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Context
Recently, the government has renewed its push for foreign universities in India.
Need of the foreign Universities bill
- Legal framework
- India lacks a legal framework to allow foreign educational institutions to set up campuses and award degrees.
- The University Grants Commission Act says that only universities set up by Parliament or a state legislature, and those declared deemed universities by the government, can award degrees
- Regularize collaborative arrangement
- It will help to regulate temporary collaborative arrangement between Indian and foreign institutes.
- Under this arrangement only few globally renowned universities collaborate with India.
- Improve infrastructure and quality
- It would help in building a good infrastructure, better study material, exposure to the foreign education
- It would serve the needs of students who are seeking higher education. It would increase choices for students
- Research culture
- Foreign collaboration would help to improve research culture in country through collaborative engagements between Indian and India-based foreign universities.
- It will improve the Doctoral degree quality
- It will develop a healthy competition and will bring a positive change to the education system.
- This will also help to improve performance of Indian universities in global ranking
- Foreign Exchange
- Large number of Indian students move abroad for higher education which leads to loss of foreign exchange. It is estimated to be around $10b a year.
- It would attract good foreign Universities and Institutions
- To Stops brain drain
Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulations of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010
- The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2010.
- This Bill was meant to introduce a comprehensive regulatory mechanism to regulate foreign Universities in India.
- The bill was lapsed with the dissolution of loksabha
Key feature
- Recognition and notification by central government is essential for foreign educational institution to impart education in India
- The quality of education, curriculum, methods of imparting education, and the faculty should be the same as those employed by the institution in its main campus.
- The institution should maintain a corpus fund of not less than ₹50 crore or such sum as may be notified by the Central government.
- Up to 75% of any income generated from the corpus fund shall be utilized for developing its institution in India and rest should be put back in the fund.
- The Centre can refuse to recognise and notify a foreign educational institution as a foreign education provider if it is not in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, etc.
- Any disputes under the Bill would be heard under the National Educational Tribunal, also a forum proposed.
Committees
Knowledge commission (2006)
- Formulation of policies for entry of foreign institutions in India and
- Promotion of Indian institutions abroad
Draft National Education Policy
- Top 200 universities in the world should be encouraged to collaborate with Indian institution
NITI Aayog
- NITI Aayog supports the foreign Universities in India.
- It had suggested one executive and two legislative routes, which the human resource development ministry would soon examine to decide the best option
Legislative measures
- Amend the UGC Act to allow foreign campuses that will operate as full-fledged universities in India
Executive measures
- Permit joint ventures between Indian and foreign institutions by tweaking UGC and AICTE regulations
- Recognize campuses opened by foreign universities as deemed universities through UGC regulation
Challenges
- Vested interest of foreign Universities
- Foreign universities may come with commercial motive. This may raise the cost of higher education in India
- Most foreign institutes invest in technical courses which market needs rather than in quality education and research which is important for creating and developing human resource.
- Weakening of Indian universities
- Foreign Universities demand greater autonomy and relaxed regulatory norms. This would create a difference between Indian and foreign institutes
- Foreign universities may attract best faculty from Indian institutes subsequently making them weak.
- Danger of low grade institutions
- Global experiences shows that majority of institutions entering foreign market are not prestigious universities but rather low-grade institutions seeking market access and income opportunities.
- Weakening of regulator
- There may be problem with quality of courses in the absence of government regulation of foreign universities
- Foreign universities offered innovative methodologies and abundant flexibility to its academicians and students. This may continue to attract large number of Indian students abroad
- Foreign universities doesn’t guarantee mass education
Way Ahead
- Intensive consultation with all stakeholders should be undertaken before granting permission to foreign universities.
- The government should ensure that surplus revenue generated in India by a foreign education provider shall be invested for the growth and development of the educational institutions established by it in India.
- The government should take necessary to stop flight of quality faculty from existing Institutions in India
- Foreign universities should be shortlisted first and then invite them to set campus in India. Low grade universities should not be allowed entry in the country.
- Programs, that require huge investments, but are strategic, should be given more priority
- Programs that are only accredited by International standards be allowed to operate in India.