Education is one of the most important forms of business transaction in the world. Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? How can education, which is really the basic need of an individual be the most expensive business transaction in the world? Unfortunately, it is true. Millions of students the world over go to foreign countries in a bid to derive better education than what they would have supposedly gotten in their own countries. The fees that they pay run to debts in billions overall and cost in thousands of dollars for them as individuals. Then, finally, they spend the rest of their lives trying to pay off educational loans that they accumulate during this period. Although today you can even get your English homework done online, still there is a strong need to regulate the spending one does on education.
Why education is a foreign policy issue?
The most important reason why education should be and is a foreign policy issue is that of the number of immigrants that come into a country to seek foreign education. If these immigrants are not given basic access to a good life, it definitely becomes an issue that is to be dealt with the foreign ministry of all the countries involved. Secondly, there is the issue of visas and work permit that becomes very necessary. This again involves the ministry of foreign affairs in every country.
Many countries refuse to provide visas or work permits to students on the basis of their country of origin. Education has always been the most important point of discussion when it comes to political debates over the generation. Plus, with the increasing costs of education comes the question of providing scholarships. Many countries debate on how prudent it is for the government to provide educational subsidies for students coming from other countries vis a vis student from their own country. This again becomes a topic of foreign policy and debates.
Are foreign scholars causing the problem?
The most important problem that arises, however, from the increase of foreign scholars when it comes to education, and which should be the main area of focus for all foreign policies that are related to education is the problem of racism. Many students who have gone abroad have complained of blatant display of racism by people in the so-called developed countries of the world. And we all know that racism almost equals a crime in certain countries.
To conclude, No one should be allowed to discriminate between people on the basis of their race, creed, caste, gender or any other demographic variable. This is where governments all over the world should come together and create strong educational policies as part of their foreign policy strategy. This will also give governments the mileage that they might need for the upcoming elections in their countries. Students from all over the world, especially those that are studying foreign policy in organisations and universities have started writing dissertations on a topic like education and foreign policy. These students are usually divided into teams for better research and discourse. The dissertation team is then usually made to present papers on such topics, and their opinions are really taken into consideration by most governmental and non-governmental bodies that are related to the field of education in a big way.
