A reason for drop in number of US students in India, says US Ambassador.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: On her first trip to the state of Jharkhand, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell made a statement saying that the drop in American students studying abroad in India is likely due to a negative image of India being perpetuated around the globe as a direct result of the country’s increase in rapes and sexual assaults.
Powell was holding a chat with students at the Xavier Institute of Social Science (XISS) in the city of Ranchi, when she was asked why she thought Americans students were visiting India less frequently than before. Powell responded by saying “the concern for personal security and perceived increase danger to women as a result of the rape cases was perhaps a factor in US students’ decision regarding study in India.”
There are almost 100,000 Indian students in just graduate school programs across the US, in addition to those that are in undergraduate institutions as well, but less than 5,000 Americans seeking higher studies in India. American students coming to India rose almost 6% between 2011 and 2012, from 4,345 to 4,593, but those are still relatively low figures.
Many of the students at the assembly Powell spoke at voiced their agreement with her assertion about India’s public image. One female student said that it was common for her and other girl to get cat-calls from men walking by, and that this is simply how life is.
India’s culture and societal treatment of women have come under international scrutiny recently due in large part to the brutal rape and death of an unnamed woman on a bus in New Delhi last December. This past summer, there was also an incident regarding a University of Chicago student who published a blog post on CNN detailing unwanted sexual advances she experienced during her time in India.
Powell later clarified that she only meant that the sexual assaults were a contributing factor to the decrease in American students coming to India, not the sole reason. She went on to tell the assembled students that she believes the most important aspect of the US-India relationship is in education, calling it “one of the main pillars in our bilateral strategic partnership.”
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com