time , as a result it kills appetite,desire to eat and starts shedding weight and shrinking skin. Some doctors see it as a desperate trend ,this is backed science medicine suggested by the senior doctors.

What Really Works for Health & Weight Loss

1.Consult a Qualified Doctor Before Any Medication Use - especially off- label.

2.Prioritize Sustainable Wellness Habits- nutritious eating,strength training,sleep, stress control 

3. Use medications only when clinically appropriate- dialed in with dietary and mental health support.
4. Maintain Boundaries with social media- don’t let viral content replace tailored medical advice.
5. Celebrate diverse body journeys- health is not a size of aesthetic standard.

True health comes from holistic approach ,nutritious and balanced diet patient centred care, not with the trending medicine or viral content suggestions. Do not influence or trigger short cuts to look beautiful. Life is gifted,celebrating each passing moment with happiness will always make you beautiful and glorious.

A cost-effective model of online learning that uses 10-minute, video-recorded tutorials to offer self-learning in 22 Indian languages is looking to expand further in India. After success in covering more than 10 million students in 8,000 colleges, the initiative will now be expanded by EduPyramids Educational Services Pvt. Ltd., a startup incubated at SINE, IIT Bombay.

Initiated by Professor Kannan M Moudgalya, one of the core faculty professors at IIT Bombay, EduPyramids is a spin-off of the on-campus Spoken Tutorial that began a decade back. With its tutorials as lightweight as they are convenient to view offline on a basic Rs 10,000 computer, EduPyramids has already started filling the digital learning divide, particularly in rural and disadvantaged regions.

"Our philosophy is simple," Professor Moudgalya said. "We build for the student who is learning at midnight, sitting by herself, with no friend and no teacher to guide her. If it benefits her, it benefits everyone."

The effect has been extensive. During the time of COVID-19, when connectivity rendered many platforms inoperative, Spoken Tutorials continued on course even in low-bandwidth areas like Jammu and Kashmir. The content has improved employability for thousands of students.

One of such success stories is Nikita Mhatre, a Polytechnic graduate in Computer Science, who used the tutorials to learn PHP and find an IT job and even landed a job at IBM as a SAP expert.

The project has also had a remarkable bearing on healthcare. Nearly a lakh ASHA and Anganwadi workers were trained using Spoken Tutorials to monitor infant nutrition, with many of them reporting daily growth in weight among babies that was nearly double the national average.

In the years to come, EduPyramids plans to grow even bigger by supporting nascent training missions within India. "We want all students, whether in a small-town polytechnic or a rural Anganwadi, to enjoy the same quality of learning as an IIT student," Professor Moudgalya said. "Our dream is to have a world-class education system, not just for India, but for the world."

The model's validity has been proven all over the world. In 2024, IEEE P2955 standard officially ratified Spoken Tutorial pedagogy, referred to as a gold standard in scalable inclusive digital learning.

Personal background has also impacted Professor Moudgalya's mission. Born and bred in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, in an economically deprived family,he for the IIT entrance exam, and he later went on to graduate from IIT Madras and Rice University before returning to India. "I had vowed to my mother that I would come back," he stated. "And I felt as though I owed something to this country which gave me a world-class education at almost no cost."