Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GlobalisationofHigherEducationinIndia2021-A
SustainableSolution
SECRETARIATPLANNING,PROGRAMMEMONITORINGAND
STATISTICSDEPARTMENT
By-ShanthanC,Intern
GlobalisationofHigherEducationinIndia2021-ASustainable
Solution
ExecutiveSummary
Indiasinceearlytimeshasbeenandcontinuestobepromotedasaglobalstudy
destinationprovidingpremiumeducationataffordablecosts.Inadditiontothetraditional
institutesofNalandaandTakshila,universitiesinIndiatodayattractmorethan40000
internationalstudentsfrom164differentcountries.B
utthegrowthinthisnumberslackened
inthepastfewyearscomparedtothatadecadeago.ThatiswhytheNationalEducation
Policy( NEP)2020callsformakingaplanofactiontohelpIndiarestoreitsroleasaViswa
Guru.
ThisreportattemptstoexplainthecurrentIndianHigherEducationlandscapeinlightof
thechangesasproposedbyNEP2020,focusingmajorlyoninternationalisationofIndian
highereducation.AsperNEP2020,top-performingIndianuniversitieswillbe
encouragedtosetupcampusesinothercountries.Similarly,selectuniversities(e.g.,those
fromamongthetop100universitiesintheworld)willbepermittedtooperateinIndia.A
legislativeframeworkfacilitatingsuchentrywillbeputinplace,andsuchuniversitieswill
begivenspecialdispensationregardingregulatory,governance,andcontentnormsonpar
withotherautonomousinstitutionsofIndia.
Indiaplanstohaveonemultidisciplinaryhighereducationinstitution( HEI)in,ornear
everydistrictby2030.ThisrequirescarefulevaluationoftheHighereducationzonesin
Indiatoidentifywhatchallengesarebeingfacedbythesystemthatarehinderingtheidea
ofautonomousandself-sufficientinstitutes.Italsorequiresidentifyingthekey
stakeholdersintheIndianeducationsystemwhowillactascatalystsintheentireprocess.
Whilethisanalysisexplainsthesupplysideoftheproblemstatement,wecannotignore
thedemandthatIndiaisgeneratingwithitsvibrantcultureandtraditions.Apartfrom
these,therearemanyotherdriversthatifleveragedfullybyIndia,canmakeitoneofthe
mostpreferredplacesforhighereducation.
AsNEP2020callsforhavingforeignbranchcampuses( FBCs)setupinIndiaasoneofits
objectives,thereportattemptstoexplainwiththehelpofacarefullydesignedmodel,the
minimumpotentialinflowofinternationalstudentsthatIndiacanexpecttoachieveinthe
comingyears.However,itssuccessisentirelydependentonIndia’sagilityin
implementingstudent-friendlyinitiativesindifferentpartsofthecountry.Onesuch
exampleistheStudyinIndiaprogram.Thisprogramhasbeenverywellappreciatedfor
thesimplicityitbringstotheprocessofstudyingabroad.Further,italsopromotesthe
softpowersofthecountrylikeYoga,Ayurvedaetc.amongthediversityofcoursesoffered
inIndia.
FactorslikeaffordabilityandeaseofadmissionformthetopreasonsforchoosingIndia
whencomparedtotheexistingglobaleducationhubsoftheUSA,Malaysia,etc.Since
Indianeedstocompetewiththesecountries,thereportprovidesadetailedcomparative
analysisoftheinternationalisationmodelsfollowedbycountriesinAsia-Pacificasthey
haveastructuresimilartoIndia:developingnationsandunprecedentedgrowthlevels.
CountrieslikeUAE,ChinaandSingaporearebecomingincreasinglyattractiveasthey
serveasthehostcountriesforestablishingjointventures,contractualmodelsor
wholly-ownedinternationalbranchcampuses( IBCs).Indiacanlearnfromthesemodels
todecideonitsmodeofmarketentryaswellastheregulationsystemtobefollowed
whichwillleadthewaytoitsgoalofbecomingthenextbigglobaleducationhub.
AfterunderstandingthehighereducationlandscapeinIndia,aneedarisestolookatthe
differenttypesofpotentialpartnershipsthatcanbeformeddependingonthetypesof
highereducationinstitutes-Tier-1,Tier-2andTier-3.Thisincludesthepartnershipslike
theclassproject,researchproject,alliance,etc.thatanHEIcanbuildwithindustryto
grantstudentstheexposureofacorporatesettingtomakethemreadyfortheglobal
labourmarket.Oneofthetop-ratedskillsthathavecomeintothepicturesinceCOVID-19
istheuseoftechnology.Therefore,thoseuniversitiesthatcannotaffordtoprovidethe
necessaryresourcesormakeinvestmentsintechspacecanpartnerwithEdTech
companiestoattractforeignuniversitiestoIndia.Thiskindofresourceutilisationwillnot
onlyaddresstheproblemofbraindrainbyretainingthetalentinthecountrybutwillalso
speeduptheprocessofinternationalisationofhighereducationinIndia.
Introduction
IndiaisthehometoNalanda,TakshashilaandVikramashila,whichserveasthe
quintessentialexamplesofexemplaryscholarsacrosstheworld.Indiaalsoservesasthe
hometogloballeaderslikeMr.SatyaNadella(CEO-Microsoft),Mr.SundarPichai(CEO-
AlphabetInc.),Hindujagroupandamyriadothers.However,inmostcases,thebrainbank
isnolongerapropertyofIndia.Whatpromptsthemtodoso?
Therecanbeamultitudeofreasons,however,wecanbreakitdowntothreemain
incentives:
1. Theeducationinfrastructure.
2. Theindustry/jobmarket.
3. Lifestyleandconvenience.
Educationistheprimarydriverwhichpromptsthestudentstogoabroadinthefirst
place.Theothertworeasonsmentionedabovemakethesestudentsstayoverseas.
CurrentIndianHigherEducationLandscape
Despitehavingthesecondlargesthighereducationsystemintheworld,noneofits990
universitiesand40,000collegesfigureinthetop100ofWorldUniversityRankings.India
providesoneofthelargestpoolsofmanpower,yetthequalityofmanpowerisconcerning.
Substandardinstitutionsgeneratedegree-orientedgraduateswhoaren’tprofessionalin
thetruestsense.Th
ecountryranksaslowas72among132countriesinthelatestGlobal
TalentCompetitiveIndex(2020)whichgaugesacountry’scurrentabilitytogrowandattract
talents.Hometotopscholarsintheworld,onlysixuniversitiesfindplacesinthetop500
aroundtheworld.Moreover,theGrossEnrolmentRatiowhichquantifiestheratioof
studentsenrolledforhighereducationincomparisontoallpeopleinthatagegroupisat
26%.OnlyaquarterofIndiansenrollforhighereducationasopposedto99%inItaly,90%
inAustraliaand85%intheUnitedStates.Th
eNEP(NationalEducationPolicy)2020
proposestonearlydoubleitto50%by2035.B
eforewemassifythecurrenteducation
systems,let’sexplorewhatinternationalisationcouldpossiblydo.Highereducation
worldwideisdynamicandisinfluencedbynotonlythenationalpoliciesbutalsothe
globalperspective.
Globalisation ofHigherEducation
HighereducationscholarJ.Knightdefinesitas:“Internationalisationisaprocessof
introductionofinternationalconstituentsinresearch,educationalandadministrativeto
thefunctionofhighereducation”.Internationalisationincludesthepoliciesandpractices
undertakenbyacademicsystemsandinstitutions—andevenindividuals—tocopewiththe
globalacademicenvironment.Themotivationsforinternationalisationinclude
commercialadvantage,knowledgeandlanguageacquisition,enhancingthecurriculum
withinternationalcontent,tonameafew.Dominantly,specificinitiativessuchasbranch
campuses,cross-bordercollaborativearrangementsandprogramsforinternational
studentsareputtogetherasinternationalisation.
InternationalisationandGlobalisation
Globalisationisthewordusedtodescribethegrowinginterdependenceoftheworld’s
economies,cultures,andpopulations,broughtaboutbycross-bordertradeingoodsand
services,technology,andflowsofinvestment,people,andinformation.J.Knight&
Altbach,2007defineglobalisationastheeconomic,political,andsocietalforcespushing
21stcenturyhighereducationtowardgreaterinternationalinvolvement.
InternationalisationandGlobalisationarerelatedbutnotthesame.Globalisationisa
ratherunalterablephenomena,whileinternationalisationinvolveschoicesatindividual,
institutionalandmacro-economiclevels.Giventhemostgenericdefinitionof
globalisationincludes“flowofpeopleandinformation”,itcanberightlysaid
internationalisationofhighereducationcontributestoglobalisationandconsequentlythe
economic,academictrendsfollow.
WhatgooddoesInternationalizationofeducationbring?
Competitiveskills
Ithasbeenwidelyestablishedthatthestudentswhohavecompetitiveadvantageof
internationaleducation(eveninsmallcapacities),enjoyahigheremployabilityinthe
globaljobmarkets( EAIEDublin,2012).Thisisattributabletoavarietyoffactors,suchas
increasedlevelofcomfortinamulticulturalenvironmentandhigherawarenessofglobal
trade,financeandindustryoperations.Thebenefitsarenotlimitedtobetter
understandingofforeignworkculture:studentswithinternationaleducationaremore
confidentandself-reliant.Theyaremorewillingtoavailofopportunitiesinforeign
businesses.Aspartoftheworkforce,theyaremorelikelytoflourishinthefaceofadverse
andunfamiliarsituationsthatpertaintointeractionswithforeignbusinessassociations
andcross-culturaladaptations.Moreover,studentswhohavereceivedexposureto
internationaleducationhavewiderintellectualhorizonsandagreaterabilityto
appreciateotherperspectivesthatmightcometheirwayintheirprofessionalcareer.For
thisreason,thesestudentsexhibitmorerefineddecision-makingandproblem-solving
skills—coreskillsthatarerelevantinallindustries(cf.Ruben&Kealey,1979/VidyaRajiv
Yeravdekar&GauriTiwari,2014).EAIEDublinConferenceReport2012enliststhe
followingkeyskillsdevelopedthroughinternationalmobilityandcorrespondinglythekey
skillsthataredesiredfromemployers.
Macro-Economically
Asidefromtheskillsthatoneimportsduetoforeignmobility,doesinternationalisationof
highereducationplayabiggerrole?
TakingthecaseofCzechRepublicforananecdote.CzechRepublicunderwentthe“Velvet
Revolution”in1989abolishingtheholdofcommunist-onepartyregimeandconductedits
firstdemocraticelectionsin1990.Subsequently,theeconomicpoliciesofthestate
changedaswell.Inthe1990-2001period,successivereformswerebroughtin,inthe
CentralandEasternEuropeanregionprimarilyfocusingondevelopmentofthesystemof
highereducationinthesecountries.Atimelinerepresentationwouldbe:
Essentially,thepointbeingCzechRepublicunderwentmultiplepolicyreformsinthe
educationspaceovertheperiod1990-2000focusingoninternationalisationofhigher
education.
GDP( inbillion$)ofCzechRepubliccanbefoundunderneath:
Ofcourse,theGDPincreasewasnotjustbecauseofInternationalisationofhigher
education,butinstead,growingforeigndirectinvestmentsandgeneralglobalisationalso.
However,atthesametime,duetobettereducationopportunities,theproductivityofthe
countryalsofollowedasimilartrend.Thiscanbefoundbelow:
MajorChangesProposedbyNEP’20
TheNEP’20proposesthefollowingmajorchanges:
●I ndiatobePromotedasForeignStudyDestination:Everyinstitutionwillhavean
InternationalStudentsOfficetohostforeignstudents.Collegeswillbepromotedto
providepremiumeducationataffordablecosts.
●F
oreignCollegesCanSetUpCollegesinIndia:T
op100ForeignCollegeswillbeallowed
tosetuptheircampusesinIndiaasperNEP.Theywillbegivenspecialdispensationand
regulationstosetupthecampuses.
●B
y2030,onelargemultidisciplinarycollegeineverydistrict:By2030,allhigher
educationinstitutionswillbecomemultidisciplinaryinstitutionsandeachofthemwillat
leasthaveanenrollmentof3,00students.By2030,beatleastonelargemultidisciplinary
HEIinorneareverydistrict.TheaimistoincreasetheGrossEnrolmentRatioinhigher
educationincludingvocationaleducationfrom26.3%(2018)to50%by2035.
●M
usic,artsandliteraturetobetaughtinallcolleges:DepartmentsinLanguages,
Literature,Music,Philosophy,Indology,Art,Dance,Theatre,Education,Mathematics,
Statistics,PureandAppliedSciences,Sociology,Economics,Sports,Translation,and
Interpretation,etc.willbeintroducedinallhighereducationinstitutions.
●S
ingleCommonEntranceExamforallColleges:A
ccordingtotheNEP2020,therewill
beasinglecommonentranceexamforadmissiontoallhighereducationinstituteswhich
willbeheldbyNTA.Theentranceexamwillbeoptionalandnotmandatory.
●E
xpenditureonEducation:Th
eexpenditureoneducationwillbechangedto6percent
ofthetotalGDP,asopposedtoearlier,whichwas4percentoftheGDP.BoththeState,as
wellastheCentralGovernment,willbeworkingtogetherontheexpenditure.
NEP’20laysemphasisoninternationalisationofhighereducationinIndia.Amendments
havebeenaimedatadoptingamodelthatisinlinewiththeinternationalstandards,one
whichfocusesonpracticalknowledgeandnotjustrotelearning.IntroducingArtssubjects
inallcollegesinstillsabroaderperspectiveamongststudents,whilealsoensuringholistic
development.Developingacreditbank-standardisedhighereducationandmakes
mobilitypossible.Further,allowingtopforeignuniversitiestosetupcampusesinIndia
putsIndiaontheroadofglobalexcellenceandgivesopportunitytofocusonresearch.
Finally,withtheincreasedexpenditureoneducation,theenvironmentseemsjustabout
rightforIndiatorealiseinternationalisationofhighereducationtothefullest.Canthisbe
agamechanger?
RegulatoryLandscape
Therehavebeensomeattemptstointroduceandregulateforeignparticipationinthe
Indianhighereducationlandscape.
A.TheAICTEbroughtoutanotificationin2003calledAICTEnotificationforregulation
forentryandoperationofforeignuniversitiesandinstitutionsimpartingtechnical
educationinIndia,2003.Thiswasthefirstregulation(Annexure1)thatexplainsthe
processofsettingupaForeignEducationalInstitutes( FEI)investinginIndia.
Lackofawareness,qualitativecontrol,economicincentives,patchyenforcementand
ambiguityaboutthecentralandstategovernment’srolemaketheseregulationsunviable
toachievetheirgoalsofsettingupanInternationalBranchCampusinIndia.
B.TheGovernmentofIndia
ThroughtheconsolidatedFDIpolicy,1October2011hadalsoremovedallconstruction
barriers(landnorms,buildingsize,etc.)toFDIintheeducationsector,butcontinued
legalhurdlescausedFEIstonotsetuptheirbasesinIndia.Instead,FEIshavebeen
participatingintheIndianeducationalsystemthrough–
1.Twinningprograms,thatis,provideeducationpartlyinIndiaandrestatthe
placewheretheFEIissituated.
2.Franchisingofdegreeprograms,underwhichtheFEIcollaborateswithIndian
institutionstohavetheirdegreesbetaughtinIndia.
C.ForeignBranchCampusesinIndiawillbesetupasPrivateHEIsaresetupinIndia,for
whichdifferentstateshavedifferentlaws,requirementsandbasicnormsforsettingup.
ThisisoneofthebiggestchallengesfacedbyPrivateHEIs-thelackofuniformitycreates
alotofconfusion.
D.AplantoallowforeignuniversitiestoestablishcampusesinIndiahasbeenrevived,
withtheNarendraModigovernmentsettoincludeaprovisioninitsHigherEducation
CommissionofIndia( HECI)Billthatwouldallowtheirentryandoperationandspecify
normsforjointanddualdegrees.
NewRegulatoryFrameworkIntroducedbyTheNationalEducation
Policy-2020
WithatargettoimprovetheGrossEnrolmentRatio(GER)inhighereducationto50%by
2030,theNationalEducationPolicy,2020( NEP)hasbeenintroducedtocompletely
overhaultheexistingsystemofhighereducationinIndia,especiallytheregulatory
structure.Itaimsfora“light-but-tight”system.
Restructuringofinstitutions:Allhighereducationinstitutions( HEIs)willberestructured
intothreecategories:
1)Researchuniversitiesfocusingequallyonresearchandteaching,
2)Teachinguniversitiesfocusingprimarilyonteaching,and
3)Degreegrantingcollegesprimarilyfocusedonundergraduateteaching.
Allsuchinstitutionswillgraduallymovetowardsfullautonomy-academic,
administrative,andfinancial.AllHEIsshouldeventuallybetransformedintolarge
multidisciplinaryuniversitiesandcollegeswith3,000ormorestudents.By2030,there
shouldbeonemultidisciplinaryHEIin,orneareverydistrict.
Regulatorystructure:TheregulatorystructureofhighereducationinIndiawillbe
overhauledtoensurethatthedistinctfunctionsofregulation,accreditation,fundingand
settingacademicstandardsareperformedbyseparate,independentbodies.Thiswill
minimiseconflictofinterestandeliminateconcentrationofpower.Toensurethis,the
HigherEducationCommissionofIndia( HECI)willbesetupwithfourindependent
verticals:( i)theNationalHigherEducationRegulatoryCouncilasasingleregulator
(includingteachereducation,excludinglegalandmedicaleducation),( ii)theNational
AccreditationCouncilforaccreditationofinstitutions,( iii)theHigherEducationGrants
Councilforfinancingofhighereducationinstitutions,and( iv)GeneralEducationCouncil
forspecifyingthecurriculumframeworkandlearninglevelsforhighereducation.
DisputesbetweenthefourverticalswillberesolvedbyabodyofexpertsundertheHECI.
Improvingresearch:Th
eCommitteeobservedthatinvestmentonresearchandinnovationin
Indiaisonly0.69%ofGDP,comparedto2.8%intheUSA,4.2%inSouthKoreaand4.3%of
GDPinIsrael.TheNEPrecommendssettingupanindependentNationalResearch
FoundationforfundingandfacilitatingqualityresearchinIndia.Specialisedinstitutions
whichcurrentlyfundresearch,suchastheDepartmentofScienceandTechnology,Indian
CouncilofMedicalResearchwillcontinuetofundindependentprojects.TheFoundation
willcollaboratewithsuchagenciestoavoidduplication.
Foreignuniversities:HighperformingIndianuniversitieswillbeencouragedtosetup
campusesinothercountries.Similarly,selectedtopglobaluniversitieswillbepermitted
tooperateinIndia.Alegislativeframeworkfacilitatingsuchentrywillbeputinplace.
Suchuniversitieswillbegivenexemptionsfromregulatoryandgovernancenormsonpar
withautonomousinstitutionsinthecountry.
MarketopportunityforforeignbranchcampusesinIndia
StudentMobility
Eversinceglobalisation,Indiahasconstantlybeenmakingeffortstoincreaseits
participationininternationalstudentmobility.Itpresentlyhasaround950universities
and45000colleges(StudyinIndia).AccordingtotheQSWorldUniversityRankings,
currentlyIndiaisonlysecondtoChinaintermsofinternationalstudentenrollmentin
schoolsacrosstheglobe.Thisislargelybecauseofitspopulationof1.26billion,ofwhich
morethan50%arebelowtheageof25.A
sperstatistics,in2018-19,India’soutbound
mobilitywas375,055students,whichwas6.7%ofthetotalmobilestudentsacrosstheglobe.The
UShoststhelargestshareofthisnumber(36.25%),followedbyAustralia(19.55%),Canada
(9.28%)andtheUK(5.23%)asthemostpreferreddestinations.
Wherethisnumbercontinuestobehigh,Indiaattractedonly47,247foreignstudentsfrom
164countriesin2018-19.Th
eincomingstudentswerelargelyfromneighboringcountrieslike
Nepal(26.88%),Afghanistan(9.82%),Bangladesh(4.38%),Nigeria,Sudanetc.W
hilethis
numberwas1.4timesthatin2011-12,itsinboundmobilityisstilllessthan1percentofthe
totalinternationallymobilestudents.Althoughthereareprovisionsforenrolling15
percentforeignstudentsinsomeoftheIndianhighereducationinstitutionsand10per
centinallhigherinstitutions,thesetargetsremaintobeachieved.
Figure1:Top10countriespreferringIndiaasin2018-19
TheIndiangovernmenthasplannedtoattractmorethan200,000studentsby2025(Study
inIndia,2018)whichisnearly4timesofthepresentnumber.Tilldate,Indiahasattracted
40000+internationalstudentseveryyear.
Now,ourcalculationssuggestthatifIndiafollowsanaggressiveimplementationpolicyto
achievetheobjectiveslaiddownbyNEP2020andForeignBranchCampuses( FBCs)do
openinthecountry,I ndiacanexpecttoreceiveastudentinflowofminimum54000
internationalstudentsnextyear(54,264students,asperourmodel).T
hisnumberhasbeen
arrivedataftercarefullyconsideringdifferentfactorslikewillingnesstostudyabroad,
country-wisepreferences,etc.
Followingassumptionshavebeenmadetoarriveatthisprospectivemarketsizeof54,264
internationalstudents:
Table1:ProspectiveMarketSizeModel
Oneoftheconclusionsthatcanbedrawnfromalltheabovecalculationsisthatthereexistsan
increasingdemandforinternationalhighereducation.Andsofar,Indiahashadsome
progressinfulfillingit.IndianuniversitieslikeNalandaUniversityandTakshilaUniversity
havetraditionallybeeninternationalinstitutionsintheirorientation.OtherslikeDelhi
University,OsmaniaUniversityandAmityUniversityaresomerecentpublicuniversities
thatarewitnessinganincreasingenrolment.
India’srichcultureisoneofitssoftpowersthatseemstoattractmanyinternationalstudents.
Indianinstitutesprovidetechnicalexpertiseacrossadiverserangeofcourses,f romSTEMto
non-STEMcourses,andincludeprogramsinnichedisciplinessuchasAyurveda,Yoga,
andBuddhistStudies.
ForeignstudentscometoIndiatopursueUG,PG,PhDandotherprofessionaland
vocationalcourses.P
resently,India’spowerliesinitsunder-graduatecourseslikeB.Tech,
BBA,B.Sc.,BAetc.asmorethan70percentoftheincomingforeignstudentspursuethese.
Whilethisistheoverallobservation,theleveloftertiaryeducationpursueddiffersfrom
countrytocountry.F
orinstance,foreignstudentsfromNepalprefertostudynursingin
Indiamorethananyothercourse.Forunder-graduatecourseslikeB.Tech,therewere
8,861foreignstudentsinIndiaoutofwhich85%weremalesand15%werefemales.In
post-graduatecourseslikeMBA,atotalof1,574foreignstudentscametoIndiaofwhich
morethan60percentweremales.
Figure2:InternationalStudentsenrolmentinIndiabyCourses
Asperthedataof2018-19,themostpreferreddestinationsinIndiaareKarnataka(21.13%),
Maharashtra(10.55%),Punjab,UP,TamilNadu,etc.T
heprimaryreasonforchoosingthese
statesisthequalityoflifeofferedtointernationalstudentsinthesestates.Placeslike
MysoreandBangalorearepreferredforreasonslikequalityeducation,affordability,
student-friendlyinitiatives,goodtreatmentandaccommodativelocals,etc.
Anexampleofthestate-of-the-artfacilitiesprovidedtotheforeignstudents-giventhat
Karnatakaisattractingthelargestnumberofinternationalstudents,thestatehigher
educationdepartmenthasdecidedtosetupacentralisedhelpcenterforthematthe
KarnatakaStateCouncilforHigherEducationinBengaluru.Thisdedicatedhelpcenter
willfeatureatoll-freehelplinemanagedbytrainedexecutivestoattendcallsandaddress
theissuesoftheinternationalstudents.
“WhenIdecidedtostudyabroad,IstartedtothinkaboutIndiaandcontactedmyfriends
studyingindifferentcities.MostrecommendedUniversityofMysore.Ilookedupthe
varsityandMysorecityanditsculture,weatherandcleanlinessandhowittreated
foreigners.Finally,IdecidedtostudyatStPhilomena’sCollege.”-HazratkhanHoshmand,
anAfghanstudent.Similarly,Mumbaiisamajorcenterofcommerceandfinanceand
hence,offersloadsofopportunitiesforstudentsinterestedinthefield.JawaharlalNehru
oncereferredtoPuneas“theOxfordandCambridgeofIndia,”anditisconsideredby
manytobethepremiereducationalandresearchcapitalofthecountry.HometoIndia’s
secondlargestcollege-UniversityofPune,thereisasizablestudentpopulation(bothlocal
andinternational)andanexcitingfeelingofchangepervadingthecity.
Table2:TopPreferredUniversitiesinIndia(2018-19)
However,thesuccessofourmodelandachievementofIndia’sdreamofbecomingthe
nextbigglobaleducationhubhighlydependsonalotoffactors.Someofthesedrivers
thatattractinternationalstudentsare:
●Th
ebiggestreasonforchoosingIndiaisthecosteffectivenessofIndianeducationsystem.
CostofeducationinIndiaismerelyone-fourthofthecostcitedacrossotherleading
universitiesintheworld.S
o,asmentionedinourmodelalso,annualtuitionfeeinIndiaare
notamajorobstacleforinternationalstudentsascomparedtothewesterncountries.
TofurthermakeeducationinIndiacheap,theIndiangovernmenthasofferedaplethora
ofscholarshipstotheforeignstudents.Somepopularscholarshipsforinternational
studentsaretheGeneralCulturalScholarshipScheme,CulturalExchangeProgramand
IndianCouncilforCulturalRelationsamongothers.Amongstallthese,India’smost
successfulstephasbeenthe‘STUDYININDIA’program.
●It’saflagshipprojectoftheGovernmentofIndia,launchedincollaborationwiththe
MoE,MEA,MHA,andMCIinApril2018thataimsatmakingI ndiaaleadingglobal
educationhubandtodoubleitsmarketshareofglobaleducationexportsfromlessthan1
percentto2percentbyofferingscholarshipstomeritoriousforeignstudents.
●Presently,ithaspartneredwith106premierIndianinstitutes,including10state
universities,20deemeduniversities,40InstitutesofNationalImportance,5Institutesof
Eminence,andmanytopcolleges.Theprogramiscurrentlyofferingaround55,000seats
withmorethan35,500feewaiversand2,000scholarships,witheachscholarshipvaluedat
INR250,000.In2018,around1,000studentsfromforeigncountriestookadmissioninthe
StudyinIndiaprogram,whichincreasedto3,000in2019.Whiletheapplicantsarecoming
fromsixcountries,theprogramaimstoattractstudentsfrom30nations.
●I nstitutesundertheinitiativeoffertuitionfeewaiversfrom25%to100%whichcoverfor
morethan50percentofthetotalinternationalstudents.Thebreakupisasfollows:100%
waiveroftuitiononlyforthetop25%students,50%waiveroftuitionfeesforthenext25%
students,25%waiveroftuitionfeesforthenext25%studentsandnowaiveroftuitionfee
fortheremaining25%ofstudents.
However,thereisstillaneedtospreadgreatawarenessaboutit.IITMadras,whichhas
thehighestnumberofforeignstudents,hasnotseenanyforeignstudentscome
specificallythroughStudyinIndia.Th
erefore,weneedmoresuchprogramstonotonly
attractstudentstotheIndianinstitutesbutalsototheFBCsthatIndiaisplanningtosetupas
perNEP2020.
●Secondisthediversityofcoursesoffered.TheacademicinstitutesintheIndian
EducationsystemcurrentlyfocusondeliveringpopularSTEM(Science,Technology,
Engineering,andMathematics)courses.Apartfromthesecourses,Indiaalsooffersawide
rangeofcoursesonancientculturalstudiesinYoga,Ayurveda,Sanskritandclassical
dancesatoneend,andadvancedtechnicalstudyofArtificialIntelligenceandCognitive
Computingontheother.
Buttherestillremainsalargesegmentofstudentswhowishtotaketheroadlesstraveled
andareconstantlylookingtoadvancetheirhigherstudiesabroadjustbecausetheir
desiredprogramisnotwidelyavailableintheirhomecountry.Therefore,ifIndia
leveragesfurtheruponthis,notonlywillitattractalargernumberofforeignstudents,
butitwillalsosimultaneouslys olvetheproblemofbrain-drain.
●Th
irddriverwillbeeasytoenter.Untilnow,studentsseekingadmissioninIndian
Universitieshadtowriteindividualentrancetestsforeachuniversityandit’saknownfact
thatadmissiontoIndia’stop-rankedinstitutesincludingIIMs,IITsishighlycompetitive.
Therefore,havinganeasieradmissioncriterioncandefinitelyputIndiainafavorable
position.
AsperalatestannouncementmadebytheseniorofficialsintheMinistryofHuman
ResourceDevelopment,beginning2020,foreignstudentswantingtostudyatanyIndian
institutionwillnowhavetowriteacommonentrancetestknownasInSATwhichwillbe
onthelinesoftheGraduateRecordExamination(GRE)usedintheUSandCanada.InSAT
willbeanonlineaptitudetestthatwilltestbasicknowledgeofstudents,includingverbal,
analyticalandquantitativereasoning.Thescoreswillbeusedasaqualificationforgetting
admissiontoIndianuniversities.
Itwillinitiallybeconductedinthe30countriesthatIndiaistargetingunderthe‘Studyin
India’program(d
iscussedabove).N
earlyfivethousandcandidatesfromNepal,Ethiopia,
Bangladesh,Bhutan,Uganda,Tanzania,Rwanda,Sri-Lanka,Kenya,Zambia,Indonesiaand
Mauritiusappearedforthefirsttimethisexamwasconducted.Goingforward,the
governmentplanstomakeitmoreprominentintheforeignstudents’admissionprocess.
ThesuccessfulimplementationofthiswithleastanomalieswillputIndiaontheradarof
foreignstudents.
Andlastly,expertiseandaccreditation.Presently,thebiggestfactorthathindersIndia’s
growthinbecomingthenextbigeducationhubisthelackofauniversallyapplicable
curriculumthatwillrenderindividualsreadyforthegloballabormarket.Weneedto
bringinteacherswhohavetherightexpertiseandexperienceandcanshapetalented
studentsforabettercareerpath.Inaddition,providingtheflexibilitytotailorcoursestoa
student’sinterestandthefreedomtoworkonapart-timebasiswhilestudyingaddstothe
overallappealofearningadegreeabroad,willincreasetheoverallqualityofeducation.
MostofthesedrivershavebeenachievedbyIndiatosomeextent.Butthereisstillascope
ofimprovementwhichifbroughtabout,canbringinthedesireddegreeof
internationalisationofIndianHigherEducation.
InternationalBranchCampuses
InternationalisationmodelsinAsiaPacific-(Altbach,Knight,2007)
VietnamformsacomparablemodeltoIndia;developingnations,unprecedentedgrowth
levels,andbothbeingtheforefrontcompetitors( intheregion)forestablishing
manufacturinghubs.Vietnamisanemergingcenterofactivity.RMITfromAustraliaowns
100%ofabranchcampus,whereasTroyStateUniversityfromtheUnitedStates
establishedaforeignbranch,theInternationalCollegeofITandManagement.The
numberofactivepartnershipsbetweenlocalandforeigninstitutionsissteadily
expanding.Forinstance,theUniversityofHueinVietnamrecentlydevelopedafranchised
andjoint-degreebachelor’sprogramintourismwiththeUniversityofHawaii.Hanoi
UniversityofTechnologyiscurrentlyofferingmaster’sandbachelor’sdegreeswithhigher
educationinstitutionsfromBelgium(1),France(8),Germany(1),Singapore(2),andthe
UnitedStates(1).TheVietnamesegovernmentrecentlyannouncedthedevelopmentofthe
InternationalUniversityinVietnam—anotherinitiativetoincreasenationalcapacityfor
highereducation.HalftheuniversityteachingstaffwillbeVietnamese,andtheotherhalf
willbefromforeignuniversities.Foreigninstitutionalinvolvementwillbuildonand
expandfromthecurrentlinksofHoChiMinhCityNationalUniversity.
Australia,China,Egypt,andtheUnitedStatesareincreasingcross-bordereducationto
Thailand.TheEgyptianAl-AzharUniversityandJinanUniversityfromChinaplantoopen
abranchcampus,whereasSwinburneUniversityofTechnology(Australia)hasoperateda
branchcampussince1998,thoughitischangingitsfocustoindustrytrainingonly.Troy
StateUniversityhasateachingsiteinBangkokforitsMBAprogram;studentscantransfer
totheUnitedStatesdependingonfundsandvisarequirements.TheThai-German
GraduateSchoolofEngineering,13Australianuniversities,andnineU.K.universitiesalso
operateinThailand.
TheUniversityofNewSouthWales(Australia)willestablishthefirst100%foreign-owned
highereducationinstitutioninSingaporeafterreceivinggovernmentapproval.The
universityplanstoofferundergraduateandgraduateprogramsandtodevelopastrong
researchcapacity.Otherrespectedforeigninstitutionsoffereducationandtraining
programsinSingaporethroughjointventures,exchanges,andbranchcampuses,
includingtheUniversityofChicagoGraduateSchoolofBusiness,ShanghaiJiaotong
University,StanfordUniversity,theGermanTechnischeUniversitätMünchen,andthe
TechnischeUniversiteitEindhoven(theNetherlands).
Singaporeinstitutions,inturn,arenoteworthyexporters.TheNationalUniversityof
SingaporeandFudanUniversitydevelopedajointMBA,aimedatChineseandSingapore
students.TheNationalUniversityisalsoembarkingonanewgraduateschoolinitiativefor
ChinesestudentstobelocatedinSuzhouGraduateTown,partoftheSuzhouIndustrial
Park.RafflesLaSalleLimitedisapubliclytradedSingaporecompanythatprovides
programsinfashionanddesigninmanyAsiancountries.
WhatisanInternationalBranchCampus?
IBC:A
nentitythatisowned,atleastinpart,byaforeignhighereducationprovider;
operatedinthenameoftheforeigneducationprovider;andprovidesanentireacademic
program,substantiallyonsite,leadingtoadegreeawardedbytheforeigneducation
provider.(CBERT)
WhyIBCs?
Forinstitutions:Formanyinstitutions,theestablishmentofabranchcampusabroadis
●anopportunitytoimproveinternationalrelationships
●abilitytoattractforeigntalent
●increaseprestigeandtuitionrevenue
●andexpandopportunitiesforexternalfunding.
Forhostnations:
●helpstoreducethebraindrain,aspartofthestudentsaimingforinternationaldegree
areabletostay“athome”
●supportincomegeneration
●increasetechnologytransfer(ShamsandHuisman,2012).
●Financiallyviableoptionforgloballycompetitiveeducationwithinhostcountry
InstitutionalLevelBenchmarking
Questionstoconsider:
● HowisanIBCsetup?
● Howisitrun?
● Whatdoesitleadto( intermsofoutcomes)?
Focuson3nationsthatcontain34.4%ofIBCsintheworld
hotCountryNumberofBranchCampuses
*Emergingmarketswithhighlynuancededucationalhubssuitabletobenchmarkfor
India.
InstitutionalmodelsforIBCs,basedonmodeofmarketentryintohostcountry:
● ContractualModel( Franchising,articulation,acquisition)
● Jointventure
● Whollyownedsubsidiary/soleventure
Co-operativeModelsjointventures)ContractualModelWhollyownedsubsidiaries
(branchcamp/satellitecampus/offshoreinstitution)GrandTotal
EducationHub:A
designatedregionintendedtoattractforeigninvestment,retainlocal
students,buildaregionalreputationbyprovidingaccesstohigh-qualityeducationand
trainingforbothinternationalanddomesticstudents,andcreateaknowledge-based
economy.Aneducationhubcanincludedifferentcombinationsofdomestic/international
institutions,branchcampuses,andforeignpartnerships,withinthedesignatedregion.
Thefollowingisalistofentitiesthathavedescribedthemselvesascurrentordeveloping
educationhubs.Foreachentryweprovideabasicdescriptionbaseduponnewsreports,
informationfromtheorganisation,and,whenpossible,ourownvisits.Inclusionbelow
doesnotmeanthattheentitycurrentlyoperatesasahub,butmerelythatthereis
evidencethatitisintendedtobeahub.(CBERT)
Fourmodelsofregulatingforeignprovidersinreceivingcountries(ZigurasandMcBurnie,
2015)
Liberalregulationwithminimalqualityassurance:Theforeignprovidersfalloutsideof
thereceivinggovernment’sjurisdiction.
Liberalregulationwithcomprehensiveassurance:Ifthereceivingcountrieswelcome
foreigninstitutionsaswellasdevelopedqualityassuranceproceduresfortheseproviders
Restrictiveregulationandminimalqualityassurancemodel:DuetothefactthatIBCsare
prohibited,thereisnoprovisionatall.
Restrictiveregulationandcomprehensivequalityassurancemodel:Receivingcountries
restricttheentryofforeignproviders,butadoptqualityassurancemeasures
MODELOFREGULATION
UnitedArabEmirates
Background
1:RiseofUAE
(Source:https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/01/07/22/11/dubai-4748783__340.jpg)
●WiththeeconomicriseandestablishmentofUAEasanoil-exportbasedeconomy,an
accompanyingriseofdemandforspecializedskillswasseen,reflectedinthecountry’s
risingtertiaryenrolmentnumbers,whichgrewfromjust519in1978to159,553in2016.
(UNESCO)
●Thecountrybeganimportingforeignlabor,bothlowandhighskilled,asthepopulation
wastoosmalltosustaintheriseindemandforlabour.Asrecentlyas2013,immigrants
heldmorethan90percentofthejobsinthecountry’sprivatesector.Inthesameyear,
immigrantsmadeupover80percentofthepopulation,or7.8millionoutofatotal
populationof9.2million( MigrationPolicyInstitute)
●Inordertodiversifyitseconomy,UAEstressedtheneedtor educerelianceonoiland
transformitseconomyfromaconventional,labor-intensiveeconomytoonebasedon
knowledge,technologyandskilledlabor(UAEEmbassyinWashingtonDC)—-resultingin
oneofthehighestdegreesoftradeopenness(ratiooftotalexportsandimportstoGDP)of
176percent(WorldBank,2014).Th
eoverarchingobjectiveoftheinternationalizationofhigher
educationistocreateastrongknowledge-basedeconomywithahighlevelofintegrationinto
theskilled-laboureconomyofUAEnationals.
●ThetwoEmirates,AbuDhabiandDubai,arefocalpointsofthisstrategy,wherethetwo
jurisdictionsareactiveinattractinginternationalbranchcampuses( IBCs).AbuDhabi
beganatargetedapproachtowardsattractingIBCsofreputeduniversitieswithhighQS
Rankings(suchasNYU)andDubaiadoptedamoreaggressiveapproachwiththe
establishmentoffreezones( FZs),thatresultedinthecreationofeducationhubs.(CBERT)
2:NewYorkUniversityAbuDhabi
(Source:https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/about/careers/_jcr_content/pagetop/columncontol_4338
4440/columnpar6_1/phototext_copy/image.img.jpg)
●Freezonesareareasdesignedtoattractforeigndirectinvestment.Theyprovide
attractiveincentivepackagestoforeigncorporationswithreducedcustoms,dutiesand
regulatorybarriers.Forexample,freezonesinDubaioffer100%foreignownership,100%
repatriationofprofits,and100%exemptionfromtaxesandcustomsduties(CBERT)
3:UAEFreeZones
(Source:https://uae-freezones.ae/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Freezone-map-UAE.png)
●EducationHubs:InDIAC,21outofthe27highereducationinstitutions( HEIs)arefrom
outsidetheUAE.(w
es.org)
●Location:foreignprovidersinDubairarelyoperateoutsideofFZs;asof2011onlytwo
providerswereoperatinginnon-FZareas.(w
es.org)
●Studentcomposition:StudentsatIBCsinDubaiarepredominantlycitizensofother
countries.In2015/16,37,692ofthe60,310students(63percent)enrolledinDubai’sHEIs
wereexpatriates.( KHDA).”ThisisreflectiveofDubai’slabourmarketatlarge,wherein
expatsmakeupthemajorityofthepopulation.
RegulatoryLandscapeoftheUAE:Liberalregulationwithminimalqualityassurance
IBCslocatedwithinDubai’sFZsfallundertheauthorityoftheKHDA( Knowledgeand
HumanDevelopmentAuthority,GovernmentofDubaiUAE),whichrequiresthat:
●Allinstitutionsreceiveacademicauthorizationpriortoopening
●Eachoftheinstitution’sacademicprogramsberegisteredwiththeKHDA
●Tofacilitatetheseoperations,theKHDAestablishedaninternalqualityassurancebody,
theUniversityQualityAssuranceInternationalBoard(UQAIB)
●UQAIB:“InordernottoburdenforeignHEPs[HigherEducationProviders]undulyand
duplicatequalityassurance(QA)processestowhichsuchHEPshavealreadybeen
subjected,UQAIBwill,inthefirstinstance,takeaccountofexistingQAreportsonthe
qualityofprovisionofforeignhighereducationinstitutions( HEIs)aswellasthe
effectivenessoftheQAsystemsandproceduresinplaceatthoseinstitutions,aslongas
suchreportsarefairlyrecent.”Therefore,thissystemrelieshighlyonself-evaluationof
theinstitutionsthemselves-withminimalinterventionfromthehostnation.
Conclusion
●Dubai’shands-offapproachwithfreezoneshasenabledtheconsolidationofaleading
educationhubinthecountry,however,thishasledtoconcernsoverqualityassurance,
excesssupplyandlimiteddemandofinternationalHEIs.AmajorityofIBCstudentsin
Dubaiareexpats,makingitincompatiblewiththeUAE’snationalgoaloflabour
nationalization.
●Mostlyexpatinternationalcitizensenrolled,butlabournationalizationmakesit
incongruentwithlabourmarketoutcomes
●Qualityassuranceconcerns
●LessfocusonQSrankingsandmorefocusonquantity
China
Background
4:China
(Source:
https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190226120846-shenzhen-skyline-107189520-super-
tease.jpg)
Thesigningofregulationson'Sino-foreign'educationalpartnershipsallowedforeign
organizationstooperateinChina,bytheopeningofChina'seducationmarketin
accordancewiththetermsofWTOmembership.Theregulationscameintoeffecton1
September2003.
●Mostoftheinternationalbranchcampusesandcooperationprogramsprovide
undergraduate-levelcourses(75.2percent)
●Someofthemmaster-levelprograms(22.6percent)
●Only0.9percentofthemofferdoctoral-levelcoursesandprograms.(GenshuLu,Hui
Kang,andNiYan2013)
●Location:M
ostoftheinternationalcooperationHEprogramsandbranchcampusesare
inEasternChina,therelativelymoredevelopedregion(over55percent),whileonlyfive
percentareinthe12westernprovinces.(2013)
●M
ainlandChinaencouragedcross-bordercooperationinhighereducationbyissuing
theChinese-foreignCooperationinRunningSchoolsRegulationsofthePeople’sRepublic
ofChinain2003.Accordingtotheregulations,IBCs,asindependententities,areallowed
toreturnprofitsbacktotheirhomeinstitution( MinistryofEducationofthePeople’s
RepublicofChina2010)
●FocusonChineseideology:Theseregulationsstatethat“Sino-foreigncooperative
educationmustbeinconformitywithChineselaws,implementChineseeducation
policies,complywithChinesepublicethics,andmaynotimpairthestatesovereignty,
security,orpublicinterest.Sino-foreigncooperativeeducationshallmeettheneedsofthe
developmentofChineseeducationundertakings,guaranteetheeducationquality,and
committofosteravarietyoftalentsforthesocialistconstructioncauseofChina.”
(wes.org)
●FocusonhighQSrankings:“ThestateencouragestheChinese-foreigncooperative
educationthatintroduceshigh-qualityforeigneducationresources.”(w
es.org)
●China’smostprestigiousuniversitieshavealmostexclusivelyestablishedpartnerships
withtopresearchuniversitiesworldwide,includingmemberinstitutionsoftheeliteUK
RussellGroupofresearch-intensiveuniversities.TheMinistryofEducation:“curriculum,
learningoutcomes,anddegreesawardedmeethomecampusstandards”(w
es.org)
●Theresultsofthesemeasuresseemtobepositive.Thatsamestudyfoundthat“learning
outcomesassessmentandmeasures[atIBCsinChina]wereusuallythesameasthehome
campus,inordertoassistgraduatestobehighlycompetitivein[the]globaljobmarket.”
(wes.org)
●O
nlyjointventures:China’sMinistryofEducationreferstothemasChina-Foreign
CooperationinRunningSchools(CFCRS)institutions.Successfulcompletionofstudyata
CFCRSinstitutiontypicallyleadstotheawardingoftwodegrees—onefromtheforeign
partnerinstitution,andonefromtheindependentCFCRSinstitution.(w
es.org)
●Studentcomposition:MajorityareChinesedomesticstudents
RegulatoryLandscapeofChina:Liberalregulationandcomprehensivequality
assurancemodel
●Doubleaccreditationsystem:Collaborationbetweenhomeandhostaccreditors,
includinginformationsharing,isarecenttrend.F
orexample,theChinesegovernmenthas
forcedtheUK’sQAA(QualityAssuranceAgency)tocollaboratewithalocalpartnerwhile
undertakingexternalreviews.
●InChina,“unlikesomeothercountriesthatallowforeignuniversitiestohaveafree
handinsettingupandrunninganeducationalenterprise,China’sMinistryofEducation
hasdevelopedasetofrulesandregulationsonthepresenceandoperationofforeign
highereducationalinstitutionsinChina”( Feng2013,p.473)“noforeignuniversitycanset
upaprogram,letalone,acampus,withoutpartneringwithaChineseinstitutionandthe
headoftheoffspringinstitutionmustbeaChinesecitizen.”(w
es.org)
●ForeigninstitutionsarerequiredtoobtainrenewalapprovalfromtheM
inistryof
EducationofChineseGovernmentthrough“acompulsoryevaluationwithninestandards,
includingself-evaluation,documentationreviewandrandomlyarrangedvisits”(w
es.org)
●Ajointaccreditationbetweenhostandhomeaccreditorsisthenewdirectionpromoted
bytheMinistryofEducation.Currently,homeaccreditorsstilltakethemajor
responsibilitiesforthequalityassuranceofIBCsinChina.
5:DukeKunshanUniversity
Conclusion
●China’smarketsizemakesitanattractivedestination.China’sfocusonquality
assurancehasresultedinpositiveoutcomes.However,Chinaonlyallowsforjoint
ventureswithlawsthatpreventcompleteWesternizationoftheHEsystem.
●Itisimportanttopointoutthatthisprotectionistattitudeandtheresultingrestrictions
placedonIBCsdonotappeartohavediminishedtheappealoftheChinesemarketto
foreigninstitutions.
●Thoroughqualitycontrol.
●OnlyjointventuresarepermittedinChina.
●Theadvantagesofestablishinganacademicpresenceintheworld’slargesthigher
educationmarket,andthebenefitofpartneringwithinstitutionsinacountryincreasingly
willingandabletoinvestinadvancedresearcharereasonsenoughformanyinstitutions
toforgosomeaspectsofinstitutionalautonomy
KeyTakeaways
●China’scompetitiveadvantageliesinitslargerelativemarketsize.Asanimmediate
neighbour,thealternativeofthelargeChinesemarketmayposeathreattoIBCexpansion
inIndia.Additionally,Chinaisfavouredforitsprevalenceofjointventures.ManyIBCs
finditfavourabletosharetheriskoftheirinvestmentswithChinesecorporations.The
issueliesinChina’sstrictaccreditationsystem,whichensuresqualitycontrolbutadds
additionalbarriersforIBCstobeestablished.Indiacouldtakeadvantageofthisby
creatinganaccreditationsystemthatisaone-stepaccreditationprocess,asanalternative
toChina’sdouble-accreditationsystem.
●Singapore’srecoveryfrominitialfailuresinIBCexpansioncanserveasacasestudyfor
Indiatosurviveglobalcompetitionwithpublicfunding,loweredtariffsandsubsidized
rentstoattractIBCs.
●FollowingtheexamplesofbothUAEandSingapore,Indiacouldbenefitfromthe
educationhubmodel.
●FocusonQSrankingswouldbetheidealstrategyforIndia,asithasbenefitted
SingaporeandChinaintermsofqualitycontrol.Franchisingcouldbeanidealoption,in
conjunctionwithIBCs.
●InSingapore,issuesexistintermsofrecognitionofinternationaldegreesinnational
jobs.Indiacouldeliminatethatobstaclebyincludingtheuniversalrecognitionof
internationaldegreesinitsregulations.
●LearningfromUAE’sconcernsofqualitycontrol,India’seducationhubmodelshould
consistofabalanceofincreasedliberalizationandone-stepaccreditation.
PotentialPartnerships
PillarsofInternationalisation
Asmentionedearlier,theinternationalisationofhighereducationcanbeachievedby
pursuingvarioustypesofpolicies.Hence,itmakessensetocategoriseandclassifyallthe
varioustypesofpolicies,tohelpinidentifyingtheonewhichwouldmakethemostimpact
foragivensystem.Tobeginhere,therearetwosimpleandbroadcategorieswhichhave
beenusedbyJaneKnighttoachievethis,whichincludes‘internationalisationathome’
and‘cross-bordereducation’.
The‘at-home’concepthasbeendevelopedtogivegreaterprominencetocampus-based
strategies,giventheincreasedemphasisoninternationalacademicmobility.These
‘at-home’strategiescanalsoincludetheinterculturalandinternationaldimensioninthe
teaching-learningprocess,research,extracurricularactivities,relationshipswithlocal
culturalandethniccommunitygroups,aswellastheintegrationofforeignstudentsand
scholarsintocampuslifeandactivities.“Cross-bordereducation”,ontheotherhand,
referstothemovementofpeople,programs,providers,policies,knowledge,ideas,
projectsandservicesacrossnationalboundaries.Cross-bordereducationcanalsobepart
ofdevelopmentcooperationprojects,academicpartnershipsorcommercialtrade.
However,ifoneweretobemoremeticulous,andweretocategorisethetypesvarious
streamsofinternationalisationwhichwouldhelppolicymakersofaparticulardomain
takeaction,thenitcouldbeclassifiedunderthefollowingdomains:
● InstitutionalPartnerships
● NationalPartnerships
● SectoralPartnerships
● VirtualPartnerships
BasedonthedatafoundintheinternationalisationofHigherEducationinIndia-Annual
SurveyofInternational
StudentsinIndia2014-2015,
thenumberofinternational
studentsindifferentstates
canbeidentified.Thecolleges
whicharesoughtafterplacesofstudybyinternationalstudentsineachstateare
identified.
ageSareMale%Femal
ItisobservedthattheTier-1universities,regardlessofthestream,ortypeoffunding
drawinternationalstudentsinreasonablestrengths,inadditiontohavinganactive
InternationalRelationsblock,aswellasprograms.
Hence,itstandstoreasonthatthecreationofnewpartnershipsbetargetedtowardsthe
Tier-2,andTier-3universities.
Ithasbeenobservedthatattractingnewinstitutionalpartnerships,typicallyoccuronly
withintheTier-1universities,whichalreadyhaveprettygoodexposuretosuchprograms
asseenearlier.Therefore,topromoteinternationalisationamongstthelower-tier
universities,oneneedstolookatsectoral,orgovernment-drivenpartnerships.Onecan
alsoleveragetheon-goingboomintheEducationTechnology( EdTech)Market,which
attractscitizensfromdevelopingcountries.
Promotingsectoralorindustry-drivenpartnershipswouldinadditiontoincreasing
Internationalisation,alsobenefitthehighereducationinstitutesinthefollowingway:
HumanCapital:Partnershipsprovideatalentpipelineforindustryand
createcareeropportunitiesforstudentsthatcanincludeinternships,
fellowship,co-ops,andfull-timeroles.
Educational:Partnershipscreateeducationalopportunitiesforuniversity
andindustryparticipantsforexperientiallearning,learningnewskillsand
tools,andexposuretonewproblemsandperspectives.
Financial:P
artnershipscreatefinancialopportunitiesthatincluderesearch
funding(whichismoreimportantaspublicfundingdeclines),
commercialisationofideas,andequityinnewenterprises.
Operational:P
artnershipshaveoperationalbenefitssuchasreducedrisk
(i.e.,acompanycanuseauniversityasakindof“skunkworks”),increased
agilitytomovefasterthaneitherpartycouldintheircurrentstructuresand
fosteringcollaborationacrossdisciplinesandlocations.
Reputational:P
artnershipscanbenefituniversitiesandindustrybybringing
visibility,credibility,andprestigetoaninitiativethroughthisassociation.
Theycanalsoleadtonewpublicationsandincreasedexposure.
IntellectualProperty:Partnershipsenablethedevelopmentofnewideas
andintellectualproperty,throughaccesstocomplementaryexpertiseaswell
asthechancetobeatestbedforapplyingideas.
AsforthetypesofpartnershipsthatHEIscanbuildwithindustries,therearethe
following:
ClassProject:C
ompaniescansponsorand/orworkwithaclasstohelp
studentssolveareal-worldbusinessproblemwhilecreatingexperiential
learningopportunitiesforstudents.
CapstoneProject:C
ompaniescansponsorand/orworkwithindividualsand
teamsonamoreextendedcapstoneproject.
ResearchProject:U
niversitiesandcompaniescancontributefunds,
technology,space,andexpertisetopursuejointresearchprojects,which
maybefocusedonasinglequestion/problemorbemoreexploratory.
Position:Partnershipscanalsobeatthescaleofanindividualroleor
position,includinganexternship,internship,co-op,fellowship,or
sponsored/fundedPhD.
Product:Universitiesandcompaniescanworktogethertoproduce
something;thiscouldbeaconsumerproductor—onameta-level—aspace
orprocesstocreateproductsandservices.
Programs:Partnershipscanalsobeattheprogrammaticlevelwhere
sponsoredstaffdeliverprogramslikeskillsworkshops,networkingevents,
andmentoringprogramstosupportstudentsandfaculty.
Alliance:L
ong-termpartnershipscanbeformalisedintoalliancesthat
includeseveralofthecollaborationsmadepossiblebyasustained
relationship.
Consortium:B
eyondanalliancebetweentwoentities,universitiesand
industrycanalsoformconsortiathatbenefitfromgreaterscalewith
increaseddepthandbreadthofcollaboration.
ThenthereisalsotheEdTechspace,whichasmentionedearliercanbemadeuseof.
Today,technology’svaluetoorganisations,universitiesandindividualsincreasingly
extendsbeyondproductivitytotheenhancementoflearning,collaborating,anddecision
making.Universitieshencefinditincreasinglyimportanttodevelopandapplydigital
capabilitiesinordertosurvive,letalonethrive.
However,lower-tiercollegesanduniversitiesstruggletofindwirelessaccess,standardise
andupgradeclassroomtechnologies,anddecidewhattodoregardingtheageing
enterpriseapplications.ITfundinginhighereducationremainsazero-sumgame.Butit
cannotbeunderstatedthattechnologyisintegraltoachievingmanyofhighereducation’s
highestprioritiesandchallenges,whethertheyentail:
●automationtostreamlinecosts;
●standardstofacilitateoutsourcing,sharedservices,andpartnerships;
●studentsuccesstechnologiesandapplicationstoprovideacademicmaps,planningand
advising,earlyalerts,andprogresstracking;
●analyticstomeasureandimprovelearning,studentsuccess,institutionalefficiency,and
otherdata-informedpriorities;
●technologiesandsupportingservicestohelpfacultyusetechnologytoimproveexisting
coursesordevelopeffectiveonlinecourses;
●technologiesandsupportingservicestohelpfacultyconductresearchandscholarship
indigitalenvironmentsandwithcolleaguesacrosstheworld;
●applyingtechnologytoachieveacompetitiveedgeinpedagogy,studentoutcomesand
experiences,andresearchandscholarship;or
●safeguardinginstitutionalresourcesandreducingrisk.
Technologyisexpensiveandessential.Theselower-tiercollegesanduniversitiescannot
affordtodedicateresourcesandtimeonpoorlyconceivedorinconsequentialtechnology
investments,oroninventinglocalsolutionstowidespreadneedsbythemselves.Henceit
makessensetopartnerwithacorrespondingEdTechcompanythatcanhelpthemout
withtheirissues,andtherebyattractforeigncompaniesandinternationalstudents.Such
partnershipscaninclude:
Mission-differentiatingPrograms:I Tcapabilitiesdirectlyassociatedwith
theinstitutionalmission
CultureofInnovation:N
urturinganenvironmentthatcontinually
introducesnewideasorwaysofthinking,thentranslatestheminto
actiontosolvespecificproblemsorseizenewopportunities
E-learning:Learningthatinvolvesaweb-basedcomponent,enabling
collaborationandaccesstocontentthatextendsbeyondtheclassroom
StudentSuccessTechnologies:I nformationtechnologythathelps
studentsexploreandselectapathwayofinterest,tracksandsupports
students’progressalongtheirchosenpathwaythatultimatelyresultsin
studentsuccess,andprovidesinstitutionalleadership,faculty,and
advisorswithtoolsandinformationtheyneedtocontributetostudent
success
ResearchComputing:Servicesandinfrastructureprovidedtofaculty,
students,orresearchstaffforthepurposeofperformingresearchata
highereducationinstitution
ITmanagementPrograms:ITfunction’srelationshipwithinstitutional
management
ITGovernance:A
decision-makingprocessthatensurestheeffectiveand
efficientuseofinformationtechnologyandalignmentofthecampusIT
strategywiththeinstitution’sstrategicplan
ITRiskManagement:T
heprocessofidentifying,assessing,prioritising,
andaddressingthemajorITrisksassociatedwithaninstitution’skey
objectives
FoundationalPrograms:Theseunderpintheeffectiveandefficient
applicationofinformationtechnologytoinstitutionalpriorities.
Analytics:Theuseofdata,statisticalanalysis,andexplanatoryand
predictivemodelstogaininsightsandactoncomplexissues
InformationSecurity:Functionsandresourcesassociatedwithproviding
informationandsystemssecurityservicesandprogramsforthe
institution,includingdirectory,identitymanagement,andaccess
provisioning/deprovisioningfunctionsandroles,etc.
Annexure
DetailedRegulations
A.Accordingtothis,aFEIrequires–
1.ano-objectioncertificateissuedbytheconcernedembassyinIndia
2.Submissionofadetailedprojectplan(pertainingtoinfrastructure,faculty,fee,
curricula,etc.)alongwiththeapplicationtoAICTE
3.Accreditationbyanauthorisedagencyintheparentcountrywithhighergradeswhere
gradingisavailable
4.Anundertakingfurnishingthatthedegrees/diplomasawardedtothestudentsinIndia
shallberecognisedintheparentcompany.
Theproposalisthenscrutinisedbyastandingcommittee,andontherecommendationof
thestandingcommittee,anotherexpertcommitteethenvisitstheFEItoassess
complianceofminimumstandardsoftheAICTE.Ifallthisgoeswell,theFEIreceivesa
registrationcertificatecontainingtheintakefixedforeachprogramtotheconcerned
educationalinstitution/universityvalidforaspecifictime.Afterexpiryofthesaidperiod,
theAICTEmayextendtheregistrationorwithdrawtheregistrationorimposesuchother
conditionsforextension,baseduponregularreviews.
Theotherfeaturesofthisregulationare–
1.Duringtheperiodofoperation,theinstitutionshallbetreatedonparwithother
technicalinstitutionsinIndiaandshallbegovernedbyalltherules,regulations,norms
andguidelinesofAICTEissuedfromtimetotime.
2.Nofranchiseesystemisallowedundertheseregulations,onlydirectinvolvementora
collaborativeone.
3.TheIndiantechnicalinstitutioninterestedincollaborationmustbeanaffiliated
institutionofauniversityordeemeduniversityinIndiahavingadequateinfrastructure
4.Anycoursethatjeopardisesthenationalinterestofthecountryshallnotbeallowedto
beofferedinIndia
5.Educationalinnovationsincludingexperimentationwithdifferentmodesofdeliveryby
aFEIshallbeallowedonlyifsuchasystemiswellestablishedeitherintheirparent
countryorinIndia
6.ThefeetobechargedhastobeprescribedbyAICTE
7.TheFEIsalreadyoperatinginIndiashallhavetotakefreshapprovalfromAICTE.
Inaddition,thenotificationalsolaiddownthepunitivemeasuresandconditionsfor
withdrawalofregistrationofsuchFEIs.Inconsequencetothisnotificationonly2FEIsgot
registeredandalotofotherFEIscontinuedtheiroperationswithoutanyapproval.So,to
maketheconditionsmorestringent,anothernotificationwasintroducedin2005called
AICTEnotificationforregulationforentryandoperationofforeignuniversitiesand
institutionsimpartingtechnicaleducationinIndia,2005,whichintroducedcertain
amendmentstotheearliernotification-
1.Theforeigninstitutionmustnowsubmita‘RefundablePerformanceGuaranteeFee’
(RPGF)for“anamountasmaybespecifiedfromtimetotime”.TheRPGF“shallbe
refundedtotheconcernedInstitutionafteraspecifiedperiodbutcouldbecarried
forwardincaseofanyviolationofNorms,conditions,andrequirementsand/or
non-performancebytheinstitutionand/orcomplaintsagainsttheinstitution”.Yearly
interestaccruedontheRPGFwillbereleasedtotheinstitutionforscholarships/grantsto
studentsinlinewithAICTEguidelines
2.The2003rulerestrictingcollaborativepartnerstoAICTE-accreditedIndian
universities,deemeduniversitiesandinstitutionsaffiliatedwithIndianuniversitieshas
beenremovedfromthe2005version
3.Registrationasasocietyoratrustisnotpossibleforanyforeignbodyunlessclearedby
theexternalaffairsministry,whichwillactasadoublecheckonpreventingbogus
institutesenteringintoIndiaastheministrywillverifytheirantecedentsthroughits
embassiesandmission
4.ThecompanieshavebeenallowedtosetupcampusesthroughPPP(public-private
partnership)orthroughbuild-operate-transfermodeunderagreementwithpublicsector
5.Thepenaltieshavebeenmadeevenmorestringent.
TheaboveprovisionswereonlyfortheentitiesimpartingtechnicaleducationinIndia.
TherestillremainsalotofconfusionsurroundingregulationsforFEIswhichwantto
impartnon-technicaleducation.TheUGChaddecreedpowertoapprovenon-technical
programsofferedbyforeignuniversities.However,neithertheUGC,northerelatedNAAC
websitegivesanyindicationthatasingleforeignuniversity/institution/programhasbeen
approved/accreditedtodate.
Therealsoseemstobealackofenforcementandlackofconsumerresistance.Thereisno
evidenceeitherthatstudents/parents/employersareavoidingnon-AICTEapproved
foreigninstitutions,northatAICTEhassoughttoforceprominentforeignprovidersto
comply.Whileconsumersmaybewilling,theymaylackinformation.Manytimes,
studentsdidnotrealisethattheirprogramswerenotAICTE-approved.AICTE
non-enforcementtodatemaybeexplainedintermsoflackofdataonthescaleand
whereaboutsofforeignhighereducation,inadequateresourcestoenforceregulation,and
therelativeinsignificanceoftransnationaldeliveryintermsofenrolments(comparedto
domesticfigures).Onthedomesticfront,AICTEismuchmoreactiveandprominent.
B.Privateuniversities,thoughestablishedundertheStateActs,areregulatedbytheUGC
aspertheprovisionsoftheEstablishmentofandMaintenanceofStandardsinPrivate
UniversitiesRegulations,2003.
TheprivateuniversityisrequiredtoapproachtheStateGovernmentandsubmitan
applicationinaccordancewiththenormsofthestateprivateuniversityActoranyother
guidelineissuedbythestate.Theformatoftheapplicationanddetailsrequiredvaryfrom
statetostate.Thereisvariationintheprocessaswellastimelineforrespondingto
applications.Afterthecompletionoftheapplicationprocess,abilltoestablishthe
universityisintroducedinthelegislativeassembly.Oncethebillispassedandreceives
governor’sascent,theprivateuniversitygetsalegalexistencesubjecttocomplianceof
severalotherconditionsthatmayberequired.
SomestatessuchasRajasthan,Haryana,AssamandGujarathavepassedanumbrellaAct
specifyingindetailtheprocessandrequirementsforsettingupaprivateuniversity.In
suchstatesprivateuniversitiesareeithersetupthroughaseparateActforeachofthem,
orbyappendingtoalistofuniversities.WhiletheformerprocessisfollowedinRajasthan,
thelatterisfollowedinHaryana.
OtherstatesdonothavesuchanumbrellaActandhencetheprocessandrequirements
areopaque.InUttarPradeshforexample,eachuniversityisestablishedthrougha
separateAct.Therequirementskeepincreasingovertheyearsandthatcreatesadistorted
anddiscriminatoryfieldforprivateplayerswhoestablisheduniversitiesatdifferent
pointsintime.Thenewplayerscannotbesureabouttherequirementsuntilthey
approachthegovernmentdirectly,makingitacumbersomeandtime-consumingprocess.
ModelAssumptions
●Therelevantagegroupforhighereducationhasbeentakenas18-25yearsandhasbeen
assumedtobe40%ofthetotalpopulationinallthe10countriesforsimplicity.
●Giventhattheinflowofstudentsisexpectedtoincreasewiththesettingupofforeign
branchcampuses( FBCs)inIndia,itwillmovehigherupinthepreferencerankings.Until
now,d
emandforeducationabroadinIndiacomesfrom164differentcountries.Forthepast
10years,Indiastandsamongthetop5preferencesforhighereducationforneighboring
countrieslikeBhutan,Nepal,Afghanistan.Therefore,itisassumedthatforthese
countries,thepercentageoftotalmobilestudentswhopreferIndiawillincreasesimilarto
India’sprecedentcountryintherankings(g raphshowingtheincrements).
●Fortheremaining154countriesthatstillprefertosendtheirstudentstothealready
establishededucationhubslikeUS,UK,AustraliaandCanadaoverIndia,weneedtoat
leastmaintainthedemandfromthem,ifnotincreaseit.Therefore,forthesecountries
likeNigeria,US,Iran,Sudan,etc.,thedemandhasbeenassumedsimilartotheexisting
numbersgiventhatafteropeningupFBCs,Indiawillstillrequiresometimetocapturea
similarmarketinthesecountries.
●Apartfromthisexistingmarketof164countries,wewillbeattractingstudentsfrom
othercountriesofSouthAfrica,South-eastAsia,andotherneighboringcountrieslike
PakistanontheassumptionthatIndiawillbepreferredforhighereducationprimarily
duetoitsaffordability.Therefore,intermsoftuitionfees,ourcalculationssuggestthatif
FBCsopenupinIndia,thepopularcourseswillhaveatuitionfeerangingfrom$200-$500
whichissimilartowhattheFBCschargeinMalaysiaandmuchlowercomparedtothatof
UAEandSingaporewhichrangebetween$900-$2000.Therefore,pursuinghigher
educationinIndiafromFBCswillbemorecosteffectiveascomparedtotheUS,UK,etc.
andwillserveastheprimarymotivator.
●Lastly,theannualgrowthrateofthenumberofstudentsattractedhasbeenassumedto
be7%p.a.onthebasisofdatafromthepast10years.
References
·Ankrah,Samuel,andOmarAL-Tabbaa.2015.“Universities–industrycollaboration:A
systematicreview.”S
candinavianJournalofManagement31(3):387-408.
·Belur,Rashmi.2019.“KarnatakaisIndia’sgo-tostateforforeignstudents.”D
eccan
Herald,October06,2019.
https://www.deccanherald.com/state/karnataka-districts/karnataka-is-indias-go-to-state
-for-foreign-students-766712.html.
·C-BERT:Cross-BorderEducationResearchTeam.2016.“EducationalHubs.”
http://cbert.org/resources-data/educational-hubs/.
·C-BERT:Cross-BorderEducationResearchTeam.2020.“InternationalCampuses.”
http://cbert.org/resources-data/intl-campus/.
·Edarabia.n.d.“BestStudentCitiesinIndia(2020).”Edarabia.
https://www.edarabia.com/best-student-cities-india/.
·educations.com.2020.“StudyinIndia:AGuideforInternationalStudents.”
https://www.educations.com/study-guides/asia/study-in-india/.
·Felix,Elliot.2020.“MakingtheMostofYourUniversityPartnerships.”Bestpracticesfor
universitypartnerships.
https://www.brightspotstrategy.com/industry-university-partnerships/.
·Fusco,DominicJ.2018.“5BestPlacesforStudyAbroadinIndia.”GoAbroad.
https://www.goabroad.com/articles/study-abroad/top-5-cities-for-study-abroad-in-india
.
·Girdzijauskaite,Egle,AstaRadzeviciene,ArturasJakubavicius,andAudriusBanaitis.
2019.“InternationalBranchCampusesasanEntryModetotheForeignEducation
Market.”A
dministrativeSciences9(2):44.
·Grajek,Susan.2016.“TheDigitizationofHigherEducation:ChartingtheCourse.”
EDUCAUSEReview.
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/12/the-digitization-of-higher-education-charting-th
e-course.
·Gupta,IpsitaS.2014.“ForeignstudentsinIndia:Toppreferredstatesanduniversities.”
Shiksha.
https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/foreign-students-in-india-top-preferred-states-a
nd-universities-blogId-8185.
·Hou,AngelaY.,ChristopherHill,KarenH.Chen,andSandyTsai.2018.“Acomparative
studyofinternationalbranchcampusesinMalaysia,Singapore,China,andSouthKorea:
regulation,governance,andqualityassurance.”A
siaPacificEducationReview19:543-555.
·Knight,Jane.2004.“Internationalisationremodeled:Definition,approaches,and
rationales.”J
ournalofstudiesininternationaleducation8(1):5-31.
·Knight,Jane.2012.“Studentmobilityandinternationalisation:Trendsandtribulations.”
ResearchinComparativeandInternationalEducation7(1):20-33.
·Lane,JasonE.2011.“ImportingPrivateHigherEducation:InternationalBranch
Campuses.”J
ournalofComparativePolicyAnalysis:ResearchandPractice13(4):367-381.
10.1080/13876988.2011.583106.
·Mazzarol,Tim,GeoffreySoutar,andMichaelS.YawSeng.2003.“TheThirdWave:Future
TrendsinInternationalEducation.”I nternationalJournalofEducationalManagement17,
no.3( January):90-99.
·MinisterofHumanResourceDevelopment,DepartmentofHigherEducation,NewDelhi.
2019.A
llIndiaSurveyonHigherEducation:2018-19.N.p.:MinisterofHumanResource
Development,DepartmentofHigherEducation,NewDelhi.
https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/statistics-new/AISHE%20Final
%20Report%202018-19.pdf.
·MinistryofEducation,GovernmentofIndia.n.d.“IndianHigherEducation.”Studyin
India.https://www.studyinindia.gov.in/planyourstudies/DetailsofIndianEducations.
·MinistryofEducation,GovernmentofIndia.n.d.“StatusofInternationalStudentsin
IndiaforHigherEducation2011-12.”
https://www.education.gov.in/hi/statistics-new/statistics-new?shs_term_node_tid_depth
=385.
·Parthenon.n.d.“HigherEducationinUAE:KeyTrendsandOpportunities.”
https://cdn.ey.com/parthenon/pdf/perspectives/4.6.5-IHC-Education-Summit-2014.pdf.
·Qamar,Furqan,andVeenaBhalla.2017.I nternationalisationofHigherEducationinIndia:
AnnualSurveyofInternationalStudentsinIndia2014-15.N.p.:AssociationofIndian
Universities,NewDelhi110002( India).
https://www.aiu.ac.in/documents/international/AIU_International_Students_2017.pdf.
·Roy,Pratyush.2019.“MostForeignStudentsinIndiafromNepal&Afghanistan,
KarnatakaMostFavouredState.”CollegeDekho.
https://www.collegedekho.com/news/foreign-students-in-india-statistics-mhrd-17574/.
·Sidhu,GurnamK.,andSarjitKaur.n.d.“EnhancingGlobalCompetenceinHigher
Education:Malaysia’sStrategicInitiatives.”H
ighereducationintheAsia-Pacific.Springer,
Dordrecht,219-236.
·Tham,SiewY.2003.“InternationalizingHigherEducationinMalaysia:Government
PoliciesandUniversity’sResponse.”J
ournalofStudiesinInternationalEducation17,no.5
(October):648-662.10.1177/1028315313476954.
·UNESCOInstituteforStatistics.n.d.“UIS.Stat.”http://data.uis.unesco.org/.
·UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization,NewDelhiOffice.2014.
StatusofInternationalStudentsinIndiaforHigherEducation.N.p.:GovernmentofIndia.
http://aishe.gov.in/aishe/viewDocument.action;jsessionid=7AF5DB4A45AA92CC365751F3C48
929DE?documentId=173.
·Throsby,David.(1998).FINANCINGANDEFFECTSOFINTERNATIONALISATIONIN
HIGHEREDUCATIONTheEconomicCostsandBenefitsofInternationalStudentFlows.
·Altbach,PhilipG.,andJaneKnight.“TheInternationalisationofHigherEducation:
MotivationsandRealities.”J
ournalofStudiesinInternationalEducation11,no.3–4
(September2007):290–305.h
ttps://doi.org/10.1177/1028315307303542.