Budget session may take a call on Foreign Education Bill

Industry experts and academics are hopeful that the government, during this Budget session, will take decisions regarding crucial issues like the entry of foreign universities in India, and the abolition of “controversial” regulatory bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal earlier stated that no policies made by the previous government would be cancelled, which implies that pending Bills like the Right to Education, Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operations, Maintenance of Quality and Prevention of Commercialisation) and the Distance Education Council (DEC) are most likely to be taken up in Parliament during this session.

The Foreign Education Bill, if passed, will allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) by universities. In all likelihood, the government may pass this Bill with some caveats. As Sibal told this paper earlier that “...foreign institutions should also be entitled to invest in education within a regulated framework to achieve the three principles. However, these should not be for-profit enterprises to subsidise education abroad”.
 

IN THE PIPELINE

May be introduced in the Budget session:

* Foreign Education Bill

* Right to Education Bill

* Public-private partnership (PPP) in education

* Abolition of regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE; institution of independent body IRAHE

* Establishment of central universities

* Increasing Budget outlay

* Accreditation of all higher and technical educational institutions

The Budget session is also likely to deliberate on the issue of the PPP (model) referring to both private and public investments in education. The HRD ministry is in favour of the PPP model and is all set to formulate a broad framework to attract private agencies for collaboration in expanding education facilities in the country and has decided to set up 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), 600 polytechnics and 3,500 Model Schools in the PPP mode.

Moreover, the other issues that will merit attention include academic reforms like overhauling the affiliating systems, preparing PPP frameworks, rationalisation of fee structures, regulation of deemed universities, credit transfers, sharing of teaching and regulatory frameworks for collaboration by universities and colleges with institutions in other countries with respect to dual degree arrangements. This also means that there will be an overarching regulatory body (the Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education, or IRAHE) above the UGC and AICTE as suggested by both the National Knowledge Commission and the Yash Pal committee.

“Our education system has been slow in responding to the changes around us. For instance, management institutes like us are now questioned about the relevance of the management education being offered after the economic slowdown. So, for us to live up to what is expected from us, we will have to incorporate the changes,” said Devi Singh, director, IIM-Lucknow.

Besides, development through expansion refers to creation of eight new IITs, 20 NITs, 3 IISERs, 7 IIMs, 2 SPAs and 210 new community colleges. On the demand for OBC quota in private educational institutions, the HRD ministry is in favour of a consensus through consultations with all stakeholders on the issue which needs to be dealt with “circumspection”.