MHRD to focus on ‘Stay in India’ along with ‘Study in India’

MHRD to focus on ‘Stay in India’ along with ‘Study in India’

c-Sheetal.Banchariya@timesgroup.com

03.08.2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has altered the plans of many students who were aspiring to study abroad this year. Along with ‘Study in India’ scheme, MHRD has now decided to focus on ‘Stay in India’. The move is aimed at helping students who have decided to stay back to pursue higher education in India and Indian students who have returned because of the pandemic. The HRD minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has constituted a committee, headed by DP Singh, chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC), which will prepare guidelines and measures to strengthen both ‘Study in India’ and ‘Stay in India’.

“Students who have returned to India in the middle of their courses are worried about their plans and many students have cancelled their plans for studying abroad because of COVID-19. Initiatives are being designed to retain students in India by providing appropriate opportunities in premier institutions. Bright students, who have returned to India, maybe accommodated in the IITs and other institutes to help them complete their education,” says Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE, who is also a part of the committee. The committee will also prepare mechanisms for increasing intake of foreign students in well-performing universities.

Separate sub-committees consisting of directors of IITs, NITs, IIITs, Council of Architecture (CoA) and VCs of central universities will also be created. “To strengthen the ‘Study in India’ initiative, we need to have an Indian network of international educators. Many universities do not even have dedicated offices for the international students. Institutional reforms are required to make sure that the number of foreign students choosing India for higher education increases,” says Pankaj Mittal, secretary general of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The institutes may have to start multidisciplinary innovative programmes, twinning and joint degrees, and cross-country centres to help foreign students.

Bhushan Patwardhan, vice chairman, UGC, says, “Internationalisation has become imperative but there has been no substantial change in the last decade. The new NEP emphasises internationalisation of education and retention of students in the country. Not just premier institutes but universities across the country need to transform themselves to welcome more foreign students.”