Revolution larger than Telecom?

Posted by Ninad on March 22, 2010 under All Posts | Read the First Comment

15th March, 2010 is a historic day for the Education industry in India.

India’s cabinet approved a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India and offer degrees. The Parliament has to still approve the Bill before it becomes a law, and given the fact that many politicians run Higher Educational Institutions in India, the Bill may face some opposition.

This Bill has been in cold storage for many years now and Kapil Sabil deserves kudos for pushing forward this Bill.

So, what does the Bill really contain?

• Foreign Universities can now set up a campus in India and provide degrees to students in India 
• Foreign University will need to deposit Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) as corpus fund and cannot take back the surplus generated from education activities in the country. 
• Each institute will have to be registered with the university Grants Commission or any regulatory body in place at the time of registration. 
• The bill has a provision under which the government can reject an application of a university if it feels that venture will have an adverse impact on national security. 
• The proposed law sets out rules and regulations that foreign educational institutions would have to follow before opening in India. The process would take at least eight months.

More than 160,000 students travel abroad for higher education ever year and the Minister hopes that this number will reduce as foreign universities start operations in India. More than 30 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion people are estimated to be under 14 and it is a large market for graduate courses.

Presently, several foreign universities are already offering courses in India through partnerships with Indian institutions, but they are not allowed to grant foreign degrees.

Kapil Sibal has been quoted as saying — “A revolution larger than the one in the telecom sector awaits the education sector.”

Will this revolution really happen?

I believe it can – IF there is transparency in the entire regulation process.

Soft Power – Part II

Posted by Ninad on August 5, 2009 under All Posts | 2 Comments to Read

One of the ways in which India’s soft power in education can be significantly enhanced is by becoming a global hub for higher education.

The US and the UK realized the importance of this and opened its doors to foreign students in the 20th century. Over the years, many of the universities in these countries have acquired a global reputation attracting students from around the world.

My elder son, Saahil, studies in an undergraduate program in the US. When I first visited the university, I was struck by the size and scale of the University and more importantly, by the diversity of students.

Other countries like Australia and Singapore have realized the importance of this and are trying to emulate the success of the US and the UK.

India has never actively promoted this. There are around 15,000 foreign students enrolled in colleges and universities in India. Malaysia has around 100,000 foreign students and China has set itself a target of 300,000 students by 2020.

India has some natural advantages to attract students.

• Cost: In the US and UK, annual tuition fees in a good university exceeds $30,000 per year. In India, it would be less than $ 10,000 per year. Add to that is the advantage of low cost of living and a student could save a substantial amount of money.
• English: In India, most of the universities teach in English and the entire ecosystem is capable of handling English speaking students
  With these advantages, India can attract many students from emerging economies in Africa and Asia.

However, this will not happen easily.

Colleges and Universities will need to upgrade their present infrastructure, improve the quality of teaching, make their course curriculum more contemporary and also take pro-active steps to attract foreign students and make them comfortable on Indian campuses.

India has the potential to become a global education hub and also rival Bollywood with education as a soft power!