Page 14 - EW March 2021

Education News

DELHI Indian and foreign HEIs. In the first
International outreach guidelines ‘automatic mode,’ only Indian HEIs

accredited by the National Assess-
ment and Accreditation Council
(NAAC) with a minimum score of
3.01 on a 4-point scale (at the time of
application) or ranked among India’s
Top 100 universities in the National
Institutional Ranking Framework
(NIRF) published annually by the
education ministry, or an officially
designated ‘Institution of Eminence’
can suo motu initiate joint degree,
dual degree and twinning pro-
grammes with offshore HEIs.
Moreover, foreign HEIs must be
ranked among the Top 500 in the
latest TH E and/or QS global league
tables. Other Indian HEIs will be
required to obtain the approval of
an expert committee of UGC. The
UGC headquarters, Delhi: detailed collaboration draft. Inset: Dr. C. Raj Kumar draft regulations come with a caveat.
“A franchise arrangement, whether
N A MAJOR STEP TOWARDS interna- of educationists and monitors of the overtly or covertly, by whatever no-
tionalisation and upgradation of education scene (including EW edi- menclature used, between a foreign
Ithe country’s higher education tors) have been advocating greater higher education institution and an
system, on February 17, the Uni- collaboration between Indian HEIs Indian higher education institution
versity Grants Commission (UGC) and universities top-ranked by QS/ shall not be allowed under these
circulated a draft of the University TH E. Regulations,” says the UGC draft
Grants Commission (Academic Col- During the rule of the Congress- effectively ruling out establishment
laboration between Indian and For- led UPA governments at the Centre, of foreign HEIs campuses in India’s
eign Higher Education Institutions a Bill to permit foreign varsities to over-regulated higher education
to offer Joint Degree, Dual Degree establish campuses in India was sector.
and Twinning Programmes) Regula- drafted in 2005 but failed to get “Although several private univer-
tions, 2021 for public comment and Cabinet approval. A second Bill sities have signed dual degree and
suggestions. The time window for drafted by then Union education twinning programmes with foreign
comments and recommendations minister Kapil Sibal — the Foreign HEIs, official policy on the permissi-
closed on March 5. Educational Institutions (Regulation bility of such collaboration agree-
Circulation of the policy draft is of Entry and Operations) Bill 2010 — ments is a grey area. The new guide-
one more step towards contemporis- was fiercely opposed by the BJP and lines are likely to detail the types and
ing and internationalising India’s other opposition parties and lapsed ambit of collaboration agreements
higher education institutions includ- when the UPA alliance was routed in between Indian and foreign HEIs.
ing 39,931 undergrad colleges and General Election 2014. The comprehensive regulations will
967 universities. Although some of Since then, the BJP leadership be specially useful for the large num-
these higher education institutions has had a change of heart and mind. ber of state government-promoted
(HEIs) are of more than 150 years In 2019, the HRD (now education) HEIs and universities which urgently
vintage, not one of them is ranked in ministry included greater interna- need to modernise and upgrade their
the Top 200 WUR (World Univer- tionalisation of Indian HEIs in its syllabus and curriculums,” says Dr.
sity Rankings) league tables pub- EQUIP (Education Quality Upgrada- C. Raj Kumar, founding vice chan-
lished annually by the well-reputed tion and Inclusion Programme) for cellor of the privately-promoted O.P.
London-based global HEIs rating higher education. The UGC draft of Jindal Global University, Sonipat
agencies QS and Times H igher February 17 is the natural sequel to (Haryana, estb.2009) ranked India’s
Education. EQUIP. #1 private university by QS.
Especially since the dawn of the The draft regulations provide for Better late than never.
new millennium, a growing number two types of collaboration between Autar Nehru (Delhi)

14 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2021