Indian institutes with B accreditation can now go for twinning

Indian institutes with grade B accreditation can now also enter into collaboration with foreign players.
With increased number of Indian institutes offering twinning courses with foreign players, UGC has notified a set of regulations making an institute in India with a B grade accreditation also to enter into collaboration with a foreign institute.
The foreign institutions, however, should be accredited with the highest grade in their homeland to enter twinning arrangements with those Indian institutions, the gazette notification said.
"At the time for agreement for collaboration, Indian educational institution shall have accreditation by National Assessment and Accreditation Council with a grade not less than B or its equivalent grade," the notification said.

Sources said, foreign collaboration with B grade Indian institutions would enable these institutes improve quality.
Indian educational institutions already having a collaborative arrangement shall comply with these regulations within a period of six months, the notification said.

Besides, the Indian institutes collaborating with foreign institutes shall have experience of at least five years offering educational programmes at the level of degree and post graduate diplomas.
Violations of the rules could lead to termination of the MoU entered into for collaboration.
The regulations would be called as The UGC (Promotion and Maintenance of Standards of Academic Collaborations between Indian and Foreign Educational Institutes) Regulations 2012.

Technical institutes would not come under the purview of the regulations while government institutes shall be exempted from accreditation for the purpose of these regulations.
Statistics reveal that at present about 50 foreign institutes are operating in India through twinning arrangement.
Twinning programmes not only promise an international degree but an exposure to foreign campuses.
All institutes (Indian and foreign) involved in collaborations shall make public the academic requirements and other details of the programme in respective websites before commencement of the programme by Indian educational institutes concerned.
No programme and research shall be offered which is against national security.