Experts have pointed out that Nepal's young generation, especially Gen-G students, are going abroad not only for higher education but also in search of a 'global lifestyle', personal freedom and digital opportunities.

At a program on student migration organized by the Institute of Foreign Affairs Studies on Tuesday, speakers mentioned that migration should be understood based on changing social psychology rather than through the traditional lens of labor or education.

Tribhuvan University Associate Professor Dr. Padmaprasad Khatiwada opined that despite Nepal having 14 universities and many educational institutions, there should be a serious analysis of the reasons why students go abroad spending 40 to 50 lakh rupees. He suggested that instead of worrying about migration as a 'brain drain' (brain drain), emphasis should be placed on the concept of 'brain circulation' that connects the knowledge, skills and technology acquired abroad to the development of the country.

‘There are more than 450,000 students at Tribhuvan University, but we have not been able to provide them with any attraction,’ said Professor Khatiwada, ‘If we can make universities residential, entrepreneurship and innovation centers, we can attract students to Nepal’s universities and this is where a market can also be created.’

Commenting on the program, Advocate Supun Dahal mentioned that the Gen-G generation does not only consider going abroad as a means of obtaining education or working. ‘For them, it is also a search for a global lifestyle, personal freedom, a better future and digital opportunities,’ she said, ‘Therefore, migration should not be viewed only through old lenses.’ She was of the opinion that it would be appropriate to create a mechanism to connect Nepalis working in large organizations like Google and the World Bank to Nepal’s public policy, investment and research sectors through digital means.

Anthropologist Dr. Abhash Piya also believed that immigration should be understood not only as a failure of the labor market or an educational problem but also as a ‘cultural crisis’ and a family decision. ‘In our country, the decision to go abroad is not made only after graduation or plus-two,’ he said. ‘Since childhood, social media, success stories of those who have gone abroad, and the attraction towards foreign degrees are instilled in our minds.’ Therefore, policy efforts made with the time of student departure in mind have become irrelevant.’ The speakers at the

program said that the problem related to immigration has been exacerbated due to the lack of a fact-based policy and made it clear that this problem cannot be solved by stopping or tightening the No Objection Letter (NOC). They argued that the misleading propaganda spread by some educational consultants and the delays in university academic sessions have also further encouraged the youth to go abroad. Everyone emphasized that the future policy should focus on its proper management and improving the quality of domestic educational institutions rather than stopping immigration.