December 16, 2009 Collaboration with Foreign Universities/Institutes & Quality of Higher Education Bullet Points Rs 9,596 crore

allocated for higher education in budget 2009-10 Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education in India 12!"# $im to increase GER to 21# b% end of 12th &lan 'ith an interim target of 15# b% 2011-1 Eight ne' II(s ) 15 central uni*ersities to be set u+ ,earl% half of institutions of higher learning e-ist in onl% fi*e .tates ,earl% /0 # of total inta0e ca+acit% for +rofessional courses e-ists in another fi*e .tates /0# of uni*ersities ha*e been accredited b% ,$$1 2nl% 30# of the accredited uni*ersities fall in 4$ or abo*e4 grade 2f the 55# ,$$1 accredited colleges, onl% 10# hold the 4$ or abo*e4 certificates 2nl% t'o uni*ersities of India figure in the list of to+ 500 uni*ersities across the globe 15 uni*ersities from 1hina ) 3" uni*ersities from 6a+an are a +art of this international list ,asscom 7c8inse% sur*e% .hortfall of 0!5 million suitable +rofessional b% end of 2010 India needs o*er a million +rofessions in the I( and I(E. b% 2010 $gainst high demand, India +roduces about 5,000 &hDs in science ) 500 in the field of engineering! Bac grounder 7ore than 2/,000 additional institutions of higher learning 'ould be re9uired to meet the targeted Gross Enrolment Ratio :GER; of 30 +ercent for 2020, <uman Resource De*elo+ment :<RD; 7inister 8a+il .ibal said! =(his figure includes 1",000 colleges of general higher education, 12,//5 additional technical and +rofessional institutions and 269 additional uni*ersities,> .ibal said in a +resentation during the meeting of the consultati*e committee for the <RD ministr%! =Issues raised b% the 7&s included 'hether ade9uate regulator% frame'or0 'as being en*isaged for +ri*ate +artici+ation in the education sector! ?hether the go*ernment 'as en*isaging an ..$ :.ar*a .hi0sha $bhi%an; t%+e large scale +rogramme for the higher education sector also, 'hether foreign uni*ersities, if allo'ed to come to India 'ould be ma0ing +rofit, and 'hether ste+s had been ta0en to incenti*ise +eo+le to enter the teaching +rofession,> according to an official statement!

(he 7&s also e-+ressed concern on the inade9uate numbers of facult% in state uni*ersities and colleges and on the +roliferation of technical institutions! Res+onding to the concerns, .ibal assured the 7&s that the mandate of the +ro+osed o*erarching bod% in higher education 'ould be enforcing 9ualit% and good go*ernance +rocedures in higher education institutions! <e underlined that the regulator% frame'or0 'ould be enforced for higher education and clarified that financial constraints 'ould not allo' the central go*ernment to ha*e an ..$ t%+e +rogramme for the countr% in higher education! (he minister noted that besides the additional s+ending b% the central go*ernment for building ne' central uni*ersities, and degree colleges in educationall% bac0'ard districts, the state go*ernments 'ill also themsel*es ha*e to loo0 for +ri*ate in*estment! .ibal stated that 'hen foreign uni*ersities come to India the% 'ould not be allo'ed to ma0e +rofits through tuition fees! <e stated that India needs to set u+ a 'orld class institute in humanities! <uman Resource De*elo+ment :<RD; 7inister 8a+il .ibal told &arliament that the go*ernment has set a target of ensuring that 30 +ercent of eligible students should attend college b% 2020! $t +resent, 220 million students go to schools across the countr% and onl% 12!" +ercent of them are eligible to go to colleges! (his means 26 million go to college, there are 19" million 'ho do not reach college! @% the %ear 2020, the gross in*ol*ement ratio has to be increased u+to 30 +ercent, he said 'hile re+l%ing to a debate in Ao0 .abha on the 1entral Bni*ersities :$mendment; @ill, 2009! (he minister, ho'e*er, o++osed the idea of setting u+ central uni*ersities in remote areas 'here there is no connecti*it%! &arliament on Dec / a++ro*ed the creation of 15 more central uni*ersities 'ith the RaC%a .abha unanimousl% a++ro*ing the measure and the go*ernment sa%ing the ne' institutions 'ould set =benchmar0s of e-cellence>! (he Ao0 .abha had +assed the 1entral Bni*ersities :$mendment; @ill, 2009, on Dec 1 and it 'ill no' go to &resident &ratibha &atil for assent before coming into la'! 2f the additional uni*ersities, 12 'ill be ne' institutions 'hile three state uni*ersities 'ill be u+graded to central status! ('o of the ne' uni*ersities 'ill be set u+ in 6ammu and 8ashmir, one in 6ammu and the other in .rinagar, an issue that triggered intense debate in the house! Res+onding to concerns e-+ressed b% members 'hether the ne' uni*ersities 'ould be able to attract ade9uate facult%, .ibal said =(his is a *er%, *er% serious issue! ?e ha*e set u+ a tas0 force on this! In the ne-t fi*e %ears, 'e ho+e to increase the number of doctorates a'arded annuall% from 5,000 to 30,000! ?e are in*esting hugel% in this!>

(he resource ga+ in higher education identified b% &lanning 1ommission stands at Rs 220,000 crore, according to a recent Ernst ) Doung re+ort! =$t +resent, education in India needs huge funding and this cannot come from the central and state go*ernments alone! ?e are discussing *arious o+tions and +ri*ate +artici+ation is an ob*ious one,> said an 7<RD official! <e, ho'e*er, added that issues relating to for-+rofit +ri*atisation of education 'ere still being debated! (he burgeoning demand for graduates as economic gro'th accelerates has been encouraging 7inister for <uman Resource De*elo+ment 8a+il .ibal to e-amine more inno*ati*e 'a%s of in*ol*ing the +ri*ate sector, es+eciall% in higher and technical education! (his is sensible in as much as the go*ernment lac0s the financial 'here'ithal to focus on this sector 'hen the claims from +rimar% education are much more +ressing! .o his latest suggestion that the go*ernment could amend .ection 25 of the 1om+anies $ct to allo' cor+orations and industr% associations to set u+ uni*ersities should be a++lauded! 1urrentl%, cor+orations can set u+ educational institutions onl% through trusts, 'hich means the% ha*e to re-in*est the +rofits and come under the +ur*ie' of the 1harit% 1ommissioner! .ection 25 of the 1om+anies $ct does not differ significantl% from the trust s%stem! Institutions set u+ under this $ct, too, can onl% rein*est +rofits but the% 'ill come under the scrutin% of the 1entral @oard of Direct (a-es! @ut the big difference is that the .ection 25 institutions 'ill no' be eligible for Bni*ersit% Grants 1ommission :BG1; a++ro*al! It is no re*elation that the rise in the number of institutions of higher learning in the nineties and 2000s has not seen a commensurate rise in 9ualit%! $s &rime 7inister 7anmohan .ingh admitted in a lecture at his alma mater, &anCab Bni*ersit%, in ,o*ember, =$ maCor +roblem that 'e face is in the 9ualit% of higher education that our institutions im+art! Bnfortunatel%, most of them +roduce +ass-outs 'ho are no'here near international standards!> &artl% because a graduate degree has been the minimum 9ualification for an% 'hite collar Cob, most uni*ersities, 'hether +ublicl% or +ri*atel% funded, remain inefficient teaching sho+s innocent of the rigours of seminal research or inno*ations that form the foundation of a robust higher education s%stem! 1onsidering that the +ri*ate sector alread% deli*ers more than half the education ser*ices in India E in medical and engineering, the +ro+ortion crosses 50 +er cent E it is clear that it has not been a notable contributor to 9ualit%, so amending .ection 25 is unli0el% to fi- this issue! (he urgent +roblem that 7r .ibal needs to address, therefore, is a regulator% one! Fuestions need to be raised about BG1Gs role as a 'atchdog that +romotes academic rigour rather than a dis+enser of a++ro*als that har0 bac0 to the licence raC! .o far, itGs been a s%stem that indirectl% encourages all manner of dodg% +ractices from ca+itation fees to fa0e degrees from fl%-b%-night +ri*ate institutions cashing in on e-+loding demand! Foreign University Bill (he go*ernment is stri*ing for a consensus on the issue of entr% of foreign uni*ersities and other educational institutions into the countr%! <uman resource de*elo+ment minister 8a+il .ibal said there is 4resistance4 from domestic institutions and +ri*ate +la%ers in the education sector to the entr% of foreign education +ro*iders in the countr%!

(he Horeign Education &ro*iders @ill see0s to regulate the entr% and o+erations of foreign education +ro*iders in India! (he bill +ro+oses to gi*e deemed uni*ersit% status to such uni*ersities in the countr%! &ro+osed la' to allo' the entr% and regulation of foreign uni*ersities 'ill no' be re*ie'ed afresh under a +anel of to+ bureaucrats, threatening to dela% indefinitel% a legislation scheduled for cabinet a++ro*al! (he 1entre on ,o* 2" decided to refer the Horeign Education &ro*iders @ill to a committee of secretaries to resol*e differences bet'een 0e% go*ernment arms (he mo*e, 'hich effecti*el% sends the bill into cold storage for the time being, came e*en as &rime 7inister 7anmohan .ingh and B. &resident @arac0 2bama announced +lans to strengthen ties in education! (he decision also means the bill could undergo significant changes E again! .e*eral to+ foreign uni*ersities, es+eciall% in the B., ha*e indicated interest in increasing +artici+ation in Indian higher education! Dale, <ar*ard and the 7assachusetts Institute of (echnolog% told human resource de*elo+ment minister 8a+il .ibal during his *isit to the B. last month that the% 'ere 'aiting for the bill to finalise their +lans for India! .+ea0ing to re+orters before the start of the 'inter session of &arliament, the <RD minister had said he 'ould tr% his best to introduce the bill in this session! @ut the <RD ministr% and the &rime 7inisterGs 2ffice ha*e failed to resol*e differences in +erce+tion o*er the drafting of the bill, des+ite meetings to tr% and +a+er o*er +oints of di*ergence, sources said! (he decision to refer the bill to a committee of secretaries effecti*el% means the +ro+osed legislation, 'hich ma% no' undergo fresh changes, is unli0el% to see the light of da% for some time! (%+icall%, committees of secretaries ta0e se*eral months to re*ie' a +ro+osal or draft legislation before finalising their re+orts! @ut the% ha*e no time restrictions 'ithin 'hich the% are re9uired to com+lete the re*ie'! Bnder the re*ised bill, foreign uni*ersities can set fees for cam+uses here on their o'n and the go*ernment can inter*ene onl% if it finds an institution setting fees deemed to be e-traordinaril% inflated! (he foreign uni*ersities 'ill not be treated as deemed uni*ersities E as 'as the case under the earlier draft E and 'ill not ha*e to introduce an% 9uotas! Horeign institutions 'ill, ho'e*er, need to o+erate for at least 10 %ears in their o'n countr% before the% can a++l% to set u+ a cam+us in India!

$ll other ministries ha*e su++orted the draft bill! @ut the &72, it is learnt, 'as a++rehensi*e that the bill 'as still not attracti*e enough to foreign uni*ersities and that it 'ould deter some of the best *arsities from coming to India! (he &72 insisted that the bill reflect its concerns and that a re*ised one be circulated again among all ministries! @ut no', a committee of secretaries 'ill re*ie' the bill afresh! (he bill has re+eatedl% dra'n contro*ers% and could not be tabled in &arliament during the first term of the B&$ because of o++osition from the Aeft +arties that 'ere +ro++ing u+ the go*ernment! @ut im+ortant sections of the 1ongress, strengthened b% the +art%Gs +erformance in the 2009 Ao0 .abha elections and its inde+endence from the Aeft, ha*e said that the go*ernment 'ill tr% and +ush the bill! (he Horeign Educational Institutions :Regulation of Entr% and 2+erations, 7aintenance of Fualit% and &re*ention of 1ommercialisation; @ill, 'hich got the 1abinetGs nod in Hebruar% 200/ has been 'aiting in the 'ings! (he @ill see0s to regulate the entr%, o+eration and maintenance of foreign education +ro*iders and +rotect students from recei*ing sub-standard 9ualit% of education offered b% institutions 'ho are more interested in *ie'ing education as a lucrati*e business! .ibal said 1 la0h students from India go to the B. e*er% %ear for further studies and +assing of such a bill 'ould be a 4'in-'in situation for us4!