UGC Proposal for Overseas Universities in India: A Crisis of Three Tiers

The recent proposal of the University Grants Commission to allow foreign universities in the country to set up their campuses has created three layers of crisis. It is said that this move of the UGC will exacerbate inequalities between educational institutions.

There are a total of three participants who entered this competition of providing fair and high-quality education.  One is allowed to use four limbs, the second has tied hands and the third has both feet and hands tied. The foreign universities will be set Free means they can easily appoint their own staff and devise their programs.

They can determine their admission procedures and fee structure. There are some restrictions that they can’t offer online programs. Also, they can’t impose rules that can jeopardize the educational standard of the country. 

The condition of allowing these universities in India says that the institutions must have ranked top 500 in the world but other universities have to be merely reputed back home. 

One question arises in the mind of every person if these institutions followed their recent curricular patterns, how would they mesh with each other or how can they collaborate with Indian institutions according to the New Education Policy norms? For instance; the British mainly have three years of UG program, the US has four years, and a master's degree comes in all sizes and shapes. Some people say that the UGC appreciates and acknowledges the intellectual implications of their respective proposals. 

One of the most necessary things is the implications of tertiary education. Currently, the country provides its education in two forms: private and public institutions. On the one hand, public universities charge very low fees with no cost relation. The primary source of student funds is government grants but when these foreign universities enter the education system. Will they collaborate with our education system? 

Now the government is trying to press major hikes in fees and slashing grants provided to the institutions. These things caused unrest in IITs where candidates are reconciled to high fees where the government organizations are offering various types of funds. It is expected that the government will curtail faculty grants and appointments.