Niti Aayog seeks UGC, AICTE views on nod to foreign varsities

NEW DELHI: Government think tank Niti Aayog has sought the views of the University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education on allowing foreign universities in India, a person familiar with the development said on Monday.

The executive council of AICTE, responsible for technical and business education in the country, met in Delhi during the day to draw up its response. “It has been decided that as it is a policy decision, the UGC should take a call on this,” an AICTE official, who attended the meeting, said.

India does not have a legal framework on allowing foreign institutes to set up campuses. The UGC act says only universities set up by Parliament or a state legislature, and those declared deemed universities by the government, can award degrees.

Several engineering and management institutes had already tied up with foreign education providers under what the official said was a collaborative twinning programme. As part of the arrangement, students get to spend some time on campuses abroad but the degree is awarded by the Indian institute.

The HRD ministry was also examining the issue but was not in favour of allowing for-profit institutes, the official said. “We have to ensure that Indian students are not affected by the move,” the official said.

This is not the first time that such an attempt is being made. The Congress government in 1995 had introduced a similar bill but it ran into opposition. I

In 2016, the UGC notified rules for collaboration between Indian and foreign institutes. An Indian institute with highest accreditation grade and conforming to eligibility conditions can apply to the UGC for a twining arrangement, an HRD official said.

AT PRESENT, THERE’S NO FRAMEWORK IN INDIA ON ALLOWING FOREIGN INSTITUTES TO SET UP CAMPUSES