Relevance: GS-2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Phrases: University Grants Commission, Indian Higher Education Institution, Foreign institutions, Online learning, Open and distance learning, International Faculty, International Education, Brain Drain Prevention, Quality Infrastructure, HEIs, MOOCs, SWAYAM and NPTEL.

Context:

• The fact that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has simplified its approval process for local universities to collaborate with their counterparts abroad, to offer joint degrees, dual degrees, and twinning programmes, is heartening.
• As per the rules, any Indian Higher Education Institution (HEI) accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council with a minimum score of 3.01 on a 4-point scale or featuring in the top 1,000 of the Times Higher Education or QS World University Rankings will be eligible to participate in the collaboration.
• For Indian institutes, being in the top 100 list of the National Institute Ranking Framework is also an acceptable criterion. Foreign institutes willing to enter a partnership must rank in the top 1,000 in either of the two world university rankings.
• While multiple steps taken by the present dispensation to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic include leveraging the potential of information and communication technology in the teaching and learning process, the fact that the UGC’s regulations do not allow academic collaboration with foreign institutions for online learning and open and distance learning (ODL) is puzzling.

Benefits of Indian institutes’ collaboration with foreign universities:

• Innovative Curriculum and Value-Added Programs
  • Foreign collaboration enables Indian institutes to design their curriculum in alignment with international pedagogy and offer a diverse portfolio of subjects and specializations to students. This helps Indian students to receive education and cutting-edge knowledge at par with their global peers. They can get the best of both worlds in terms of academic and cultural diversity.
• International Exposure
  • Many institutes offer exchange programs or other educational opportunities where students can travel to other countries for studies/internships or invite foreign students to their campuses. Interaction with foreign students helps Indian students to broaden their horizon and understand cultures and way of doing business from a global perspective. It also widens their professional networking and friendship base, which can come very handy in career advancement.
• Access to International Faculty
  • Collaboration brings teaching and other academic staff from foreign universities on board for Indian institutes. Faculty from both Indian and foreign universities exchange know-how and ideologies of pedagogy styles and join hands for academic research. Students get the opportunity to learn from the brightest minds of the world.
• International Education at Low Cost
  • Hundreds of Indian students travel abroad for higher education and foreign studies which cost a bomb in terms of fee, travel, accommodation and living expenses. But, this privilege mainly rests with students from elite families. Students from middle-class families have to either take costly loans or let go of their aspirations. Collaboration enables such students to gain access to international education at low cost without travelling anywhere. Many Indian institutes hold live-streaming or recorded lectures with international faculty for students.
• Brain Drain Prevention
  • Brain drain is another reason why India lacks skilled professionals because Indian students who go abroad for higher studies tend to find employment there. When Indian institutes tie-up with foreign universities, they can make world-class education available locally. This considerably reduces the likelihood of human capital migrating to other countries for job prospects.
• Lucrative Job Opportunities
  • Collaboration with foreign universities also translates in rewarding career opportunities for students. Multinational companies looking for Indian students often prefer institutes which have a tie-up with foreign universities. Students can get hired by these companies during campus placement itself or by applying on their own in the job market.
• Quality Infrastructure and Access to Resources
  • Foreign universities bring capital investment along with them. Indian institutes utilize this capital to improve their infrastructural capabilities, offer better amenities, pay better salaries to their staff and offer scholarships to students.

Distance learning and Online Learning:

• In order to increase the gross enrolment ratio in HEIs in India, the National Education Policy of 2020 suggested that more ODL and online programmes be started, especially to improve access for those living in remote areas.
• ODL programmes impart education to people for whom the regular mode of learning is a distant dream owing to financial, personal and professional constraints. Often, part-time employees in both the organised and unorganised sectors are the ones who opt for ODL in order to upgrade their qualifications for better career prospects.
• At the postgraduate, undergraduate, PG Diploma, Diploma, and Certificate levels, the share of distance enrolment in university is 13.8%, 35.9%, 1.1%, 1.5% and 0.4%, respectively. Distance enrolment constitutes 11.1% of the total enrolment in higher education. These programmes are more affordable compared to the in-person programmes and are therefore popular among disadvantaged sections.
• In order to promote online education in India, initiatives such as MOOCs, SWAYAM and NPTEL are sponsored by the UGC, the Department of Education, and other national institutes of repute. Of late, universities and colleges are centrally funded under the RUSA and TEQIP-III programmes to create and strengthen infrastructure for online and digital education.
• The Union Budget too announced the establishment of a digital university. It is inexplicable, therefore, that while online education is being encouraged on the one hand through several government initiatives, online programmes are being kept out of the ambit of international collaboration efforts by the UGC on the other.
• According to AISHE’s findings, 49,348 international students from 168 countries are enrolled in courses offered by Indian universities. The highest share of foreign students (45.6%) come from four neighbouring nations: Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Reaching out to the HEIs of such countries for international collaboration, notwithstanding their present standing and rank, will pave the way for an increase in the footfall of international students in India. This may especially prove to be a game changer for the financially constrained HEIs. Also, it will help to compensate the outflow of foreign exchange from India.

Conclusion:

• The Indian education system has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. The government of India has been actively pushing for reforms through a number of policy initiatives and schemes to create equal educational opportunities for its young citizens and bring its education at par with international standards.

Source: The Hindu  

Mains Question:

Q. Discuss the benefits of collaboration of Indian institutes with foreign universities. In this regard discuss the new UGC’s regulations.