"Rapid Global Shifts Redefine Study Abroad Plans"

PAWAN KUMAR SINGH, Director, IIM Tiruchirappalli, on the shifts reshaping management education, from technology-driven disruptions to changing student aspirations, in a chat with BW Education. Excerpts

- By Sai Archana

In the face of increasing geopolitical uncertainties, including shifting international alliances, tariff regimes and potential visa challenges, how should students aspiring to study abroad strategically plan their educational paths?

In this context, we have always emphasised that change is the only constant. Two major forces now shape global mobility: rapidly shifting geopolitical conditions and fast-moving technological transformations. These act like two separate folders, each holding multiple challenges. International dynamics fall into one, technology-led disruptions into the other and both require constant learning. The global order is evolving at an unusual speed. Students must remain aware of these developments and faculty must integrate them into classroom learning. India's economic liberalisation in the early 1990s showed how deeply transitions can reshape academia and industry.

Today's disruptions differ in form but match that era in scale. Globalisation will endure; cross-border flows remain essential--yet nations are becoming more protective, prioritising domestic employment and political interests.