Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the New Education Policy 2021 (NEP), the Indian higher education sector is buzzing all around as the opportunity of paving the way for foreign universities to set up campuses in the country is one of the major announcements made in the policy. As per the report, the NEP 2021 targets to increase the GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) in higher education including vocational education from 26.3 percent in 2018 to 50 percent by 2035. At least more than 3 Crore new seats will be added to higher education institutions.
Know more: NEP 2020: 10 Big Reforms for Colleges and Universities
Policy Agenda of NEP 2021:
In recent past, transnational, cross-border, offshore, and borderless higher education have become the most common terms, particularly from the last decade when the phenomenon of mobility in higher education took shape and moved from people (scholars, students, faculty) to program (merging, franchise, virtual) to the provider (branch campus) mobility, and most recently, to the combined development of education centers. And recently, when the Union Cabinet approved the New Education Policy (NEP) 2021 implementation, the Indian higher education sector is buzzing all around as the opportunity of paving the way for foreign universities to set up campuses in the country is one of the major announcements made in the policy.
India has one of the largest networks of higher education systems in the world, with more than 900 universities and 40,000 colleges. But GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) of India in higher education is 26.3%, which is significantly low compared to other BRICS countries like Brazil (50%) or China (51%), and very much lower when compared with European and North American nations which would be more than 80%. India must achieve pre-distinction in the arena of global higher education in India for sustainable economic growth, which should not be driven by natural resources, but by knowledge resources. As per the reports, India will need another more than 1,500 new higher education institutions by 2030 to accommodate a huge inflow of students, that’s why the Indian government wants to promote FDIs (Foreign Direct Investment) and open up the ECB (External Commercial Borrowing) route to strengthen the capital pool for the education sector.
According to the NEP policy document, selected universities from the top 100 universities will be facilitated to operate in India. An International Students Office at each institution hosting overseas students will also be set up. The governmental structure/ framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such foreign/ international universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
Reasons for not having foreign education institute branches in India:
The foreign providers in the regulated higher education sector (institutes, colleges, universities) were demotivated due to the complex FDI policy, inability to award their degree, lack of regulatory frameworks/ curriculum, burdensome& inappropriate evaluation process and they were limited mostly to the unregulated sector like vocational and distance learning education. But according to the new education policy, a legislative framework facilitating such entry of foreign universities will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India which will be now easier for the foreign universities to set up their educational branch.
Another factor among reliable reasons for opening foreign universities in India is the lack of quality education accessible in the country. Higher Education Sector of India has provided some of the world’s best talent, and over the years IISCs, IITs, IIMs have become a brand name. But still, the overall inferior perception of Indian higher education, including the poor quality of infrastructure, is a significant problem. The unmatched requirements for world-quality education are reflected by the latest release of the QS World University Rankings, where the number of Indian institutes in the top 1,000 dropped from 25 in 2019 to 21 this year, and only three Indian institutes made it to the top 200. Competitive entrance tests and high cut-offs for admission, shortage of innovative courses, poor infrastructure are some of the reasons even the brightest Indian students give up on their hopes of securing admission in reputed Indian institutes.
Consequences:
Many are excitedly on a wave of optimism with this new education policy reform that now it would be possible to get quality education as global universities will establish their branch campuses in India. But on the other hand, some believe that this will increase inequality by increasing the cost of education and will create challenges for local institutes as foreign providers will take unfair advantage of the market. The policy proposal has its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. This is an effect of globalization which comprises complex processes with various national and international tendencies thus, it cannot be analyzed in absolute terms.
Possibilities:
The ministry is looking to boost India’s image as an education center in its own right because already more than 7 Lakhs of Indian students studying abroad. So, the intention of this policy is that allowing foreign universities will enable world-class education available locally at a significantly lower cost without travelling and will considerably reduce the likelihood of human capital migrating to other countries for job prospects.
According to the different global surveys, cross-border education is beneficial for the economy and brings a wider level of global awareness, culturally perceptive, and competitiveness. Foreign collaborations enable local institutes to design their curriculum in alignment with international pedagogy and offer a diverse portfolio of subjects and specialization to students.
Conclusion:
The budget allocation per capita in the higher education sector has been diminishing for a country like in India, due to the growing population in the tertiary age group, foreign players may be allowed to invest in the market to ensure capacity building and infrastructural development. The feasibility can be justified, but a proper regulatory framework is essential. Basically, the decision of allowing foreign universities to set up operations in the country is to boost the education reforms and will go a long way in not only improving the quality of education but also the application of the effective education curriculum in India.
