Government puts off plans to allow foreign universities access to Indian markets

A long-pending proposal to allow foreign universities set up their campuses in India has been put on hold for now.

After several rounds of deliberations on the proposal, the Government has decided to keep its focus on the move to set up 20 'Institutes of Eminence' and build an international brand of the existing higher education institutions in the country.

“The Government's immediate challenge is to improve the quality and standard of the country's higher educational institutions as well as build an international brand. Move to establish 20 Institutes of Eminence is part of the strategy,” official sources in the Human Resource Development (HRD).

The official response came when asked about the status of the proposal to allow entry of the foreign university campuses in India.

“UGC has framed regulations which provide for the operation of the foreign universities in the country under a twinning arrangement with the Indian higher educational institutions. Many of the institutions are joining hands with foreign institutions of repute to offer courses under twinning arrangement,” the official added.

The proposal to allow foreign universities set up their campuses in India within the framework of a law to be passed by Parliament or a UGC regulation has been witnessing a flip-flop since a long time.

The Government first came up with a Bill to facilitate foreign university's entry under a legal framework in 1995. But, it could not take off. Another attempt to allow entry of foreign varsities was made in 2005-06 but the draft legislation could not even get the approval of the Cabinet.

During the erstwhile regime of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), the HRD Ministry brought a Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010. The Bill, however, failed to pass muster in Parliament and eventually got lapsed in 2014 with the completion of the five-year term of the UPA-II government.

Earlier this year, the Niti Aayog cleared decks for the opening of the foreign university campuses in India after several months of inter-ministerial consultations on the matter.

It suggested the HRD Ministry to either bring in a new legislation to regulate the entry and operation of foreign university campuses in India under the university grants commission (UGC) or amend the UGC Act of 1956 and its regulations to enable their establishment as deemed universities in the country. "Ministry has not a taken any decision on this so far," sources told DH.