It is now common among students from developing countries aspiring to study abroad. This is because of the poor or fallen standard of education in their country and the numerous opportunities that await them abroad. Every student yarns for a conducive environment, aids learning, and where they can get value for their money. Some students even debate that it is more beneficial to study abroad than in Nigeria or some developing countries. However, studying abroad has its disadvantages which will be discussed in this article.
Advantages
(1) Good educational policy and high investment in education by overseas’ government
Quality of education depends on good policy and the amount invested in it. The majority of students prefer to study abroad because of the quality of education they are going to receive. The majority of Universities abroad have well-equipped libraries and laboratories, good lecturers, and a conducive environment for learning. And these are possible because priority is given to education by their government.
(2) No industrial action by academic staff
One of the diseases that have plagued education in Nigeria is frequently industrial action by the academic and non-academic staff of the universities. This has hurt the quality of education in Nigeria. Whereas abroad there is no industrial action by lecturers, and this has helped the Universities abroad by making their academic calendar stable; students know when they will graduate without any delay
(3) Opportunities
There are different opportunities that students tend to enjoy when studying abroad. For example, scholarships are available, grants, student loans, teaching assistants, etc. This makes make a little bit easier for students having financial difficulties to further his/her education.
(4) Career Advantage
In Africa, a certificate from universities abroad is more valued than an indigenous certificate. This may look wild but it is the fact. You are given preference by employers when you have your B.sc or M.sc or Ph.D. from Universities in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, etc. The reason is that most employers believe that certificates abroad have more weight and the holder is well equipped for the job.
(4) International exposure
A touch of international exposure makes a lot of difference in your education. It makes you well-equipped and grounded in your field of study. Studying abroad removes some limitations out of your way. For example, there is some scientific research that can only be carried out abroad due to the latest technology available in some of their laboratories.
(5) Opportunity to see world from different views and be globally relevant
I believe you will agree with me that traveling is part of education. It isn’t too good to limit yourself to the four corners of your country, exploring other countries will make you globally relevant. You will see the world from different perspectives via your interaction with people from a background different from yours.
Disadvantages
As good as studying abroad might be, it has its own disadvantages (s). The disadvantages are discussed below:
(1) Education is expensive abroad
For example, in Nigeria, it will cost you on average N400,000 ($1274) to finish your four-year course in the University whereas this same cost isn’t enough for your first year in the US or UK or Canada. This means if you are not on scholarship abroad, you will have to work tirelessly for you to fund your education.
(2) Brain drain
The migration of skilled human resources in search of a better standard of living and quality of life, attractive salaries, world-class education, and opportunities for career advancement hurts developing countries. Many of the students who studied abroad never return home and this has impaired the development of their home country.
(3) Negative influence: Some students have been negatively influenced due to the new environment they find themselves.
