A student can be capable, work hard and still find it harder to succeed in a classroom where they do not feel that they belong. The question that schools and colleges don't really ask is how much does the learning environment itself influence student performance? This is what a new study in Scientific Reports asks.

In a large randomized controlled trial of STEM courses at public universities in the Midwestern United States, researchers Kevin R. Kennedy, Kira K. Means and Markus Brauer put this idea to the test. The research was conducted during the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters, and the paper was accepted by Scientific Reports on September 4, 2026. 

The researchers looked at students from marginalized racial and ethnic groups, including African American, Native American/American Indian, Latinx/Hispanic and students identifying as two or more races. The students in their study consisted of 2,116 students from grade data, but after some exclusions for various reasons, the final analysis was 1,737 students.

Two ways of trying to solve the same problem

The courses were randomly placed into one of three groups: a control group, a Resilience intervention or an Inclusion intervention. 

1. In this group, teachers taught as they normally did.
2. The Resilience approach was used for the second group of students: Practices were provided for teachers to help students make connections between lessons and their lives, use feedback to learn, and learn to be confident in school and that intelligence can be practiced. Students were also challenged to think of academic problems as challenges, not threats, and of values that were important to them.
3. The Inclusion approach was for the third group: Rather than primarily expecting students to adjust to challenging situations, it sought to modify the classroom environment for the teachers. The six practices encompassed encouraging interaction between students from diverse backgrounds, fostering a more cooperative learning atmosphere, developing a deeper connection between teachers and students, establishing an explicit classroom culture of inclusion, increasing students' sense of belonging, and cultivating positive beliefs about social groups.

That difference is obvious and the most interesting aspect of the research. One strategy is basically, "make the student feel better. The other question is: Can we improve the place where the student learns?

The classroom had a measurable impact

The outcomes were different for the two interventions. The average course grade for the marginalized students in the control group was 2.71 out of 4.0. It was 2.87 in the Resilience group. This difference was not statistically significant, however.

The average grade for the Inclusion group, however, was 3.34. That was a 0.627 grade point higher than the control group, which was more than half a letter grade on the study's 4-point scale. This finding was not changed by the use of other analyses that took into account the clustering of students within classrooms.

This impact did not just happen to marginalized students. Overall, the average grade was 2.95 in the control courses, 2.85 in the Resilience courses and 3.27 in the Inclusion courses. There was a statistically significant difference between the achievement gap of marginalized and non-marginalized students in the control condition. No significant difference was detected between intervention conditions.

The study does not imply that the solution to educational inequality is a single friendly teacher. Its finding is narrower and more useful: making some changes in the classroom environment was linked to significant improvements in grades, especially for the students who were at the margins.

Why this matters for teachers

Sometimes the word "inclusion" may sound like a fuzzy concept that isn't relevant to classroom practice. The practices in this study bring it to a more tangible level.

A classroom can provide opportunities for students to get to know each other instead of keeping them apart in social groups. It can increase cooperation over unnecessary competition. A teacher can gain some insight into the individual student rather than just the grade. Inclusion can also be seen as a normal expectation, not just a message that is occasionally sent.

These are little tweaks in the way a classroom operates, but the findings from the researchers suggest that the impact of all of them can be much bigger than the size of the individual activities might suggest.

There's a lesson in this too about how we talk about struggling students. If a student is not performing well, one's first thoughts are to consider their motivation, confidence, study habits or resilience. Those things matter. However, the study indicates that a focus on the student alone can be incomplete.

The question is not always “How can we make this student stronger? It can also be, “What type of classroom is this student being asked to succeed in?”

The researchers are careful about what the study proves

The findings have limits. The Inclusion intervention contained six connected teaching practices, so the researchers cannot say which individual practice produced the improvement. They also could not identify the exact psychological mechanism behind the higher grades.

The other limitation is significant: the setting. The study was carried out at four public universities, and the final sample was about 85% White. The researchers, therefore, warn that the results might not be applicable in precisely the same manner in colleges with distinct student populations. They also note that differences in how instructors implemented the practices could have affected the results.

What does this study tell us

To understand the study in simplest words, we can say that you can tell a plant to “Try harder. Grow stronger.” But the plant also needs good soil, water and sunlight. Students are a little like that. Helping them become confident is useful, but the place where they learn matters too.

This research suggests that teachers may be able to help students perform better not only by teaching the student how to cope with problems, but also by making the classroom a place where students feel included, supported and able to work with others. The researchers are careful, though. They do not say that every inclusive classroom will automatically produce better grades. Their study was done at U.S. universities, and they could not tell which one of the six inclusion practices caused the improvement. 

So, the simplest lesson from the research is: Don't only ask, “How can we make students better learners?” Sometimes we should also ask, “How can we make the classroom better for learning?”

Research: Kennedy, K.R., Means, K.K. & Brauer, M. Making classrooms more inclusive reduces the achievement gap in STEM: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-70718-9 

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) is one of the most significant entrance tests in India for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law courses at the participating National Law Universities. Knowing the official syllabus and the structure of the question paper is as crucial as filling the application form for CLAT 2027.

The CLAT 2027 UG paper will contain 120 multiple-choice questions carrying 120 marks. Candidates will have two hours to complete the examination, with 0.25 marks deducted for every incorrect answer. The paper will be divided into five sections: English Language, Current Affairs (General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) has designed the UG-CLAT to assess skills relevant to legal education, particularly comprehension and reasoning, rather than testing whether a candidate has already studied law. 

CLAT 2027 syllabus: Quick overview

The official CLAT 2027 UG syllabus is divided into five sections:

The question ranges are approximate. Candidates should therefore prepare for some variation in the number of questions from one section to another. The two largest sections are Current Affairs including General Knowledge and Legal Reasoning, each carrying approximately 25 per cent of the paper.

CLAT 2027 exam pattern

Before looking at the individual sections, candidates should understand the overall structure of the examination.

Eligible PwD candidates will be given compensatory time and the examination will be conducted till 4.40 PM for candidates who are eligible for the additional time. CLAT 2027 Exam Date is 6 December 2026. The candidates are requested to keep an eye on the official website of the Consortium for further updates regarding the examination.

CLAT 2027 Syllabus: Section-wise Details

1. English Language

The English Language section aims to assess the candidate's ability to comprehend and interpret written information.

The official syllabus says that candidates will be given passages of around 450 words from contemporary or historically important fiction and non-fiction. Questions will assess comprehension of the text, not just the recall of specific details.

What to prepare for English?

Candidates should be able to:

• Determine the central idea or main argument
• Understand different viewpoints
• Make inferences about a text
• Summarise information
• Compare arguments
• Understand words and phrases in context
• Analyse the author's reasoning and claims

How to prepare

English preparation should be based on reading. Students should read quality newspapers, magazines, essays, opinion pieces, literary extracts and other long-form texts.The aim should not be to memorise difficult words in isolation. Instead, candidates should focus on understanding meaning and vocabulary in context.

2. Current Affairs Including General Knowledge

The Current Affairs and General Knowledge section has around 28-32 questions, which is one of the two largest sections of the CLAT 2027 UG paper. The official syllabus states that questions can come from passages of text from news and journalistic texts and other non-fiction texts of around 450 words.

The section can cover:

• Contemporary events
• National developments
• International affairs
• Arts and culture
• Events of continuing significance in history.
• Problems in the current public debate

What is the best way to prepare for Current Affairs in CLAT?

Memorising headlines every day is not likely to be the most effective way. Candidates should ask: What happened? Why did it happen? Who was involved? Why does it matter? What are its broader implications?

Candidates should know the background of a major constitutional, political, economic or international development, rather than just the names and dates. This also helps to match the passage-based format of CLAT.

3. Legal Reasoning

Legal Reasoning is about 28-32 questions (25 per cent of the UG paper). This section is especially relevant for students as it can be named to seem more technical than it is.

The Consortium says that candidates need not have any prior knowledge of law to attempt the Legal Reasoning section.

The passages can be related to legal issues, public policy or moral and philosophical issues. The candidates will be asked to apply the principles or rules provided to the provided factual scenarios.

What does CLAT Legal Reasoning test?

Candidates may need to:

• Identify a rule or principle
• Understand the reasoning contained in a passage
• Apply a principle to a factual situation
• Determine how a change in the rule affects its application
• Draw conclusions from legal or policy-related passages

Do you need to study law before CLAT?

No. The official syllabus specifically states that prior knowledge of law is not required. However, candidates can benefit from familiarity with contemporary legal and public-policy issues because such subjects may appear in passages. This means students should focus heavily on reading, comprehension and application, rather than attempting to memorise large volumes of legal provisions.

4. Logical Reasoning

The Logical Reasoning section is expected to contain approximately 22 to 26 questions. The section uses passages to test a candidate's ability to understand arguments and analyse relationships between ideas.

Candidates may be asked to:

• Identify premises and conclusions
• Analyse arguments
• Draw inferences
• Assess how evidence supports a conclusion
• Identify assumptions
• Understand relationships between different arguments
• Recognise contradictions
• Determine how changes to information affect an argument
• Evaluate the strength of an argument

How to prepare for CLAT Logical Reasoning

Candidates must learn to reason from passages rather than relying solely on the traditional formula-based reasoning questions. At the end of each practice set, candidates should ask: Why is the correct option correct? And Why are the other answers incorrect? This develops the analytical habit that the section is designed to test.

5. Quantitative Techniques

Quantitative Techniques is the smallest part of the CLAT 2027 UG paper, comprising about 10 to 14 questions, which make up about 10% of the paper.

This section is not a standard mathematics paper. Numerical information is presented to candidates in short sets of facts, propositions, graphs or other representations, and they must use mathematical operations to answer questions.

The official syllabus focuses on areas including:

• Ratios and proportions
• Basic algebra
• Mensuration
• Statistical estimation
• Interpretation of numerical information:

How to prepare for Quantitative Techniques

It is more beneficial to practice the section regularly than to study it just a few days before the test. Candidates should focus on:

• Calculation speed
• Accuracy
• Understanding numerical data
• Basic mathematical concepts
• Time management

CLAT has negative marking, so blindly guessing the numerical answers can also bring down the overall score.

CLAT 2027 marking scheme

CLAT 2027 UG exam will be conducted on the basis of one mark for each correct answer. A candidate will be deducted 0.25 mark for each wrong answer.

There is no negative mark for questions that are not attempted. The marking system is important for accuracy. Candidates are advised to use mock tests to improve their speed as well as to know when to attempt a question and when to leave it.

What are the important sections in CLAT 2027?

No single preparation strategy will be effective for all students. The official question distribution, however, gives a good idea of where candidates might want to invest more time in preparation. Current Affairs (General Knowledge + Legal Reasoning) = ~ 50% of the paper.

These two areas should thus be given regular attention. But, students should not ignore English and Logical Reasoning as both sections carry about 20% each. The lowest weightage is for Quantitative Techniques, which is around 10%, but the questions can still have a significant impact on a candidate's final grade.

A sensible preparation strategy is thus: Daily reading + current affairs + Legal Reasoning practice + Logical Reasoning practice + English comprehension + regular Quantitative Techniques practice.

What should students do for CLAT 2027 preparation?

1. Begin with the official syllabus. 

Candidates should be aware of what the Consortium actually says it will test before purchasing several preparation books or using different coaching methods. The official syllabus should be used as a yardstick to check preparation material.

2. Read every day

The English section is not the only section in which reading is taught. It can enhance the performance in:

• English
• Current Affairs
• Legal Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning

Candidates should develop the skill to read a long text and answer questions without losing focus and identify the argument of the text.

3. Analyze current affairs

Don't just have a list of headlines, make short notes to explain the importance of key events. This can help revision to be more meaningful and help to understand current-affairs passages.

4. Practise Legal Reasoning through application

It is not to be assumed that the more legal jargon a student knows, the better their Legal Reasoning will be. The ability to grasp the principle stated in the text and use it correctly is the key skill.

5. Take timed mocks

CLAT is an exam with a time limit. It is not the same thing to know the syllabus as it is to get through 120 questions correctly in two hours. As the examination nears, timed practice should become more and more significant.

6. Analyse mistakes

• A mock test should not finish at the score. Candidates need to classify errors:
• Misread question
• Misunderstood passage
• Knowledge gap
• Calculation error
• Incorrect inference
• Time pressure
• Careless mistake

This can be a much more effective way to show weaknesses than just taking more tests.

CLAT 2027: Things students should avoid doing

1. Don't prepare only Legal Reasoning
2. Don't treat Current Affairs as a memorisation contest
3. Don't ignore Quantitative Techniques
4. Don't take mocks without analysing them
5. Don't rely exclusively on coaching material

CLAT 2027 syllabus vs exam pattern: What's the difference?

These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably but they are different questions. CLAT 2027 Syllabus provides candidates with an idea of the skills and areas they should prepare for. CLAT 2027 exam pattern informs them about the number of questions, duration, marks, sections and negative marking of those areas in the examination.

It is important to understand both. For instance, if a candidate knows that Legal Reasoning contains about 28-32 questions, he/she will be aware of the weightage of Legal Reasoning. The syllabus states that the questions are based on passages that ask candidates to identify and apply principles.

CLAT 2027 UG vs PG: What are the differences between the syllabus?

No. The CLAT UG and CLAT PG exams are different in terms of structure and eligibility. The above mentioned syllabus is for the undergraduate CLAT only.

The candidates appearing for the post-graduate law programmes should refer to the separate CLAT PG syllabus and examination instructions provided by the Consortium and not the UG syllabus for preparation.

CLAT 2027 exam date and timing

The CLAT 2027 examination is scheduled for December 6, 2026. The examination will be conducted from 2 PM to 4 PM. Candidates eligible for compensatory time under the applicable PwD provisions will receive additional time.

Candidates should check their admit cards and official Consortium notifications for the final examination-centre and reporting instructions once they are issued.

CLAT 2027 Key Takeaway

The most common mistake made by students regarding CLAT preparation is that they think that the exam is five different subjects. The official building says otherwise.

A student who is good at reading is also doing well in English, Current Affairs, Legal Reasoning and Logical Reasoning. Likewise, the ability to identify evidence from an argument can be useful in both Logical and Legal Reasoning. This is the skill that is common to much of the CLAT paper, and that is comprehension.

Students should therefore not be spending their whole preparation time on individual facts or types of questions. The better way is to develop the skills to read fast, understand well, think carefully and make decisions in a timely fashion.

Once Teachers' Day was about colourful paper, handmade cards, flowers purchased with pocket money and whispered plans to surprise the teacher before the teacher walked into the classroom. We decorated the board, rehearsed our little speeches and waited to see the smile on a teacher's face when we gave them a gift. Back then, Teachers' Day was a special day at school and we celebrated it. Today we know that the celebration was not really about one day; it was about celebrating the people who quietly shaped so many days of our lives. 

Years pass, classrooms change, schools renovate, teachers retire, students move away and those familiar school corridors become memories; those punishments become a source of smiles. But, in some way, a teacher's voice persists in our decisions. A teacher's words of “You can do it” can be the beginning of the confidence that someone has today. The discipline that helps someone build a career may have come from a teacher who refused to let them give up. Kindness towards another person may have been learned not from a book, but from observing a teacher's kindness.

And life takes us in different directions. Some of us become teachers ourselves, standing on the other side of the classroom and discovering, perhaps for the first time, how much patience, responsibility and love the profession demands. Others become doctors, lawyers, designers, engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, parents or professionals in countless other fields. Some now celebrate Teachers' Day by making cards for teachers with their own children, and witness the next generation of students discovering the teachers who could influence their lives. 

Some carry on the knowledge, values and courage their teachers imparted to them, and they use those gifts to create better lives and make the world a little better, in their own unique ways. That may be the greatest tribute to a teacher. Not the flowers, not the gifts, not even the unclear/ copied words written on a card, it is what a student eventually does with what they were taught.

Teachers in the age of AI

It is  Teachers' Day in a world where technology can explain a hard concept in seconds, translate a paragraph, solve a problem and even be a personal tutor. AI can indeed be a great learning partner. However, education is not just about getting answers and explanations. Chatgpt is indeed a great learning partner, but a teacher? Apparently, not. 

The teacher observes that the student is unusually quiet. A teacher understands when a child needs encouragement rather than another explanation. A teacher can see potential before a student can see it. Teaching is full of wit, empathy, patience, disappointment, hope and human connection, none of which can be boiled down to information.

AI can provide a student with a solution to a problem. A teacher might be able to see why that student never believed that they could solve it in the first place. That distinction matters.

Technology is a part of the future of education and teachers can leverage it to personalise learning, make it accessible and engaging. Technology should enhance the teacher-student connection, not replace it. Children don't just need information. They need people who can see them, challenge them, believe in them and sometimes stand beside them when they are ready to give up.

The moments that never leave the classroom 

Perhaps this is why Teachers’ Day becomes more emotional as we grow older. We believed that our teachers were teaching us lessons when we were children. We know as adults that they were sharing with us their curiosity, their discipline, their courage, their compassion, their confidence, and their ability to persevere.

A number of those students will be back in classrooms as teachers. Some will celebrate their children's teachers. Some will start businesses, treat patients, make art, find new things, serve communities, or just raise their families with the values they were taught years ago.

The classroom may have been left behind, but the lesson did not end there. So this Teachers' Day, maybe we should remember all the teachers who made us feel capable when we felt like we couldn't, corrected us when we needed it, listened when we needed to be listened to, and pushed us towards a future we couldn't have envisioned.

Because a teacher’s greatest achievement is rarely visible on the day they teach a lesson. It is visible years later in the lives their students go on to live. 

Happy Teachers Day!

What if a scientist’s career could take them from developing biologics to researching nanomedicine, from pharmaceutical laboratories to universities, and from scientific research to startup innovation? It may sound like an unusually diverse scientific career. Prof. (Dr.) Jibanananda Mishra has spent three decades working across these worlds and is now shaping AIFSET & GAHET entrance examinations. His career has moved across laboratory research, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, academia, research leadership and technology translation, making his professional journey far broader than the conventional image of a scientist.

Along the way, Dr. Mishra has worked on research involving biologics/biosimilars and other pharmaceuticals, explored areas such as cancer biology and targeted drug delivery, published scientific research and taken on roles that connect research with industry and innovation. He has also worked with organizations including Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Premas Biotech and Venus Medicine Research Centre, and has research experience in the United States and Indonesia.

So, who is Prof. (Dr.) Jibanananda Mishra, and what has shaped this unusual scientific journey? Let’s take a closer look.

From Laboratory Research to Translational Science

A key aspect of Dr. Mishra’s career has been his work in the research and development of biologics/biosimilars and other therapeutics including antibiotics. He has successfully contributed to the development of various biotherapeutic & therapeutic products such as Rituximab, Trastuzumab, Bevacizumab, G-CSF, Peg-GCSF, Darbepoetin etc. These experiences have placed him at the crossroads of laboratory research, product development and the pharmaceutical industry.

His scientific interests extend beyond this. His research has encompassed nanotherapeutics, cancer biology, targeted drug delivery, biologics and neurodegenerative disorders. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed research papers and has been involved in competitive research grants as a principal or co-principal investigator.

A Career Spanning Academia and Industry

Dr. Mishra has served in various senior roles in academia, the biotechnology and biopharma/pharmaceutical industries. He has held leadership positions at AAL Biosciences Research, RIMT University, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Venus Medicine Research Centre and Premas Biotech. He has also served as a Research Instructor, Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Scientist at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA, and at BRIN, Indonesia.

His academic and industrial experience has been a hallmark of his career. His research and industry work have focused on moving scientific concepts into validation, development and application, rather than treating academia and industry as separate domains.

Building Ideas into Reality

Dr. Mishra has also had extensive experience in technology translation and startup mentoring. His experience includes advising deep-tech ventures in biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, healthcare, medical devices and agriculture. He has advised start-ups on intellectual property, regulatory matters, research strategy, funding and commercialization.

His work has also extended to research infrastructure and scientific governance. He has assisted in the establishment of GLP-compliant laboratories and has participated in research ethics, biosafety, regulatory committees and academic research strategy. He is also engaged with the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, as a Scientific Advisor.

What Is Special About Dr. Mishra’s Journey?

Dr. Mishra’s career is perhaps most notable for its breadth. He has worked as a scientist, academic, researcher, research leader, startup mentor and innovation strategist. His journey reflects an evolving idea of what a scientist can be — not just a researcher, but someone who can connect research with education, industry, intellectual property, entrepreneurship and society.

That makes his career especially relevant to students and young researchers. It demonstrates how scientific education can open pathways into laboratory research, further education, biotechnology & pharmaceutical companies, innovation, entrepreneurship and technology development.

Where Is Dr. Mishra Now?

This journey enters a new chapter as Prof. (Dr.) Jibanananda Mishra joins Edinbox, an edtech firm working to simplify university admissions, entrance-exam preparation and access to factual, up-to-date education news. He has taken on the role of Director Academics – Forensic Science & Allied Health Care, where he will be building and scaling the AIFSET and GAHET businesses while developing college partnerships, managed degree programs, academic credibility and revenue streams.

His association brings decades of experience across science, higher education, industry and innovation, adding another dimension to Edinbox’s work at the intersection of education, careers and the evolving world of knowledge and technology.

If you are starting your own academic or professional career, Dr. Mishra’s story is an example of how a career need not be a one-way street. Some of the most meaningful scientific careers are built where research, education, industry and innovation meet.

Share this inspirational career story and help inspire the next generation.

A few girls began crying, laughing and behaving unusually at a government tribal residential school in Maharashtra. Soon, whispers of ghosts and possession spread through the hostel and nearby villages. Within days, around 600 students had gone home. Officials and health experts, however, pointed towards psychological stress rather than anything supernatural.

This news overtook the internet leaving everyone questioning whether ghosts really exist. There were speculations about how a tree, thought to be the home of many spirits, in the school premises was cut, and now those ghosts have started possessing students in order to take revenge. 

However, the reality is far more psychological than imagined. Yes, the students were physically found fit, and no signs of illness were detected in their medical report but when mental-health team took time to understand what actually was happening, they found something shocking– a mental trigger, to put in simplest terms.  

How did the Maharashtra ‘haunted hostel’ incident begin?

The incident took place at the Doma Government Tribal Ashramshala in Chikhaldara taluka of Maharashtra’s Amravati district, in the tribal-dominated Melghat region. The residential school is run by the Tribal Development Department and houses hundreds of boys and girls.

According to officials cited in reports, the episode began on July 22, when four girl students reportedly started behaving unusually. They were described as crying and laughing uncontrollably. As the incidents became known among other students, stories about spirits and possession began circulating.

The fear did not remain confined to the girls who had shown symptoms. Reports said some students claimed to have heard the sound of anklets or ghungroos inside the hostel. What may have started as a small and unexplained incident gradually became a much larger story about a supposedly haunted campus. Within days, hundreds of parents became concerned enough to take their children home. Reports put the number of students who left at around 600, with one report giving a figure of 608.

Were the girls actually possessed by ghosts?

There is no official evidence that the students were possessed or that supernatural activity was responsible for what happened. Health officials who examined the students linked the reported behaviour to psychological stress. A medical team from Amravati District General Hospital visited the school, while officials described the episode as a possible hysteria-like condition or mass psychogenic illness.

Reports described symptoms including crying, laughter, fear, fainting and, in some cases, becoming quiet or unresponsive. One report said a later account involved 16 students showing such symptoms, illustrating why the figures reported at different stages of the incident should not simply be treated as the same group.

The important distinction is that mass psychogenic illness does not mean that people are pretending to be ill. Physical and psychological symptoms can be experienced as real, even when an infectious disease or supernatural cause is not found. In this case, officials associated the symptoms with stress, anxiety and the influence of the surrounding situation.

Why did people start believing the hostel was haunted?

Once unusual behaviour had been reported, explanations began filling the gap left by uncertainty. Some students and villagers reportedly believed that spirits had lived in a mahua tree on or near the school premises and had become angry after it was cut down. Another version linked the supposed disturbance to a local deity and the school's surroundings. Reports also carried a third local theory involving the death of an Adivasi youth.

But these were rumours and local beliefs, not findings established by the investigation. In fact, the school's headmaster disputed the claim about the tree, saying it had been cut several years earlier.

This is where the psychology of such incidents becomes important. When people encounter something frightening that they cannot immediately explain, the mind naturally searches for a cause. If one explanation begins circulating within a close group, others can start interpreting their own experiences through the same explanation. Fear can give an ordinary event a completely different meaning, and this is exactly what happened. 

What is mass psychogenic illness? 

Mass psychogenic illness (MPI) is a situation in which a group of people experience similar physical or psychological symptoms without an identifiable infectious, toxic or other physical cause that can explain the symptoms. Fear, stress, anxiety and social influence can contribute to how symptoms spread within a group.

Importantly, it does not mean that people are pretending to be ill. The symptoms can feel completely real to those experiencing them. In schools, hostels and other close-knit communities, seeing someone become unwell or hearing frightening rumours can increase anxiety among others and contribute to similar symptoms.

Why can fear spread from a few students to hundreds?

The Maharashtra incident is being discussed as a possible example of mass psychogenic illness, a phenomenon in which similar symptoms or distress can spread through a group without a common physical disease explaining them.

Schools and hostels can be particularly sensitive environments because students live, study and sleep together. They share the same conversations, surroundings and fears. Once rumours gain momentum, a student who is already stressed may become more alert to every unusual sensation or sound.

That does not mean every person reacts in exactly the same way. Nor does it mean that every unexplained incident is psychological. Medical professionals must first assess possible physical, environmental and mental-health causes. What it does show is why the first response to a frightening school incident matters. Panic, rumours and silence can make an uncertain situation much harder to control.

India has seen similar ‘supernatural’ scares before

The Maharashtra hostel incident is not the first time an unexplained event has triggered widespread supernatural fears in India. In 2017, Delhi and parts of neighbouring northern India saw a wave of reports about women's braids being mysteriously cut. Women described waking up after allegedly losing consciousness and finding that their hair had been chopped. Stories about mysterious figures, ghosts and other supernatural explanations quickly spread.

The phenomenon became so widespread that psychiatrists and investigators began discussing mass hysteria as a possible explanation. One contemporary report quoted an AIIMS psychiatrist as saying that available evidence suggested some women may have cut their own hair, either consciously or while in an altered state. Academic literature later also described the 2017 braid-cutting phenomenon as an episode of mass hysteria among women in North India.

That does not mean every individual case was conclusively explained in the same way. Some incidents involved actual perpetrators; for example, contemporary reporting documented a case in which two people confessed to cutting a girl's braid as a prank. The major lesson is more careful: a widespread rumour can be real as a social event even when the supernatural explanation behind it is not established as fact.

What should schools do when students report ‘possession’?

The first response should be medical and calm, not sensational. Students showing unusual symptoms should receive appropriate medical and psychological assessment. Schools should also check whether there are environmental factors, illness, food or water issues, overcrowding, academic pressure or other sources of stress that may be contributing to the situation. 

Counselling is also important. In the Maharashtra case, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti visited the school and counselled students, while officials urged students and local residents not to give in to supernatural explanations.

Fear breeds when facts are unclear 

The Maharashtra hostel may have felt haunted to the students who were living through the episode. The fear was real. The symptoms were real. The decision of hundreds of families to take their children home was real. But none of that, by itself, proves that a ghost caused what happened.

And perhaps that is the most important part of the story. When something strange happens, the human mind wants an answer quickly. Science asks us to slow down, investigate the evidence and leave room for what we do not yet know. Sometimes, the most frightening thing in a crowded hostel is not a ghost in the corridor. It is how quickly fear can travel from one mind to another.

While India's AI job market is booming, there are AI and machine learning engineers finding opportunities outside India. The factor is not only money but the country, the ecosystem, and the lifestyle that other countries offer. For seasoned experts, the opportunity to work in specialized positions, on advanced AI initiatives, and on global product teams can be just as significant.

This might sound unreasonable to many given that the AI hiring market in India is growing. According to LinkedIn's 2026 AI Labor Market Report, India is experiencing the fastest growth in AI engineering hiring among the markets included in the report, with a 40% year-on-year increase.

Meanwhile, India is facing a shortage of individuals with high-level AI expertise. As per Randstad Digital report, more than 10% AI solutions and machine learning engineer jobs in India are waiting to be filled. 

Why would engineers want to leave for foreign job offers when opportunities are increasing at home?

1. Higher Salary and Work-Life Balance

There is still a monetary consideration, especially for seasoned AI practitioners. Markets such as the US have large technology companies competing for specialised AI talent. Senior level compensation may include salary, bonuses and equity, although the monetary benefit will vary significantly based on taxes, healthcare, housing and cost of living.

An international offer may thus be appealing for an engineer specializing in fields like machine learning infrastructure, generative AI or production-scale AI systems, not only because of its compensation, but also because of other factors.

2. For Closer Access to Major AI Ecosystems

AI is a technology that has been pretty centralised in just a few tech hubs, where the world's biggest AI firms and research groups tend to sit. If you’re an engineer who’s curious about frontier models, AI infrastructure, or research driven product development, you might find it easier to bump into projects and teams inside those ecosystems, even if it’s kind of competitive.

And still, that does not mean there’s no serious AI work in India. On the contrary, the country is quickly turning into a major AI engineering marketplace, and recruitment is being pushed beyond Bengaluru too, toward places like Hyderabad , and even Vijayawada. It’s not only about the roles that are open, sometimes it’s more about the sheer scale and the kind of specialisation people get to do day to day.

3. Specialised AI Skills can Open Doors in Different Markets

The AI job market is changing real fast. People who can train a model are kinda not enough for most companies anymore. They also want specialists who can deploy, assess, integrate, secure and keep AI systems running in real-world situations.

This trend is showing up in India too. With the count of AI related openings going up, the demand for more advanced AI talent is also rising, per Randstad recent data. If an engineer has niche skills like MLOps, AI infrastructure, generative AI, AI security, or model evaluation, then looking across multiple countries might widen their own range of specializations.

4. International Experience can Broaden a Technical Career

There is another factor that can't be captured by salary figures. Working with an international product team can expose an engineer to different engineering practices, customers, regulatory environments and ways of taking an AI system from an experiment to a product used at scale.

That experience might be helpful for someone who is looking to eventually become technical, AI architecture, research or entrepreneurship. It's not a promise of accelerated career advancement, but it can open the door to more projects and organisations for a professional to work with later.

5. Choosing Job Abroad Makes them Represent India in other Soil

India is not going out of the picture when it comes to AI. The government, quoting the AI Index of Stanford, stated that in India, the annual AI talent acquisition rate has been the highest at 33% and the AI talent concentration has significantly increased since 2016. The same government release also revealed that India was the second largest contributor of AI projects on GitHub in 2024, with 19.9% of the projects.

The Indian AI ecosystem is also progressing towards the value chain. As companies seek to hire more skilled personnel for advanced AI and other technical jobs, they are increasingly turning to their Global Capability Centres in India for other core functions like product development and analytics, according to Reuters in May 2026.

An overseas job for some, then, could be a step to learn about another market instead of giving up on India's tech industry. Some may work for foreign companies and stay in India.

Should one prefer to pursue a career in AI/ML overseas or in India?

It really depends on one’s preferences , because even if India is seeing a rapidly expanding job market for AI , with a big technology workforce and roles across different industries, other markets can still bring other perks. Like, compensation, smaller yet specialized niche roles, better research pipelines, or access to larger product teams in the global space.

The more exact picture is this , AI engineers aren’t “escaping” India because there’s no work. Instead, many of India’s own employers are facing a shortage of certain advanced AI positions. The more noticeable change is actually the increased movement of AI talent. Engineers with a solid skill stack can find chances in India, but also in overseas offices and in globally distributed teams

When you start looking seriously at AI/ML, one lesson just keeps showing up: build transferable skills. Sure, a degree can open the door , but if you also have strong software engineering, practical data skills, model evaluation ability , AI deployment experience, and you can build dependable real world systems, then an AI career becomes more valuable across markets .