The Positive Education Podcast With Ash Manuel

Episode #59 | Sagar Bahadur – Supporting Students Across Cultures: Education, Wellbeing & Mobility

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In this episode with Sagar Bahadur, we dive into the future of international education, student mobility, and how institutions can better support learners across cultures, especially in India and South Asia.

Here are seven key takeaways from the conversation:

  1. Only 2% of India’s 40 million higher education students currently study abroad, yet 58% aspire to access international education. This gap presents a major opportunity to rethink how global learning can be delivered within India.
  2. Internationalisation is evolving beyond travel. Students are increasingly engaging with global education through short-term programs, hybrid learning, foreign faculty, international certifications, and local branch campuses.
  3. India’s education landscape is vast and competitive, with limited university spots creating pressure for students to achieve high academic results, especially for elite institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology.
  4. The Indian government is focused on expanding access by promoting vocational education, skill development, and international collaborations, including mutual recognition of qualifications with countries like Australia.
  5. Student wellbeing is a growing focus. Institutions are now offering more robust pre-departure and post-arrival support to help students navigate academic pressure, cultural change, and independent living.
  6. Cultural transitions can be overwhelming for first-time international students. Sagar highlights the importance of preparing students not only academically, but emotionally for challenges like managing finances, homesickness, and balancing part-time work with studies.
  7. Universities are being pushed to innovate. Acumen, Sagar’s organisation, is helping institutions explore new regions, delivery models, and partnerships from setting up campuses to building school pipelines and transnational programs.

    8. More About Sagar

    Sagar Bahadur is a recognised leader in global education strategy, with a 15-year track record of shaping and scaling international higher education initiatives. As the Executive Director for India, South Asia, and South East Asia at Acumen, he leads the region’s growth and expansion strategy for Sannam S4/Acumen, a premier global partner for strategic and sustainable international education. His work focuses on building bridges between institutions, governments, and students across borders, with a strong emphasis on long-term partnerships and high-impact outcomes.

    Acumen is widely regarded as a sector-leading firm, supporting over 100 global institutions across key education markets.
    Sagar’s visionary leadership led to the successful launch of Gradstar Global Education in 2022, securing over 40 global university collaborations and delivering rapid growth. His prior experience includes an 8-year tenure with Amity Education Group, where he played a key role in establishing multiple international campuses. At The University of Queensland, he redefined their India strategy, setting a benchmark for higher education market engagement across Asia. He also worked closely with MDIS Singapore, supporting their market development and institutional outreach across the region.
    Educated in Singapore, and further trained at UCLA and ISB India, Sagar brings a global outlook combined with deep regional insight.

    In the context of Japan, he has played a leading role in efforts to elevate Japan’s visibility and competitiveness as a global study destination, especially across South Asia. His work focuses on building institutional capacity, enabling two-way student mobility, and advancing awareness of Japan’s academic excellence through strategic campaigns, policy engagement, and ecosystem development. He is committed to positioning Japan as a key force in the next era of global education.

    He is a recipient of BW Businessworld’s 40under40 and the Philip Kotler Award, recognising his contributions to education leadership and innovation.

    Linkedin: Sagar Bahadur
    Website: Acumen Education

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    The Positive Education Podcast With Ash ManuelBy Ash Manuel