Higher studies: Parents reluctant to send children to other places due to Covid-19 scare

Higher studies: Parents reluctant to send children to other places due to Covid-19 scare

TNN | May 17, 2020, 04.57 AM IST

Madurai: Local colleges are expecting a surge in demand for new admissions this year, as many Class XII students, who are awaiting their results, are reluctant to travel outside their districts for higher studies, even if the lockdown is lifted completely. Even their parents are not willing to send their children to other cities.

“Even if we are able to travel freely again, there will always be a fear that we might not be able to be with our daughter in case of emergency. This crisis has shown us that students can get stranded with no help across the world. It is not worth taking the risk. There are quality colleges locally,” said Nirmala V, a parent.

On the other hand, students say that they too understand their parents’ fear.

“It has always been tough for students to convince parents about the need to go to another district, state or abroad. But, such experience is very helpful for the growth of many students, especially those who are passionate and ambitious about their studies. At the start of the year, we were asking students to look for such opportunities. But, now, we are not sure of advising students to go against their parents,” said R Ramya, a school counsellor and Class XII English teacher.

Another reason that students and parents are not preferring to look for college admissions outside their district is because of the cost involved. Teachers say that with many parents struggling financially amid lockdown, they would hesitate to invest more money for their children’s higher studies.

Meanwhile, faculty in Madurai colleges say that may be a demand for seats in all top colleges.

“We have actually started getting a lot of inquiries after we set up a portal for online registration. Students could register and update their marks later. Many non-regular courses like microbiology, food science and visual communication are getting a lot of attention. At the same time, it is yet to be seen how the demand and response is for students who usually come from other nearby districts,” said M Davamani Christober, principal of The American College, Madurai.