The universities, colleges and other educational institutions in Delhi have been attracting students from all parts of India because of their excellent educational standards. Earlier there used to be a mere sprinkling of some foreign students, but of late the influx of the foreign students has increased substantially. Delhi is fast growing as a vibrant educational destination. The educational institutions are becoming the melting pots of various cultures of the world.
Abdul Parvez was born and brought up in West Champaran in Bihar, while Marina Yaoon was raised and educated in New Jersey in the US. These two are among the thousands of students who have chosen Delhi to tap its multifarious academic and career enhancement avenues. Parvez is 23 years old and is studying for a masters’ degree in Dalit and Minority Studies at the Jamia Milia Islamia University. When asked why he has come all the way from distant Champaran, he says, “In Champaran, you can do your graduation, but it offers very little beyond it. This city has endless possibilities."
Parvez was fed up with cast discrimination and the lack of health care facilities in his home town. He however wouldn’t make Delhi his permanent home. He says he would leave for his home after completing his studies here and work for changing the situation back there. Parvez’s aspirations represent the dreams of thousands of students like him who are attracted to Delhi due to the numerous institutions of higher education here such as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi University (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the Delhi College of Engineering, All India Institute of Medical Sciences as well as many other private and public institutions.
While Parvez came to Delhi after a lot of thinking and planning, Marina Yaoon came here as a part of a six- month student exchange program organized jointly by her alma mater and the Delhi University. She is presently studying in St Stephan’s College for a graduate program. Back home she was a student of the Rutgers University of New Jersey. Marina is enjoying her stay here. She finds lots of similarities between Delhi and New York. She says, "Delhi is an exciting potpourri of cultures and languages, very similar to New York City, a city that is quite close to my state, New Jersey".
Citing the reasons for Delhi’s USP as a hub of high quality and low cost education, Sameena Hasan Siddiqui, an Associate Professor at the Center for the Study of Comparitive Religions at Jamia Millia Islamia, says that the students are drawn towards Delhi because of the “availability of the latest trends, frequent visits by senior professors, opportunities for cutting-edge research and the frequent interaction between students and the faculty.”