The decision of the NDA Government to re-consider the foreign education Bill is welcome. It has the potential to link global education to the local, writes SWATI PAl
The Union Government is mulling over the idea of opening doors to foreign universities andm to this effect, it is re-considering the foreign educational institutions Bill. The Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, was introduced by the United Progressive Alliance Government, but had lapsed with the end of the 15th lok Sabha. The emphasis of the BJP Government on Make in India and Skill India makes education in India an inseparable component. One of the tasks of the National National Institution for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog is to draw a policy guidelines that not only bring in foreign investment in education, but also provide transparent and unhindered clearance for foreign education providers. Assuming that Niti Aayog takes up the task, striking a right balance will be critical for it, since education is both an effect and an instrument of social change.
Significantly, the much debated question of whether for-profit institutions will be allowed entry will be central to the Bill. What the UPA failed to drive through, the NDA might achieve. It is quite clear that reputed foreign universities will not step into India if they are not allowed to repatriate profits. But it is equally important that the Government defines what ‘foreign universities of excellence’ means. Education and profit have always had an uncomfortable relationship and, therefore, the issue becomes political and divisive. But the reality that education is opportunity and opportunity is money cannot be overlooked. A path to upward mobility requires finance and financing comes with risk. The flip side will be that many students will be left behind rather than being thrust ahead.
Keeping these issues and challenges apart, the focal point of foreign investment in education is to give a thrust to India as an Asian hub — a hub of innovation, business and education, driven by strategic policies targeted at economic development. It will also make economic sense for India to become a net foreign exchange earner by attracting students from the neighbouring countries and the extended neighbourhood. However, with quality and education standards varying drastically, it will not be an easy task. More so, the ethos of Indian education, with its emphasis on social duties and character building, also need to be protected and balanced with modern and scientific education.
By 2020, India is projected become the youngest country with 64 per cent of its population in the working age group. Contrast this with an aging China, the West and Japan. India is expected to be a supplier of manpower to the rest of the world with a projected surplus of 47 million workers by 2020. Economists believe that the demographic potential can add a significant two per cent to the gross domestic product growth rate. A higher education system geared to train a young India population with quality education is a necessity, lest it becomes a demographic burden.
India is realising rather late that human resources is the foundation on which a strong economy is built and, thus, has to be nurtured through investment in education and vocational training. With the possibility of top foreign universities coming to India, home grown universities and institutions need to wake up. Most Indian universities, given societal pressure, are focused on teaching, as compared to the universities of the West, which are far more research-oriented. There is a need to make the universities dynamic by balancing teaching and research and where fundamental research can be converted into applied research. The industry has also largely failed to involve itself in the curriculum development. The challenge is to not to produce graduates but employable graduates; likewise, investment in education is ineffective without good teachers.
Finally, whether it is foreign or home grown universities, responsibilities of higher education to the development agenda needs to be emphasised. Since stakes are higher in case of foreign universities, the agenda should be made a compulsory component. Importantly, the involvement of the local community, where the university is set up, in the study of the social, the economic, the cultural and the linguistic, will add quality and insight to research and findings. The university community participation will equally help in creating awareness and eradicating regressive social attitudes. Indeed the foreign education Bill can be a catalyst and can link the global to the local.
(The author teaches in the Department of English at Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi)