According to V Muraleedharan, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, approximately 10,000 Indian students are currently pursuing higher education in China. However, despite Missions and Posts’ best efforts, detailed information regarding Indian students is not available, as students do not register with Indian Missions.
Muraleedharan was responding to Tiruchi Siva’s inquiry on whether the Government of India keeps a database of Indian students studying at foreign colleges, as well as the number of students enrolled in medical courses in China.
According to available data, almost 14000 students returned to India from China during the Covid-19 outbreak, according to the minister.
“The Ministry, in collaboration with the Indian Embassy in Beijing, had adopted a multi-pronged approach to facilitate Indian students returning from China, which included, among other things, emergency evacuation from worst-hit areas, the establishment of a 24X7 Control Room and dedicated hotlines for students seeking assistance, and liaison with the government departments and universities of the People’s Republic of China for early return of these students to pursue their leftover courses and minimise disruption.”
Siva also asked the minister if the government has any plans to help Indian students studying in overseas universities. Muraleedharan claimed that NMC had permitted Indian students in their final year of their MBBS course who had to leave their foreign medical institute (due to COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine conflict, etc.) and were also granted a certificate of completion of course/degree by the respective institute on or before June 30 to appear in FMGE.
“Following the FMG examination, such foreign medical graduates are required to undergo Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) for a period of two years to make up for clinical training that they could not physically attend during their undergraduate medicine course in the foreign institute and also to familiarize them with practice of medicine under Indian conditions,” he added.
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