Will foreign varsities in India transform education system

Will foreign varsities in India transform education system

While this will fulfil the dreams of students aspiring to study abroad, it may also pose a challenge for the local institutions, writes Kalpesh Banker

07.09.2020

Times of India Education times 

In a progressive move to uplift the education system of India, the government has recently announced the implementation of National Education Policy 2020. The entry of foreign universities and institutions in India, is one of the most debated announcements among the leading educationists and students. However, it has several implications that need to be assessed. As per the estimates, more than 7.5 lakh students went to international universities in 2019, which was an overwhelming rise as only 66,000 students went abroad to study, a decade ago. The NEP 2020 hopes to fulfil the dreams of students aspiring to study in a foreign institution while saving crores of Indian currency on travel and accommodation with students staying in their home country. As per the announcement, selected universities – the top 100 international universities will be facilitated to set up their campuses and operate in India.

Special dispensation

To establish the institutions, a legislative framework to provide special dispensation for regulation, governance, and other norms will be formed. For further standardisation, the credits acquired by the students studying in foreign universities in India will be counted as a degree within the country. Moreover, to make it more accessible for students, the policy also highlights the provision of financial aid to students. It will create a National Fund to facilitate low-income group students with scholarship programmes and other resources.

New possibilities

This path-breaking provision is going to unlock several possibilities for students. However, it is not easy to implement it. There will be an increase in the education cost which will create inequalities and competition at different levels. It might widen the digital divide. Further, this will also challenge the local institutions and take fair advantage of the market. Moreover, India already has one of the largest networks of institutions with close to 990 universities and 50,000 colleges. Currently, the ecosystem is fragmented as a large portion of the universities offer a single programme and have fewer than 1000 students. This indicates that the gross enrolment ratio in India is significantly lower than in other countries . The other aspect to consider is the global scenario. The major instance is Qatar which is the second richest country in the world and has a maximum number of satellite campuses of the US universities ranked among the top 100. The foreign institutions are funded by its local government, which attracts numerous students coming from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. With such support from the local authorities, it has successfully established several international campuses.

On the other hand, China has been inviting foreign universities for over 20 years. However, only 32 US universities have opened campuses there, out of which only one university is ranked among the top 100 international universities.

Specialised education

Considering the Indian scenario, the government is promoting FDI and opening External Commercial Borrowing routes to strengthen the education sector financially. This might attract qualified professors, better infrastructure and a globally competitive curriculum. However, given the economic and social realities, selecting foreign universities from the list of top 100 is a limited figure. It is quite unlikely that the Indian government or private stakeholders would be able to attract a fair number of international varsities.

(The author is managing partner of Edushine)