The trend of Nepali students opting to study abroad continues to rise, even with a strong presence of well-equipped universities and educational institutions within the country. This is evident from recent data released by Nepal Rastra Bank, which reveals that Nepali students spent a significant Rs 47.34 billion on overseas education in the first five months of the fiscal year. This marks an increase in travel expenses, with a 12.2 percent rise from the previous year, amounting to Rs 85.01 billion. Of this, Rs 47.41 billion was specifically for educational purposes.
The increasing outflow of funds for overseas education also coincides with a growing deficit in Nepal’s service account, with net service income reaching a loss of Rs 40.71 billion, compared to Rs 26.55 billion in the previous year. While travel expenses rose, travel income showed a modest increase of 3.1 percent, reaching Rs 35.19 billion. This suggests a continuing trend of financial outflow, particularly due to educational expenditures, even as Nepal faces challenges in balancing service income and expenditure.
