Missing link in UGC's foreign university plans to set up campuses in India

Educational emigration will remain high unless India strengthens the skill development ecosystem in higher education, say students and teachers

Indian students pursuing higher educa­tion degrees are not very excited about foreign universities setting up camp­uses in India. Last month, the University Grants Commission (UGC) unveiled draft norms for allowing, for the first time, foreign universities to set up campuses in India with autonomy to decide the admission procedure and fee structure. But students and teachers believe that foreign campuses will not be enough to stymie educational emigration.

A report on international migration patterns by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also re­cen­tly pointed out that Indians studying in economically developed countries were the most likely among all foreign students to stay back in their host country and join the local workforce. Over 650,000 Indian students went abroad in 2022 to pursue higher education, according to data shared by the education ministry in Parliament (see chart). The data also showed that most Indian students preferred Canada, the US and UK to pursue degree courses.

“The UGC’s move assumes that stud­e­n­ts will be satisfied with the tag of a prestigious global institution. But that is hardly the central motivation. University campu­ses in the US not only offer a vibrant community of international scholarship, but also an ecosystem of internships, apprenticeships, skill development and vocational training courses,” said Saurabh Gupta, who recently completed his PhD in economics from the University of Oregon and is working for Oregon’s state revenue department.

Sasha Ramani, head of corporate stra­t­egy for MPOWER Financing, which helps students to manage their finances for international educational travel, added, “We ex­p­ect the UGC decision to have little impact on the stream of Indian students going ab­road. They head abroad not only for high-quality education, but also for networking, upskilling and career opportunities. Fore­ign varsities that offer their curricula in In­dia can only provide a part of the experien­ce enjoyed by students who study abroad.”

UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar has a different view. “(The number of) Indian students who want to study abroad will be more than a million in the near fut­u­re. Campuses of foreign universities in In­dia can admit only a fraction of the students going abroad. Therefore, those who go ab­road for possible immigration after stu­dies will continue to go abroad,” he told PTI.

“Other students who do not plan to im­migrate may choose to study in the campuses of foreign higher education institutions (FHEIs) in India. Therefore, both categories of students will continue to make their choices and I do not see any problem in this,” he added.

However, foreign graduates as well as teachers disagree. They believe the courses offered in foreign institutes have strong interdisci­plinary components that branch into skill-development and vocational trai­ning cour­ses unique to their sociocultural co­ntext. An assistant professor at Delhi Uni­versity, who did not wish to be named, said, “Indian students who wish to bring their skills on a par with global in­d­ustry re­quirements, would in fact prefer to go to a university’s home campus than one in In­dia because our skill ecosystem is still not mature enough to support such integr­ated vocational training courses.” For in­s­tance in the US, international students can take courses for credit in automotive service technologies, circuitboard design, and weaving as part of their Mas­ters and PhDs.

Gupta said most students applying for foreign degrees were, in fact, using these as stepping stones for job op­p­o­rtunities in the US, UK, Canada or elsewhere. “Tem­p­orary employment op­po­rtunities like opt­ional practical training and curricular practical training, which are often built into the degree programmes, ensure that students are tuned in to the industry standards and requirements. It helps them gain a more practical and hands-on training beyond domain-specific theoretical knowledge.”

Naveen Garg, dean, international programme, at IIT Delhi, agreed. “While we have world-class inf­ra­structure, courses and teaching faculties, the high­er education ecosystem in India needs to be more thoroughly in­tegrated with the job market, in terms of apprenticeships, skill-training workshops, and vocational cou­rses. It’s not just the curriculum, but the post-curricular ecosystem as well that needs to be invested in, to not only stymie educational emigration but also help attract more international students.”

Budget 2023 has sent out positive signals for bridging the gap between the skill-development system and traditional de­gree education. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the setting up of 30 Skill India Inter­nat­ional Centres and the launch of a unified Skill India Digital platform for demand-driven formal skilling.

Radhika Shrivastava, executive director at Fortune Institute of International Bu­si­n­ess, believes foreign universities would further this process of integration by ident­ifying and mitigating bottlenecks in India’s skill development ecosystem. “It will also augment technology transfer, re­search and innovation in the country. This will further lead to the creation of strategic training programmes and a pool of proficient individuals who can leverage emerging global opportunities,” she said.

Others like Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of global business at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, sees this as an opportu­nity to tap into the “very large pool of NRI educators who are in universities all over the world and can bring the best of both: local knowledge and international experience and connections”.

Few experts bel­i­e­ve, how­ever, that the skill ecosystem and higher education are two “different animals”.

Naushad Forbes, past presi­d­ent, CII, and co chairman of For­bes Marshall, believes that whi­le “we should address our sk­i­lling needs, the higher educa­t­ion of the kind we wish to at­tr­a­ct to India is quite different”. “It is foc­u­s­ed on knowledge and life skills, not skills that help you get an immediate job. That is a different animal and a different task. For vocational skills, we should look tow­a­rds the German, Swiss, Austrian and Sin­g­a­porean apprentice systems for inspiration.”

Instead, Forbes emphasised, the gover­nment must first focus on implementing such landmark announcements as the Nat­ional Research Foundation and the alloca­tion of 25 per cent of the defence R&D bud­get for higher education system and the private sector in an effective way before implementing new schemes..

Indian campuses of such universities need to have tie-ups with corporate houses to provide summer internship opportunities and make students gainfully skilled to provide skills as well as content knowledge. Unemployability is a greater challenge in India than unemployment, which basically indicates that our graduates are not finding jobs and this is a serious matter of concern. Foreign universities setting campuses in India can bring in their experience of advanced teaching skills, and research skills, and provide international exposure to the students. - Anuradha Sridhar, Head of Training and Curriculum Planning, Aditya Birla Education Academy 

The first move is a global shift in the need for a skilled workforce which will happen through multidisciplinary education and strong industry academia interface. The concept of Liberal education will help future leaders to think differently and become a good decision maker. With the rise of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, many unskilled jobs worldwide may be taken over by machines, while the need for a skilled workforce, particularly involving mathematics, computer science, and data science, in conjunction with multidisciplinary abilities across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, will be increasingly in greater demand. - Dr Sujata Shahi, Vice Chancellor,  IILM University Gurugram

The three ideas - National Digital Library, physical libraries inwards, and collaboration between the National Book Trust and NGOs working in the field of literacy- will go a long way towards enhancing community learning. - Kamlesh Vyas, Partner Deloitte India

Union MoS (education) Subhas Sarkar clarified that, while the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Home Ministry, maintains the departure and arrival data of Indians, there is no index for capturing the category of Indians going abroad for the purpose of higher education. The purpose of Indians going abroad for higher education is captured manually based either on their verbal disclosure or the type of visa of the destination country produced by them at the time of immigration clearance. 

The below given data has been calculated by the ministry following this method.