FOREIGN
UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA - EDUCATION
News:
An India chapter for
foreign universities
What's
in the news?
●
For a long time, proponents of the internationalisation of higher education
have cherished the dream of foreign universities operating in India.
●
For nearly two decades, they have
emphasised the need to provide conducive conditions and an enabling framework
for such institutions.
●
But the idea failed to come to fruition
due to the concerns of the regulatory authorities and governments in India as well
as the foreign higher educational institutions.
Key
takeaways:
●
The Centre is set to open the door for foreign universities to set up campuses in
India, pushing through an ambitious proposal that has run into political
roadblocks in the past.
●
The UGC has said that universities in some
European countries have shown a “keen interest” in setting up India campuses.
National
Education Policy (NEP), 2020:
●
The NEP, 2020, says that “top universities
in the world will be facilitated to operate in India”, and “a legislative
framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities
will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and
content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
UGC
guidelines:
●
The higher education regulator University
Grants Commission (UGC) released draft regulations to allow foreign
universities to enter India.
Criteria
in draft regulations:
●
The universities that are placed in the top 500 either in the
overall or the subject-wise category in global rankings such as QS, can apply
to enter India.
●
Universities that do not participate in
such rankings must be “reputed” in their
countries to be able to apply. The draft regulations do not specify a
metric to judge the ‘reputation’ of the university.
Will
the government regulate the fee structure of foreign educational institutions
in India?
●
The foreign universities will have full freedom to decide the fee structure
and admission criteria for both Indian and overseas students.
●
They will also get a free hand in hiring faculty, either from India or abroad, and will not
be expected to mandatorily follow reservation policies in admissions and employment.
●
However, the draft regulations do say that
the fee structure should be “transparent
and reasonable”.
●
Based on an evaluation process, full or
partial need-based scholarships may be provided by the FHEI (foreign higher
educational institution) from funds such as endowment funds, alumni donations,
tuition revenues, and other sources.
Safeguards
proposed to secure the interests of Indian students:
●
UGC will have the right to inspect the campuses at any time.
●
They will not be outside the purview of anti-ragging and other criminal laws.
The draft says the UGC shall impose a penalty and/ or suspend/ withdraw its
approval at any time if the university’s “activities or academic programmes are
against the interest of India”.
●
The draft regulations also require the
foreign universities to submit audit
reports and annual reports to the UGC “certifying that [their] operations in
India are in compliance with FEMA 1999” and other relevant government policies.
Significance
of setting up Foreign Universities in India:
1.
Internationalisation of Higher Education:
●
Allowing foreign universities to establish
campuses in India would aid in the internationalisation of higher education.
2.
Attract Foreign Students:
●
Campuses of reputed Foreign Higher
Education Institutes will attract foreign students. This will help in exchange of ideas and cultures. It will
prove beneficial to Indian students helping them to develop a more holistic
outlook with global perspectives.
3.
Quality of Education:
●
Due to competition between Foreign Higher Education Institutes and Indian
institutions, there will be an enhancement in the quality of education and the
overall talent pool.
4.
Career Opportunities:
●
Increase
exposure of students to different streams from outside of
the country and thus provide more career opportunity options.
5.
Increasing faculty ratios:
●
Will help bring better management practices and human resource expertise to our
educational institutes such as improvement in faculty to student ratio.
6.
Reduce Brain drains:
●
Help save crucial foreign exchange as
students will not go outside to seek world-class education restricting brain
drain and hence improving quality. For example, 4 lakh Indian students are
studying in the USA in 2021-22 and will have options available in India.
Concerns
of the Foreign Universities in India:
1.
Increasing disparity:
●
Education disparity will increase - high fees, higher standards will make these
universities a place for the rich and the elite. Class and caste differentiation
will widen. Inclusive growth will suffer.
2.
Affordability:
●
Foreign Higher Education Institutes may
prefer to hire foreign faculty and
are having autonomy in deciding the tuition
fee.
●
This may impact the affordability, making
access to these institutions limited to the elite. Students from non-affluent
families may have to rely on education loans.
3.
Differing social aspects:
●
Foreign universities might not offer
insights into social, regional, historical aspects of India. Thus, India will
slowly and willingly lose its own demographic dividend, thus starting domestic
westernization.
4.
Attracting Top Universities:
●
Foreign Higher Education Institutes will
set up campuses only if they find it as a lucrative option. Very few top ranked
Foreign Higher Education Institutes have foreign campuses (e.g., very few US
Universities have campuses in the EU) even in countries with relatively much
liberal standards than in India.
5.
Political Interference:
●
Higher Educational Institutions in India
are vulnerable to political interference including the issue of appointments to
senior administrative positions.
6.
Expertise:
●
Some critics argue that UGC Officials lack
the experience and expertise in dealing with Foreign Higher Education
Institutes. Issues of yearly review,
campus visits, and other forms of monitoring and intervention may pose some
challenges.
7.
Level Playing Field:
●
Foreign Higher Education Institutes can be
for-profit institutions and they’ll be allowed to repatriate surplus funds abroad.
The Indian public Higher Educational Institutions are not ‘for-profit’ and have
to reinvest the surplus. This will put Foreign Higher Education Institutes on a
different pedestal than Indian Higher Educational Institutions.
WAY
FORWARD:
Coming of foreign
universities is a by-product of
globalization. India is already witnessing a boom in the education sector
where quality is at a compromising position. The need of the hour is to look at
the positive aspects these universities will bring with them. But at the same
time the issues like cartelization, hefty fees, affordability, accessibility,
economic divide needs a thorough understanding of things before allowing these
universities to operate their campus in India.