News Highlights:
The Centre is set new UGC Norms on Foreign Universities to set up campuses in India, pushing through an ambitious proposal that has run into political roadblocks in the past.
Key Takeaway:
- The University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified the draft guidelines for establishing campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in the country and invited suggestions and feedback from the public on the same, as per an official statement.
- The guidelines align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- The National Education Policy 2020 envisages a legislative framework to allow top global universities to operate in India.
Highlights of the draft:
- Allow foreign universities:
- To set up their campuses in India.
- Decide their admission process, fee structure (to be reasonable), etc.
- To repatriate funds (to be governed by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999) to their parent campuses.
- Compulsory UGC approval:
- All foreign universities that wish to set up their campus in India will be allowed to do so only after getting approval from the UGC.
- The reputation of the institute:
- To set up a campus in Indian foreign universities will either have to be in the top 500 to apply or will have to be “highly reputed” in their respective countries
- If their ranking is between 500 and 100, but the subject-wise ranking is higher than overall, then in such cases, the institutions will be permitted to set up their campuses only for those ranked subjects.
- Assured Quality:
- The UGC will reserve the right to inspect these Indian campuses of foreign HEIs at any time, and they will not be outside the purview of anti-ragging and other criminal laws.
- Offline classes:
- The programmes offered under these regulations will not be allowed online, and universities will have to conduct the courses offline.
- Students Safeguard:
- Foreign Higher Educational Institutions(FHEI) shall not discontinue any course or programme or close the campus without the commission’s prior approval.
- In the case of a course or programme disruption or discontinuation, the parent entity shall be responsible for providing an alternative to the affected students.
- Equivalence with degrees:
- The qualifications awarded to the students in the Indian campus shall be recognised and treated as equivalent to the corresponding qualifications awarded by the FEHI in the main campus located in the country of origin.
- National interest:
- FEHIs shall not offer any such programme or course which jeopardizes the national interest of India or the standards of higher education in India.
- The operation of FEHIs shall not be contrary to the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, or morality.
Foreign Universities in India:
- Background:
- The government had in 1995 drafted the Foreign Education Bill, which had to be shelved.
- Another attempt was made in 2006, but the draft law could not cross the Cabinet stage.
- Then, in 2010, the UPA-2 government brought the Foreign Educational Institutions Bill, which failed to get enough support in the Parliament.
- The bill lapsed in 2014 as UPA lost power.
- The New Education Policy of 2020 allows the establishment of foreign university campuses in India.
- Procedure to establish a foreign university:
- The process for getting approval for setting up a campus in India will be strictly online in the beginning. Interested institutions must apply at the UGC portal with a non-refundable fee and then submit some documents.
- After the applications are received, a committee formed by the Commission will examine these applications on these factors:
- The credibility of the institution
- Programmes to be offered by the institution.
- Their potential to strengthen academic opportunities in India
- Proposed infrastructure
Benefits of Foreign Universities:
- Increase India’s soft power:
- India’s higher education collaboration with other countries will increase India’s soft power and it will also bring new ideas and institutions from abroad to the shores of India.
- It will provide further impetus to the government’s Study in India programme that seeks to attract foreign students.
- Encourage competition:
- They would encourage competition mainly between existing public and private universities in India and foreign branch institutions.
- Bring new ideas:
- The branches could bring new ideas about curriculum, pedagogy, and governance to Indian higher education and contribute to the country’s academic growth.
- Overseas spending:
- Indian students’ overseas spending is set to grow from current annual $28 billion to $80 billion annually by 2024.
- Foreign exchange outflow:
- Apart from fostering a competition in quality, International branch campuses can also help in reducing the foreign exchange outflow.
Way forward:
- The bureaucratic hurdles should be drastically cut to ensure success in attracting branch campuses.
- A new accreditation mechanism, flexible visa rules for foreign students and faculty, and financial incentives to offer programmes should be considered as priority areas.
Pic Courtesy: Freepik
Content Source: Financial Express