India has taken a step toward enabling prestigious foreign colleges like Yale, Oxford, and Stanford to open campuses and grant degrees as part of reforming the country's higher education system.
For the first time, the country's regulatory body, the University Grants Commission, has presented draft legislation for public comment that aims to make it easier for foreign institutions to enter and operate there. According to the proposal, the local campus may choose the admission standards for domestic and international students, the fee schedule, and the scholarship programme. The institutions will have the autonomy to recruit faculty and staff.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is pushing to overhaul the country’s heavily-regulated education sector to enable Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at an affordable cost and make India an attractive global study destination. The move will also help overseas institutions to tap the nation’s young population.
Despite producing CEOs for firms like Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc., India's institutions and colleges consistently do poorly in international rankings. To become more competitive and close the expanding gap between college curricula and market demand, the nation must expand its education sector. According to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index of 2022, which assesses a country's capacity to develop, entice, and retain talent, it now holds the 101st place out of 133 countries.
Some universities have already formed alliances with Indian educational institutions, enabling students to do some of their coursework there and finish their degrees on the main campus abroad. The current action will encourage these foreign universities to open campuses without collaborating with local organisations. The University Grants Commission’s final draft will be presented to the parliament for its approval before becoming law.