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An Ivy League degree in India?

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An Ivy League degree in India?

Print Edition: Jul 12, 2009

The Foreign Universities Bill is set to be introduced in Parliament.

  • The Draft Bill suggests that the final degree should be given by the newly-formed JV entity and not the foreign university alone.
  • The draft allows courses to be offered in engineering, medicine and other areas, but not courses such as MBAs where Indian institutes are strong.
  • These JV universities may have to reserve 22.5 per cent for SC and ST students and a further 27 per cent for OBC students.
On the Prime Minister’s 100-day agenda is the Foreign Universities Bill that will make it possible for Stanfords and Inseads of the world to offer courses in India.

The Draft Bill, cleared by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, proposes a JV format allowing 40 per cent stake to the foreign university. Union Minister for Human Resources Kapil Sibal is learnt to be in favour of raising it to 49 per cent before the Bill is sent to a Group of Ministers (GoM) for clearance. At a later stage, the government could consider allowing greater ownership to foreign universities.

After the GoM’s clearance, the Bill will need the Cabinet’s nod before being introduced in Parliament. Reputed foreign universities have thus far refrained from setting up campuses in India owing to a regulatory vacuum. Some Indian universities, however, offer “foreign degrees”, often in tie-ups with littleknown foreign universities. The Bill may introduce a regulatory framework to help ease the confusion such degrees create at present.

—Puja Mehra

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