Perspective : Rules for Foreign Universities | 05 January, 2023

Summary

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India has introduced draft regulations allowing foreign universities to establish campuses in India, aiming to internationalize higher education as per the National Education Policy 2020. Institutions must register with UGC, set up campuses within two years, and offer only full-time, in-person programs. The initial approval is valid for 10 years. The move is seen as a game-changer for Indian students aspiring to global education, with potential to retain talent and enhance the quality of education through competition and collaboration.

Takeaways

• 📜 The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India has unveiled draft regulations allowing foreign universities to establish campuses in India, aiming to promote the internationalization of higher education.
• 🗂 Foreign institutions must first register with the UGC and are required to set up their campuses within two years of initial approval, becoming operational within 45 days of receiving final approval.
• 🏛 The initial approval for these campuses will be valid for 10 years, and the foreign universities will have the freedom to devise their own admission processes and fee structures.
• 🚫 Foreign universities setting up campuses in India will not be allowed to offer online or distance learning programs; only full-time, in-person programs are permitted.
• 🤝 The UGC is expected to actively engage with ambassadors from both foreign countries and India to facilitate the establishment of foreign campuses in India within the next six to twelve months.
• 🌐 The policy is seen as a potential game-changer for Indian students who aspire to study at international universities but may face challenges such as financial constraints or cultural experiences abroad.
• 🤔 Concerns are raised about whether foreign universities will be able to attract top talent to teach at their Indian campuses and if the quality of education will be on par with their home institutions.
• 💼 The financial aspect of establishing campuses is a significant consideration, with questions about whether private players or the government will support the investment in infrastructure.
• 🏫 The UGC's regulations aim to ensure that foreign campuses in India will contribute to the overall improvement of higher education quality and foster research collaborations with Indian institutions.
• 📈 The move is considered a step towards making India a more attractive destination for global education and aligns with India's ambition to become a 5 trillion-dollar economy by enhancing its human capital.
• 📊 The success of this initiative will depend on balancing quality education with affordability to ensure that it is accessible to a wide range of Indian students, not just the elite.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the new draft regulations unveiled by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for foreign universities in India?

The purpose of the new draft regulations is to allow foreign universities to set up their campuses in India, which will pave the way towards globalization of higher education in the country.

What are the initial steps foreign institutions need to take to establish their campuses in India as per the UGC's draft regulations?

Foreign institutions must first register with the UGC, establish their campuses in India within two years, and become operational within 45 days of receiving final approval from the commission.

What is the validity period of the initial approval granted to foreign universities setting up campuses in India?

The initial approval granted to foreign universities is valid for a period of 10 years.

What type of learning programs can foreign universities offer in their campuses in India according to the draft regulations?

Foreign universities can offer only full-time programs in physical mode and cannot offer online or distance learning programs.

How does the UGC plan to safeguard the interests of students with the new regulations?

The UGC has undertaken several measures, which will be analyzed in detail with eminent experts, to ensure the protection of students' interests under the new regulations.

What was the National Education Policy 2020's stance on internationalization of higher education in India?

The National Education Policy 2020 emphasized the need for internationalization of higher education in India and facilitated the entry of top global universities to operate in the country.

What are the incentives for foreign universities to set up campuses in India as per the new regulations?

Foreign universities have the freedom to devise their own admission processes and decide on their fee structures, which are significant incentives for them to establish campuses in India.

How does Professor Harsh Vardhan Pant view the potential impact of foreign universities setting up campuses in India on the country's higher education system?

Professor Pant sees it as a game-changer that will enhance the quality of education, improve competitive spirit among institutions, and help retain and attract the best talent in the country.

What are the concerns raised by Professor Amlindu Mishra regarding the establishment of foreign campuses in India?

Professor Mishra raised concerns about the ability of foreign institutions to provide education at par with their home countries, the focus on humanities and social sciences rather than natural sciences, and the challenges of attracting and retaining talent.

What are the different ways in which foreign educational institutions can establish their presence in India as per FEMA 1999?

Foreign educational institutions can establish their presence in India by registering a company under the Companies Act, through a Limited Liability Partnership, by forming a joint venture with an existing Indian entity, or by setting up a branch office as a standalone institution.

How does Professor M Jagdish Kumar address the concerns about the affordability and quality of education provided by foreign campuses in India?

Professor Kumar believes that foreign campuses will need to balance the quality of education with affordability to attract students. He also mentioned that the regulations require institutions to provide scholarships based on an evaluation process, ensuring that education remains accessible to a broader range of students.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 India's New Policy on Foreign University Campuses

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has unveiled draft regulations allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India. Foreign institutions must register with the UGC, establish their campuses within two years, and become operational within 45 days of final approval. The initial approval will be valid for ten years, and these universities will have the freedom to decide their admission process and fee structure. However, they can only offer full-time programs in physical mode, not online or distant learning programs. The UGC has also introduced measures to safeguard students' interests.

05:03

📈 Retaining Indian Students with Foreign Campuses

Professor Harsh V. Pant from King's College, London, discusses the potential impact of the new policy on retaining Indian students who often travel abroad for higher education. He highlights the significance of this move in internationalizing higher education in India, which could attract and retain talent, enhance the quality of education, and foster a competitive spirit among Indian institutions. Pant believes this policy aligns with the aspirations of the National Education Policy and could transform India's higher education landscape.

10:06

🏛 Challenges and Opportunities for Foreign Universities

Professor Amolindu Mishra from Lancaster University raises concerns about the feasibility and attractiveness of setting up foreign university campuses in India. He points out that while some American universities have established campuses abroad, there are challenges in attracting top faculty and ensuring the quality of education. Mishra emphasizes the need for a clear legislative framework and questions whether the initiative will focus solely on humanities and social sciences or also include natural sciences and medicine.

15:06

🌐 India's Push for International Higher Education

Professor M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the UGC, responds to concerns by highlighting the proactive measures the UGC will take to attract foreign universities to India. He mentions that discussions have already taken place with universities in Europe. Kumar also stresses the potential for Indian diaspora academicians to contribute to these campuses and the demand for emerging fields such as financial management, fintech, machine learning, and data science among Indian students. He remains optimistic about the success of this initiative in India.

20:08

💰 Financing and Implementing Foreign Campuses

The discussion shifts to the financial and operational aspects of establishing foreign campuses in India. Kumar outlines various methods through which foreign institutions can set up in India, including registering a company, forming joint ventures, or setting up standalone branch offices. He compares this initiative to previous attempts by past governments and highlights how the current comprehensive approach under the National Education Policy differs and aims to systematically reform education in India.

25:09

🎓 Opportunities for Indian Students and Economy

The panel discusses the broader opportunities and potential challenges associated with this policy. Professor Pant emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to education reform and the importance of tapping into India's large demographic dividend. The presence of foreign campuses could raise the quality of education, foster healthy competition, and provide new opportunities for Indian students who cannot afford to study abroad. Kumar adds that these reforms could significantly impact India's goal of becoming a $5 trillion economy by training students in high-demand fields.

30:11

📺 Conclusion and Future Prospects

The program concludes with a discussion on the regulatory framework and the UGC's plans to incorporate feedback from the public before finalizing the regulations. The panelists reiterate the potential benefits and challenges of the new policy, emphasizing the importance of ensuring quality and affordability. The session ends with a note on the importance of education in India's future development and the positive impact of these reforms on the country's higher education system.

Keywords

💡Internationalization of Higher Education

Internationalization of higher education refers to the integration of an international dimension into teaching, research, and service within higher education. In the context of the video, it is a key component of the National Education Policy 2020 in India, aiming to attract top global universities to set up campuses in India, thereby enhancing the quality of education and fostering a global outlook among students. The policy is expected to reduce the need for Indian students to travel abroad for higher studies.

💡University Grants Commission (UGC)

The University Grants Commission is a statutory body in India responsible for coordinating, determining, and maintaining the standards of higher education. In the video, the UGC has unveiled draft regulations that allow foreign universities to establish campuses in India, which is a significant step towards internationalizing the Indian higher education system.

💡Campus Establishment

Campus establishment in this context refers to the process by which foreign higher educational institutions set up their physical campuses in India. The script mentions that these institutions must register with the UGC and establish their campuses within two years of receiving initial approval, becoming operational within 45 days of final approval.

💡Admission Process

The admission process is the procedure through which educational institutions select students. The video highlights that foreign universities setting up campuses in India will have the freedom to devise their own admission processes, which could potentially attract a diverse student body and offer unique educational opportunities.

💡Fee Structure

Fee structure refers to the breakdown of the costs associated with attending an educational institution. The script indicates that foreign universities in India will have the autonomy to decide on their fee structure, raising concerns about affordability and the potential for education to become exclusive to certain socioeconomic groups.

💡Full-Time Programs

Full-time programs are educational courses that require students to commit to a set schedule and typically take less time to complete compared to part-time studies. The video specifies that foreign universities in India can only offer full-time programs in physical mode, excluding online or distance learning programs.

💡Student Interests

Student interests, in the context of the video, pertain to the measures taken by the UGC to safeguard the well-being and educational outcomes of students. The regulations aim to ensure that the quality of education provided by foreign campuses is on par with their home institutions, thus protecting students' investment in their education.

💡Eminent Panelists

Eminent panelists are distinguished individuals invited to share their expertise in a particular field. In the video, three experts—Professor M Jagdish Kumar, Professor Harshwi Pant, and Professor Amlindu Mishra—are present to discuss the implications of the new regulations, providing insights into the potential impact on Indian higher education.

💡Global Education

Global education is an approach that develops students' understanding of worldwide issues and interconnectedness. The video discusses the aspirations of Indian students to access global education, which the new policy aims to fulfill by attracting renowned foreign universities to India, thus providing a diverse and high-quality educational experience within the country.

💡Demographic Dividend

Demographic dividend refers to the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population's age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population is large. The video mentions India's demographic dividend as a key factor in the push for higher education reforms, emphasizing the need to skill and educate the large youth population to contribute to the country's economic development.

💡Regulatory Framework

A regulatory framework is a set of rules and regulations that govern a particular sector or activity. In the script, the UGC's draft regulations provide the legislative groundwork for foreign universities to operate in India, ensuring a structured and standardized approach to the establishment and operation of foreign campuses.

Highlights

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has unveiled draft regulations allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India.

Foreign institutions must register with the UGC and establish their campuses in India within two years of initial approval.

The initial approval for foreign campuses will be valid for 10 years.

Foreign universities will have the freedom to devise their own admission processes and fee structures.

Online or distance learning programs are not allowed; only full-time, in-person programs are permitted.

UGC has implemented measures to safeguard students' interests, which will be discussed in detail with experts.

The internationalization of higher education is a component of India's National Education Policy 2020.

The UGC issued new regulations in May 2022 for twinning, joint, and dual degree programs with international universities.

The draft regulations aim to facilitate the establishment of foreign higher education campuses in India.

UGC will collect public feedback on the draft regulations for two weeks before finalizing them.

The UGC plans to actively engage with foreign ambassadors and Indian ambassadors abroad to promote foreign campuses in India.

The policy is expected to help retain Indian students who traditionally study abroad, offering them local access to international education.

Concerns about the quality of education at foreign campuses in India and how it will compare to home countries are discussed.

The potential challenges for foreign universities, such as attracting faculty and deciding on admission and fee structures, are highlighted.

The UGC emphasizes the importance of the internationalization of higher education for improving India's global ranking and educational quality.

The reform is seen as a holistic approach to education, not just a policy for foreign universities, but part of a wider educational strategy.

The potential for private enterprises and foreign universities to succeed in India's education market is optimistically viewed.

The regulations emphasize the need for foreign institutions to provide scholarships to ensure accessibility for Indian students.

The UGC discusses the various legal routes foreign educational institutions can take to establish campuses in India, under FEMA 1999.

The finalization of the draft regulations will take into account feedback to ensure the regulations are effective and beneficial.

Transcripts

[Music]

one more

[Music]

namaskar viewers hello and welcome to

Sunset TV I'm tinaja you're watching

perspective foreign universities will

now be able to set up their campuses in

India the university grants commission

has unveiled draft regulations for

setting up an operation of campuses a

foreign higher educational institutions

in the country

so foreign institutions have to first

register with the ugc they are required

to establish their campuses in India

within two years and become operational

within 45 days of receiving the final

approval from the commission the initial

approval will be valid for a period of

10 years the foreign universities

setting up campuses in the country will

have the freedom to devise their own

admission process and also decide on the

fee structure however they cannot offer

online or distant learning program they

have to offer only full-time programs in

physical mode

several other measures have also been

undertaken by the ugc to safeguard the

interests of the students which we will

analyze in detail with eminent experts

joining us on the program besides

understanding the larger objective of

these rules and regulations and for this

I am pleased to welcome three eminent

panelists Professor M Jagdish Kumar is

Chairman of the University grants

commission Professor Kumar thank you for

your time welcome to the program

Professor harshwi pant King's College

London he's also the vice president

studies and foreign policy ORF and

Professor amlindu Mishra Department of

politics philosophy and religion

Lancaster University the United Kingdom

thank you to both of you as well for

joining us on the program

Professor Kumar let me begin the program

today with you you know

internationalization of higher education

was envisaged in the new education

policy 2020 and following which there

was a lot of excitement but also a lot

of apprehension and criticism about how

it would actually uh you know become a

reality so as you announce the

modalities of this development today

help us in our viewers first understand

and in fact if it would be helpful for

us if you give us an overview of the

objective behind this development which

will pave a way towards globalization of

higher education in India

right

um thank you for uh inviting me to be

part of this discussion as you know

during last two years we have been

implementing various components of the

National Education policy in India and

one of them is the internationalization

of our higher education

and towards that recently in last May

May 2022 we issued a new regulation

permitting the Indian students to do

twinning joint and dual degree programs

already close to about 49 to 50

universities are in the process of

working out these details with the

international universities so that is

one way in which our students will have

access to high quality International

Education

the other way going a step ahead is the

establishment of campuses by far in

higher educational institutions in India

and as you rightly said National

Education policy emphasizes on this fact

and in fact it says that top

universities in the world uh need to be

facilitated to operate in India and it

also says that appropriate legislative

framework should be there to for the

entry of these foreign campuses in India

and to realize that goal uh we have

worked during fast few past few months

in designing the draft regulations for

facilitating the the campuses of foreign

higher educational institutions in India

so what we have done today is announce

these draft regulations to the public

for the feedback from them and in next

two weeks we will collect this feedback

and introduce some of that useful

feedback in the regulations get it

passed by the commission right and

before the end of this month by about

the 28th or 27th we want to publish it

as a Gazette notification so that it

becomes the law of the land and it will

encourage the foreign universities to

come to India but let me also add here

that once these regulations come into

force

ugc will be proactively be working with

the ambassadors of the foreign countries

who are located in New Delhi and also

our own Indian ambassadors who are

located in about 55 countries where the

top universities are located so ugc will

proactively work to make sure that in

next six months uh one year uh we will

have a lot of activity taking place in

establishing the campuses of the foreign

universities in India

uh Professor pant for a country like

ours wherein a lot of our youngsters are

flocking to different countries I was

going through statistics and the most

recent data suggests that about four and

a half black students traveled abroad

for higher studies in just uh the last

year will this policy now help in

retention of these students they now

have the option of staying back home and

getting degrees from the foreign

universities that they actually dream of

working in so in that aspect Professor

pump do you see this policy as a game

changer

well indeed Tina I think uh this is a

this is a very welcome step and I think

a much needed step in so far as the

internationalization of higher education

being uh one of the primary motives

being articulated in the the National

Education policy and I think when we

look at the higher education system uh

across the world one of the most

important metric to measure the quality

uh is how internationalized the edge

higher education system is and in that

context that to have the uh best

universities around the world giving

them incentives to set up campuses in

India is extremely significant and I

think for a country as aspirational as

India it is incumbent on Indian uh I

think leadership and decision makers to

visualize higher education you know you

know in in terms of the choices that it

can offer to some of our best because as

you point out a lot of the youngsters a

lot of the aspirational uh middle

classes in India are already vying for

the for Global education and and a lot

of them can not make it because of the

resource crunch perhaps or because of

the dilemmas that they face within uh

you know in terms of being at a

particular level in the socio-economic

ladder so I think this is certainly a

very welcome step and uh given that

higher education across the world today

is being measured in terms of its

ability to attract the best talent in

terms of its ability to retain that

talent and in terms of developing that

ecosystem which is so important in

shaping higher education system anywhere

in the world this will certainly allow

not only a foreign universities to come

in and and you know explore campuses in

India but also I think enhance the

quality of Education in the country

enhance the the competitive spirit in

the country in terms of the estate

education in higher education

institutions uh improving their

performance or trying to improve their

performance and competing with the best

in the world so I think there cannot be

a better move in terms of the way the

global education system is moving in the

way the aspirations of Indian education

system that have been articulated in the

education policy of the country so I

think this is certainly a very welcome

move and if implemented in the right

Spirit they've taken forward with the

kind of proactiveness that Professor

Kumar was highlighting this can

certainly change the way we look at the

higher education system in India and

visualize and hope for the best for our

own students and for our own demographic

dividend that we want to tap into of

course that's going to be the most

important thing because you know India

Today is home to the largest number of

you today Professor Mishra but how we're

going to do that in the times to come is

something that I'll come back to you in

the meanwhile let me get in your point

of view on this development this reform

that India is undertaking in the field

of higher education uh how lucrative do

you think is it going to be for the

foreign universities wanting to set up

campuses in India so as per the ugc now

they have the freedom to decide on the

admission structure also decide on the

fee structure so how welcoming is that

if you look at it from the point of view

of foreign institutions thank you Tina

for that question it's very very

relevant what you have just asked and

I'll sort of echo both the panelist

sentiment so this is indeed a very

positive step forward

but let's not get ahead of ourselves and

let's look at the global environment in

terms of overseas campuses in different

countries and this is an initiative that

was started by the Americans who sort of

established their campuses passed in

Egypt American University of Cairo then

in Beirut and these days there are

campuses in other places in the Middle

East especially in United Arab Emirates

and Qatar and the problem of course that

I see here I don't want to be too

skeptical here but the regulations that

we are talking about these are the

institutions who have established

primarily

areas that focus on humanities and

social sciences so there is very little

in terms of Natural Sciences and

medicine and so on and so forth now the

question of course is are these foreign

institutions that we are trying to aim

for going to establish that knowledge

exchange that is so much needed in India

that's number one but is it just going

to be social sciences as well as

Humanities that's number one second we

are we have to look at the requirements

that UCC has set up and that is that you

have to have in person teaching which is

Noble which is exciting but at the same

time how are these institutions going to

bring this particular talent to these

third countries because I myself was

involved in our own overseas campus in

the country of Ghana in West Africa and

we realize that not anyone from the

Lancaster campus wants to go there so

that is the reason why we have to set up

a local talent pool and the Lancaster

University Ghana campus is mostly run by

the local college is that something that

is going to happen in the case of India

and that is a similar situation that are

faced by many of the British

universities Nottingham university has

its campuses in Malaysia and in China

and in the Middle East as well so this

is one thing and the second one is by

2024 the Indian flow of students who

obviously is going to be somewhere

around 1.8 million now let's not uh kid

ourselves to the very fact that not all

of them are going boosted just because

the educational hostilities are there

it's also a cultural experience so if

you are going to give someone a British

education in India is that going to be

at par with someone growing up sorry

studying in England or in America and

Australia or any English country so that

is something that we have to look into

as well so these are the issues that we

walked out although there is a lot of

freedom that are going to be given to

the institutions they're also going to

ask this question this is only for nine

years if you are going to have such a

massive investment in terms of

infrastructure in terms of bringing the

talent pool and if there is no guarantee

that it is going to be continued Beyond

those 10 years then why should we sort

of deep our fit into it so to speak so

these are the challenges that we have

and they need to be sort of evened out

and then this need to be sort of spelled

out much more clearly by the Indian side

as well as overseas side and whether

it's going to be attractive or not it's

remain to be seen

okay so a host of challenges there

Professor Kumar that have been cited by

Professor Mishra and I think the most

important one from a student's

perspective is going to be how would you

ensure the education here is going to be

at par with the institution of the Home

Country so that of course is something

it will be an apprehension which is

going to be asked by students also in

the times to come and the other

regulatory challenges that Professor

Mishra spoke about how do we tend to

devise mechanisms to tackle overcome

these challenges

um

you know to address some of the concerns

raised by my co-panelists

it is true that some American

universities established the emphasis

elsewhere

um but however there are many

universities which have already shown

Keen interest while discussing with ugc

to establish their campuses in India

so especially from Europe there are

already many countries a few countries

which have discussed with us about this

possibility so we hope that

there will be foreign universities which

will come to India and the other point

uh that he has raised is whether we will

be able to attract the best talent as

faculty in these foreign campuses

um you see one great advantage that

India has is that our Indian diaspora

um their top academicians across the

globe even if some of them come for

shorter durations for a semester or two

and work here that itself can be you

know a great contribution to the higher

education uh in India in addition to our

own Indians I am sure

um there are many multinational

companies

in India there are many foreigners who

work in India in fact many of them they

they like India they like Indian culture

I'm sure many foreign faculty also will

be attracted to come to India and work

here and as far as the disciplines are

concerned

um you know in India there are certain

disciplines which are very popular and

many of the students who go abroad they

are not going into uh you know certain

areas

um such as

in fact they mostly go into stem areas

many of the students in in my experience

and in India too many of these areas in

the emerging Fields such as financial

management fintech machine learning data

science these are all extremely popular

subjects and when the foreign

institutions establish their programs in

India they have to establish in in such

disciplines where there is a great

demand

um in in those disciplines where

students are going abroad and only then

they can attract a large number of

students and one last point I would like

to make here India today is one of the

largest educational system we have from

class one to pH level close to about 300

million students and out of that 40

million students are in higher education

so even if you tap a small percentage of

this 40 million

um you will have hundreds of thousands

of students now who will be interested

to study in the campuses established by

the foreign educational institutions so

I would like to look at this in a more

optimistic way uh and then uh try things

even though these things might have

failed in elsewhere there is no um that

these experiments will fail in India

especially because in India education is

given top Rarity every parent in India

every family in India they would like

their kids to be educated and I think

that this is one of the greatest

opportunities both for the foreign

higher educational institutions and also

for our students are to have access to

high quality higher education absolutely

profess upon the fact that for young

students who who dream of going abroad

and you know doing courses uh that they

would like to uh you know uh study from

a Foreign Institute the fact that it is

available in your country itself is

going to be of course a game changer as

we've discussed earlier on but since we

are also looking at the challenges how

big a challenge will finance be because

when we look at the other parts of the

world

similar models have seen uh you know

local Partners investing much more do we

do we expect do we see that also

happening in our country from private

players from the government itself

taking care of the aspect of finance

because that is going to be most vital

you know there are four ways as an

example I am giving there are multiple

ways in which foreign educational

institutions can come to India

um

I will give four examples one is this

foreign institution can establish a

company register a company in India

under companies act and through this

company it can operate its campus in

India or it can come through limited

liabilities Partnership Act or it can

also have a giant Venture with an

existing Indian entity it could be

another institution which already has

the infrastructure and and other

resources and they can have a joint

venture or the foreign institution can

come as an Standalone institution by

setting up a branch office and all these

possibilities come under the FEMA 1999

act the Foreign Exchange Management act

so there are many possibilities there

are many routes through which the

foreign educational institutions can

come to India

okay Professor pan this is a reform long

overdue I was going through certain

articles and which said that similar

attempts were made by previous

governments uh way back in 1995 then in

2010 how different is this uh move from

the previous moves made by the Congress

government made by the UPA government in

2010 so in terms of the changes uh that

we are talking about today that the

modalities that we're talking about

today and taking a step towards

globalization how different or how

forward looking is is this one

see you you were right you know that in

the past also we have had discussions

and some moves uh in in you know towards

that end but I think what what was

happening in the past was that there was

a piecemeal approach to the problem what

we are seeing today which is different

is that you know we have articulated a

National Education policy which is a

comprehensive approach to education in

all its respects and this uh reform is

embedded within that larger uh you know

uh system and and I think that makes a

difference because you really cannot

have uh uh you know this this reform or

this uh this idea that let's have a

foreign universities uh uh set let's

have them setting their campuses in

India you know in terms of

a standalone policy measure it has to be

a it has to be looked at through the

prism of what is happening in The Wider

spectrum of higher education in the

country and also possibly in the in the

context of what is happening in the

education system in the country so I

think as we have reformed or as we are

making an attempt to reform education at

multiple levels from the very you know

basic to higher the the fact that you

know major universities are now being

asked or now being uh told that they are

very welcome to set up campuses here

changes that perspective you know it

changes the perspective of the uh of the

foreign universities because they look

at India that is more serious about

reforms in higher education and in

education more General and I think it

also allows Indians and in uh you know

uh and Indian students who will be

graduating through the various levels of

Education in India to visualize a

symmetry in their education system

whereby when they pass out from class 12

Health they have a plethora of choices

from which they can you know force their

own uh educational trajectory uh forward

so I think once you look at this reform

as being embedded in The Wider reforms

of the education system you increase the

credibility and you increase the

favorability of these reforms and

perhaps allow multiple stakeholders

various stakeholders to converge much

more categorically than you would

otherwise do because if you take a

piecemeal approach to One reform at a

time there will always be big question

marks and I think some of the points

that I'm Linda has mentioned are

particularly relevant in that context

but today as we are looking for reforms

across the board I think it is incumbent

to think holistically about what changes

we can bring because ultimately this is

not simply a question of having a

university campuses in India this is

also a question of how much are we

tapping into this huge appetite that

Indians have very higher education and

can we tap into that more productively

and I think one of there is I mean State

cannot do it all we have seen private

Enterprises emerging in the in India

some of them are doing well and so there

is no reason to expect that the foreign

universities will not do well but the

problems of Regulation the problems of

standardization those problems will

remain some of them will be resolved as

the process goes you know goes forward

but some of them will have to be we'll

have to take a long uh term approach to

some of these challenges and see where

we can uh how we can make do with the

with the best possible Alternatives that

are available but I think certainly the

the the the move towards these reforms

uh if your tells us a wider story about

not simply uh that foreign universities

are welcome in India but also that we

have begun to think about education much

more systematically and I think which is

the need of the r given the demographic

dividend that we have and given the need

to create skill sets in India that are

absent

Professor Mishra do you agree because

you've spoken about hurdles and and you

know uh Professor Kumar has uh certainly

uh responded by saying that as we take

this reformative measure this was long

overdue there will be certain hurdles

which we will tackle on our way but in

terms of opportunities if we look at the

opportunities far outweigh the

challenges perhaps in terms of uh the

bright future that it provides to the

hundreds of Indians who wants to go

abroad but they cannot due to lack of

resources due to lack of money as well

the fact that those who cannot go out

can get the best of Education here in

the country and also in a way it's good

for the country we are able to retain

the best of talent here itself so it

that way it it helps us so overall if

you look at uh what what would you think

about the opportunities

Mishra

yes yes

I think what I see here thank you so

much

what I see here is the privatization of

Education which is a good step in itself

why do I say that first of all the

educational system in India the higher

education system in India in particular

is not

that bright if you sort of take out some

institutions such as any Institute of

science Indian Institute of Management

and some of the higher institutions

because we don't

appear in the global League table

we have many educational institutions

but they are not performing even my own

previous institution I was looking at

has gone down even in the National

League table that is our land near

University

so what I see here is that so foreign

University is coming into India will be

a breath of race there because the space

that is so crowded at the moment will be

even in the long term so we are going to

weed out many of these institutions who

are providing just education for the

education sake but not providing the

global world-class education that

Indians are entitled to or it is the

right and so on and so forth so this is

the positive thing that I see here

second one to go back to your question

about

Tamil is getting that education indeed

but then also we need to look at how

this is going to work out for instance

if we are expecting that these Global

institutions provide Global education

and they are going to make the students

pray perhaps the global fees so are the

Indian students going to

be in a situation

to pay for that kind of education or is

it only going to be for the elites now

let me talk about two institutions that

I know which are based somewhere very

close to Delhi one is Ashokan one is a

general and most of the student in text

are students from upper higher income

groups now if you're having the foreign

institutions are they going to cater to

those who cannot afford of course there

is a regulation in ugc which suggests

that it has to provide some basic

scholarships fellowships and so on and

so forth but that needs to be spelled

out as well but we shouldn't be sort of

looking at a scenario where only the

creme de La Creme get that best

education and the rest are kind of

pushed out further and further that's in

fact Professor that's a very valid

concern and let me take that back to

Professor Kumar Professor Kumar the fact

that you've given the foreign

institutions who want to set up campuses

here in India the freedom to decide on

the fee structure wouldn't there be any

regulation because that's a valid

concern that when we talk about the

opportunity at our doorstep we also have

to ensure that they don't begin to

charge so much that it

goes out of the affordability range of

the people of the masses that we're

talking about the first question the

second is also about the eligibility

aspect what kind of foreign institutions

will be allowed to set up campuses here

in the country so as to ensure that when

we talk about the quality of higher

education that is also sustained the

global ranking index of India the kind

of collaboration that we want to have

and improve our ranking as well that

also uh becomes a reality

so let me answer your question in two

parts uh Indians by Nature they are very

quality conscious and also they look at

the affordability

and ultimately uh whether these campuses

will be able to survive will depend on

the quality of Education that they offer

and also the kind of tuition fee

structure they will decide if it is too

exorbitant or not affordable and

obviously they will not be able to

attract the students so therefore they

had to balance uh uh they they should

have a balanced view on how they will

structure their tuition fees and we are

also aware of the fact that there will

be many students who may not be

financially sound enough to be able to

join in these campuses therefore our

regulation very clearly says that based

on an evaluation process that is done in

in any top Global universities full or

partial need based scholarships may be

provided by these institutions from

their own funds such as the endowment

funds aluminate donations and so on so

this process this also is embedded in

these regulations and

ultimately what will happen is the

presence of these campuses in India will

also promote promote the collaboration

research collaborations between these

campuses and other educational

institutions and this will also uh

create a kind of healthy competition

between the institutions so overall uh I

would expect a positive impact of having

these campuses in our country and

training our students in emerging areas

in some of the best campuses that will

be established through these uh

regulations remember we want to become

uh you know a 5 trillion economy we are

already the fifth largest economy and we

will be growing to become third largest

economy and these students who will be

educated here will become vehicles for

the uh the economic development of our

country so

I would expect that this reformative

regulation will have a significant

impact uh on Indian higher education

absolutely it's going to be a game

changer and uh opens up opportunities

for students who have been you know who

dream of going abroad but because of

resource scrunch as we've discussed

they're not able to go through so this

is going to open a window of opportunity

for them and also for the universities

it opens up a huge and emerging vibrant

market like India so it's a win-win

situation from both sides we've

discussed how the ugc has come up with

these regulations there are certain

freedoms but there at the same time

there are also certain regulations which

these foreign institutions will have to

abide by so the draft regulations have

been released today uh the feedback will

be shared with the ugc after which some

of the best ones and the feasible ones

will be incorporated as the UDC chairman

just pointed out so we'll wait and see

what kind of changes will be brought

about to these regulations once the

window of the feedback is closed down

but for that uh for now I'll have to

wind up the program time is running out

thank you once again to all three of you

for joining us on the program and

sharing your thoughts with us and our

viewers and to you was thank you very

much for your time I'll see you same

time tomorrow take care of yourself keep

watching sensitive

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