FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES WILL HAVE CONSIDERABLE AUTONOMY IN INDIA: UGC CHAIRMAN

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has allowed foreign universities to set up campuses in India for the first time ever. This promise was a prominent part of the National Education Policy 2020.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA & DIBYENDU MONDAL

The UGC on Thursday released the draft regulations for this, seeking public suggestions. The Sunday Guardian spoke to M. Jagadesh Kumar, the Chairman of UGC, on the concerns and opportunities that this historic step would bring to lakhs of Indian students. Excerpts:

Q: The UGC has given a nod to foreign universities to set up their campuses in India. Can it be termed as perhaps the most revolutionary step in the field of higher education to have taken place since May 2014?

A: The decision to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India is an important milestone in the transformation of the Indian higher educational milieu in tune with the objectives of the National Education Policy 2020.

Q: Why did this decision take so long to come into effect? Can this be attributed to the domestic educational lobby?

A: India is now holistically reforming its educational system following the roadmap provided by the NEP 2020. That is why introducing a new regulation by UGC for establishing campuses in India by foreign universities is widely acclaimed as a progressive step. In this regulation, campuses of foreign universities are permitted to remit their funds to their parent bodies. Also, UGC does not ask these campuses to maintain a corpus fund. Removing these two major stumbling blocks and the presence of millions of students in India with a strong appetite for high-quality education will encourage foreign universities to come to India.