The number of Nepali students going abroad has increased almost by double this year, according to eKantipur.com Wednesday's report.

The Ministry of Education has already distributed about 10,308 "No Objection letter" from mid-July to mid-December. Undersecretary at the Scholarships' Department Dan Bahadur Adhikari informed, over 100 students receive the letter everyday.

About 50 letters were distributed daily last year.

The ministry said that students go to 47 countries worldwide including Australia, the United States, Britain, Cyprus, Japan, China, Finland, Czech Republic, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

About 21,035 students went abroad in fiscal year 2064/65 (2007- 08). The number is double than the year before.

Australia was the hot spot for the students last year. About 7, 722 Nepali students landed there.

Likewise, 5,500 students left for the United States and about 3, 000 for the United Kingdom, according to the ministry.

Educationalist Prof. Tirtha Khaniya was quoted by the website as saying that the trend of students thronging abroad is due to the global environment and the country's political instability.

"The government has not evaluated the pros and cons of going abroad. It is very important to look into ways of stopping this trend and ensuring that they return home after studies," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2008)