UGC GUIDELINES – EDUCATION
News: What
are the regulations announced for foreign universities in India?
What's in the news?
● 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.
Key takeaways:
● 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.
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.
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.