Foreign universities may provide more options for Indian students to choose from but apart from that they may not live up to the expectations of serious students

The Indian University Grants Commission has released the "Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India" Regulations, 2023 for approving Foreign Higher Educational Institutions to set up their campuses and offer undergraduate and postgraduate certificates, diploma and degree courses along with doctoral and post-doctoral research in India. The eligibility criterion for such institutions is that they should be overall or subject-wise among the top 500 in global ranking or should be “reputed” in their home jurisdiction.

The objective of the regulations is proclaimed as globalisation of the Indian higher education system to facilitate Indian students’ study in the “top universities in the world” at ‘affordable cost’ without leaving the country and to develop India as a global education destination.

The major motivation projected for permitting Foreign Higher Education Institutions in India is the rising tendency among Indian youth to study abroad. This results in a ‘brain drain’ and capital outflow from India. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, as of January 2023, approximately 1.5 million Indian students were pursuing education abroad while the number was 1.3 million in 2022. Till 2024 it is expected to grow into 1.8 million students spending $75-85 billion overseas. As per the Reserve Bank of India, in the FY 2021-22 the amount of INR 5 billion was spent on foreign exchange by the students enrolling overseas. Most of these students settle there instead of returning home after education. 

To arrest the human and capital outflow and to trigger inflow by making India a global destination for education, the regulations are flagged as a revolutionary step in Indian higher education. It is argued that foreign universities will not only bring their excellence with them but will also stimulate life in Indian universities through their presence as competitors. The future presence of foreign universities in India is being presented as a catalyst for creating academic activism, innovation and excellence by default.

On the face of it, all is well: the motivation is genuine and the objectives are desirable to be fulfilled; but underneath, there are several holes in the motivation and the objectives are based on a sticky wicket.

First of all, most Indian students opting for admission abroad do not enrol primarily for education but to get a long-stay visa and settle there in the long run. The attraction is not just the education and training but better employment opportunities based on merit and capability, non-prejudicial work and wage regime, interference-free safe and law-governed life on an equitable basis, a civil social environment etc. They do not go abroad to study and come back to India. For them, it is not about studies, it is about moving to settle abroad.

Many of them are even satisfied with lower-ranking colleges as long as they get visas and work abroad. The bright aspire for a successful global career, while the mediocre are happy with overseas labour and menial jobs because the work earns them better wages, more dignity and independence. According to the INTO University Partnerships survey, ”76% of Indian students aspiring to study abroad plan on working and/or settling overseas after their international degree, and only 20% plan to return to India immediately after studying abroad”. Even those with quality education in India and in good employment also cherish a desire to live abroad.

To the frustration of the current regulations, foreign universities in India, thus, may not work as a strong substitute for studying abroad. Foreign universities may provide more options for Indian students to choose from, but students looking for genuinely global opportunities will continue to pursue higher education overseas as an instrument.

The INTO survey also shows that a significant proportion of Indian students (41%) would still prefer studying overseas even if the same quality of education was offered by universities in India. Education is not just a classroom exercise; it is also skill sets to deal with reality and exploration into micro and macro environments.

An educational institution is a place for learning hard skills i.e. knowledge of a discipline, soft skills of communication and experience of individual, joint and collective pursuits. A global educational campus means greater exposure to various cultures, languages and problem-solving skills. With student intake in foreign universities primarily from India, such exposure may be missing in the global campuses in India. In the absence of dignified global work opportunities and the presence of an intolerant and prejudicial social environment, for students from neighbouring China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Slavic and Middle Eastern countries, India may not be an attractive education destination, the way Western and European countries are.

In the absence of any substantial capital push and progressive administrative reforms, Indian universities may not gain much strength to compete with foreign institutions. In the current regime, the faculty in most state and private universities and colleges are not paid salaries according to the UGC pay scales; most are employed as locum tenens. The positions at the higher level are kept vacant to save on the expenditure. The NITI Aayog has noted ‘inadequate funding’ as one of the constraints for the state universities.

While opening the country to Foreign Institutions of Higher Education, India needs to reform the system by enforcing substantive changes in teaching, examination and work environment and provide adequate funding. Although the foreign universities can complement the domestic institutions simply the presence of foreign institutions cannot be a silver bullet to address the malaise of Indian Higher Education with around 1000 universities and 42000 colleges.

(The writer is a retired professor from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and a Member, of the Governing Council, INTACH; views are personal)