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International News

Deakin University and the University of Wollongong, have
already inaugurated teaching spaces in the GIFT City spe-
cial economic zone.
“We are deeply committed to expanding our presence in
India and passionate about taking Western Sydney to the
world,” says Deborah Sweeney, WSU’s acting vice-chancel-
lor. “We are preparing our application for this stand-alone
campus, which will be focused on creating impactful so-
lutions for sustainable agriculture and food security, with
teaching, research and technological innovations specifi-
cally tailored for India’s agritech, technology and allied in-
dustries.”
Sweeney recently signed a memorandum of understand-
ing with officials of the Uttar Pradesh government. Howev-
er, the university will need approval from India’s University
Grants Commission (UGC) before it can move ahead with Private school children: diminishing inflow forecast
these plans.
A representative from UK’s University of Southampton, diehards on both sides have made out. Yet that ought to
which is the only foreign institution to have received ap- worry Labour, which insists that making private education
proval so far outside of GIFT City since guidelines were pricier is a good way to spend its first months in charge of
released in 2023, previously told Times Higher Education schools. A party that once prioritised “Education, educa-
that the process of securing assent had been “tough” but tion, education” seems to be strikingly short of good ideas.
“moved quickly”. Fees at most private schools are going up at once, though
If approved, WSU intends to offer programmes includ- by varying amounts. Hoity-toity schools such as Eton are
ing computer science, business and engineering and hopes passing parents the full 20 percent. Some others say they
to commence teaching in 2026. According to the UP gov- are making efforts to limit increases, but that they expect
ernment, the campus will open in two phases — initially in to phase in the full amount over time. VAT-reclaim rules
an existing “commercial” building, before a fully-fledged will permit some schools to make savings (when businesses
campus is developed on a “sprawling seven-acre site”. The start charging customers VAT they stop paying tax on some
agreement is part of Uttar Pradesh’s Higher Education In- of their own expenses). But even then most schools will
centive Policy, which provides financial incentives to do- have to make spending cuts, or draw on savings if they wish
mestic and international institutions that set up in the state. to keep fee increases below 15 percent.
It is unclear whether WSU is receiving either state gov- The effect on enrolment will take some years to become
ernment funding or gifted land. However, the cost of setting clear. Although some children are moving already, parents
up campuses in India has been a key challenge for cash- try to avoid withdrawing them in the middle of the aca-
strapped foreign institutions hoping to expand abroad. demic year, or when they are working towards big exams.
While other would-be education hubs have historically of- The government’s best guess is that private schools’ rolls
fered incentives in the form of infrastructure subsidies to will eventually fall by 6 percent or so, putting about 100
entice foreign institutions to move in, the Indian govern- private schools out of business (Britain has about 2,600,
ment has not. with around 600,000 pupils, 6 percent of school-age chil-
WSU already has existing branch campuses in Vietnam dren). It expects that children will be moved to state schools
and Indonesia. and some parents will not choose private education in the
first instance.
BRITAIN For the moment these guesses seem reasonable. In pri-
VAT blow to private schools vate, headmasters say they are more worried about a dimin-
ishing inflow of new pupils than about an exodus of exist-
IN MID-DECEMBER TIM JONAS’ DAUGHTER ing ones. The Independent Schools Council, an industry
said goodbye to friends and teachers at her private group, says that the number of 11-year-olds entering private
school in Wakefield, in Yorkshire. Jonas, a web de- secondary schools fell by about 5 percent last September,
veloper, says his family can no longer afford the nine-year- according to a survey of 700 institutions. It believes that
old’s fees, now that Britain’s Labour government is adding worries about fees were the main reason.
20 percent in value-added tax (VAT). Parents with children at the poshest schools will have the
After two years of bitter debate, VAT on school fees came least trouble finding extra cash. Smaller, humbler institu-
into force on January 1. For all the heat it has generated, tions are likeliest to shrink. The changes spell particular
the best bet is that the change will have less impact than trouble for children with special education needs, predicts

52 EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2025