Top Indian institutes should get as much autonomy: AIU to UGC on foreign universities setting up campuses in India

Karam Prakash

Advertisement

New Delhi, January 12

Welcoming the Union government’s move to open doors for the foreign universities to set up their campuses in the country, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to provide them equal playing field.

UGC is a top nodal agency in Indian higher education.

After holding discussions with vice chancellors of various universities, AIU suggested UGC that top Indian higher education institutions should also get as much academic and financial autonomy as was being extended to foreign universities.

“At least, top Indian Institutes of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) should get some autonomy so as to make them compete with the foreign universities – which will be setting up their campuses in India,” one of the suggestions put forward by AIU to UGC.

This comes after UGC, last week, released draft regulations for the foreign universities to open campuses in India.

Government should come up with legislation instead of issuing regulatory orders, to deal with incoming foreign universities, was another suggestion that AIU sent to the UGC.

“Regulatory orders change every now, and then. Government – after discussion – should bring in some legislation, to give rigidity to the move, before allowing foreign campuses,” AIU proposed.

Besides this, AIU, expressing fear, said that UGC should, initially, allow only top 100 universities in world ranking instead of 500. Along with this, AIU also expressed concerns over the fate of state universities once foreign universities set up their campuses.

“We have submitted some suggestions to the UGC after discussion with VCs of Indian Universities. We hope UGC will consider these suggestions as these were genuine concerns raised by the VCs, said one of the officials of the AIU.