Should Foreign Universities be allowed in India?

Posted by Ninad on September 22, 2009 under All Posts | 2 Comments to Read

Education is a regulated sector across the world. Most countries do not easily allow foreign universities to operate in their country and if they do allow, it is done with a lot of regulations.

In India, The Foreign Education Providers (Regulation) Bill has been waiting in the wings since 2007.

The Bill seeks to regulate the entry, operation and maintenance of foreign education providers.

It has been reported that Kapil Sibal, Education Minister has cleared the draft of Foreign Education Providers (Regulation) Bill and it will be placed before the Union Cabinet soon.

Once cleared by the Parliament, foreign universities will be able to offer degree programmes independently in India.

Presently, there are many foreign universities offering degree courses in India in partnership with local universities. Once the Bill is passed, foreign universities will be able to offer independent degrees, without the need to tie up with a local university.

The raison d’etre for this bill is that it will save millions of dollars as Indian students will be able to study in foreign universities while staying in India. More than 250,000 students from India are studying in various universities outside India.

Students will still travel abroad to get a holistic education experience –- after all, education is much more than a degree. Hence, it is unlikely to save foreign exchange.

Foreign universities operating in India will allow students who cannot afford to travel abroad to get the same degree in India. To that extent, it will cater to a different category of students.

If foreign universities start operating in India, it will give students a choice and expand higher education offerings in India. There is a huge gap in the demand and supply in higher education and foreign universities will fill some part of this gap.  Hopefully, some of these foreign universities will also improve the culture of research in India.

Kapil Sibal has mentioned that some of the best universities in the world are waiting in the wings to set up shop in India. One only hopes that good quality education is provided by foreign universities and India does not become a happy hunting ground for mediocre universities.

We will have to wait for the details of the Bill. However, if it does become a law, it will augur well for the Education sector in India. Students in India will get a far better choice and competitive pressures will also improve the quality of the present education providers in India.

The good old days of getting a degree from Oxford University only in Oxford may be over — it might soon be available in Pune!