Last Update: March 17, 2023, 11:16 IST
Several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are receiving requests from Middle-East and South Asian countries to set up their campuses (File photo/News18)
M Jagadesh Kumar said that many countries are coming forward to provide infrastructure to Indian universities to set up overseas campuses and UGC will help the institutions to identify countries where they can set up their offshore campuses.
African and Gulf countries, Thailand and Vietnam are among the possible destinations for Indian universities to set up their offshore campuses, according to UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, for which rules are ready and will be announced in a month.
In an interview to PTI, Kumar said that several countries are coming forward to provide infrastructure to Indian universities to set up campuses abroad and the University Grants Commission (UGC) will help the institutions identify those countries Where they can set up their offshore premises.
“Internationalization of Education” plan outlined in the new National Education The policy (NEP) includes three major reforms – allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India, Indian universities to set up campuses abroad and twinning, double degrees and joint degree programs in Indian universities in collaboration with foreign universities.
“We have a huge university ecosystem in India. There are excellent universities both central government, state government funded and private universities. We want to encourage these universities to set up their campuses abroad. Some countries are coming forward to provide infrastructure for our universities to set up their campus.
“We have countries where we have large Indian diaspora who want our campuses to come and provide education,” he said.
Asked about the countries that have expressed interest in welcoming Indian universities, Kumar said “many African countries”.
“There is a huge potential for setting up campuses in African countries. Thailand, Vietnam and some Gulf countries… there is immense interest and the opportunities are immense. It’s just that we don’t have any enabling regulations so far,” he said.
Many Indian Institutes of technology (IITs) are receiving requests from Middle-East and South Asian countries to set up their campuses. While IIT Delhi is considering setting up a campus in the UAE, IIT Madras is exploring options in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tanzania. IIT campuses in Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia and the UK are also in the pipeline.
“IITs are known as Institutes of National Importance, they function under the IIT Council. It has its own rules and regulations under which they can set up their premises. Already some IITs are working on that.
The Center had last year constituted a committee headed by K Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Standing Committee of the IIT Council. The panel has recommended creating a common system of IITs, such as National Institutes of Technology (NITs) or Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), under which a series of institutes can be set up as the current IIT Act provides for creating one. does not do. IITs outside the country
The panel had recommended that the offshore campuses of the IITs could be named as “India International Institutes of Technology” and faculty members from prestigious institutes of technology here could be sent on deputation abroad. IITs in India can receive royalties from campuses abroad for using their brand names.
The UGC last month announced that foreign universities would be able to set up their campuses in India for the first time and unveiled draft norms under which these varsities can also decide on the admission process, fee structure and repatriate their funds. Can
Kumar said that taking into account the feedback received from the stakeholders, the final criteria would also be declared within a month.
“This UGC regulation to bring campuses of foreign educational institutions in India is widely discussed in our country because of the potential benefits it can bring to our students. Now the rules are being corrected. We also discussed with the delegations of various foreign universities visiting UGC, we have prepared the draft for feedback and we have received very good response. In the next one month, we will be able to issue the final rules.
The UGC had amended its rules in 2021, allowing reputed institutions to set up campuses abroad after obtaining no-objection certificates from the Ministries of External Affairs and Home Affairs.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)