[Answered] Entry of foreign universities is a long step forward for higher education in India. But there will be challenges. Comment.

Internationalisation of Indian higher education is a salient feature of National Education Policy 2020. The draft regulations of the UGC on Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India 2023 pave the way for the entry of foreign universities into the groves of higher education in the country.

Why entry of foreign universities is a step forward for higher education in India?

• Encourage competition:This step would encourage competition mainly between existing private universities and foreign branch institutions.
• Promotes new ideas: about curriculum, pedagogy, and governance to Indian higher education.
• Opportunity to learn business:Foreign countries and universities will be providing opportunities for home campus students to learn about Indian business, society, and culture to participate in growing trade and other relations.
• It would be helpful in addressing skill requirements and providing examples of different approaches to higher education.
• The number of Indian students opting for higher education overseas grows annually and their abroad spending is set to grow from current annual $28 billion to $80 billion by 2024. Subsequently, it will help retain the best of Indian talent by controlling the problem of brain drain.

Challenges:

• It will not be easy to attractforeign universities to India and even more difficult to create the conditions for them to flourish.
• There is also an issue of dilution of standards of teaching and delivery in a foreign campus. There is a lot of investment in training local staff to adhere to standards and without a strong legal and financial structure it becomes a risky plan.
• A big challenge will be India’s “well-known” bureaucracy, especially the multiple regulators.
• It would be difficult to ensure that the degrees offered by the foreign branch campuses would be accepted by the employers in the home countries of the campuses.
• The opaque salary structure of private higher education institutions remains a cause of concern to many and, in the absence of tangible recruitment rules, the gap would further widen once foreign branch campuses are operational in India.
• The challenge lies with Humanities and Social Sciences where multiple interpretations are popular, pushing the boundaries of knowledge. The foreign faculty members may find it difficult to balance state policies, sensibilities and laissez-faire intellectual standpoint.

Education can be an important source of soft power if it is pursued in the right direction. Lessons can be learnt from our Yoga culture which has gained tremendous recognition worldwide.