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Foreign varsities eye tie-ups with local institutes
By agencies
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Friday, 01 July 2005, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Foreign universities seem to be making a beeline for India. Indian institutes are setting up partnerships with established foreign universities and institutions to provide professional courses like business management and media studies.
Perhaps in anticipation of the opening up of education services under GATS, well-established names like Lancaster University, Purdue and Sunderland, too, are making it to India.
Lancaster University has entered into a collaborative degree with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in Karnataka. Purdue University has tied-up with Amity of New Delhi.
The trend isnt new, but increasingly universities higher up in rankings are venturing into India. For many institutions such as the cash-strapped British universities, it has become an economic opportunity that cant be ignored.
While for the universities from the U.S., it is an opportunity to enter the Indian market. For the Indian student, it is the opportunity to earn a foreign degree in right here at home.
The desire for a foreign degree is definitely on the rise, especially in areas such as management, and other vocational courses.
But pursuing a course abroad is not always possible, the expense involved being the major obstacle.
Since there arent as many scholarships as aspirants, foreign education, often an entry point into the West, remains a dream. Realizing the huge market potential, foreign institutes are entering into partnerships with Indian institutes or companies.
Unfortunately till now the AICTE, which is charged with maintaining standards in technical and professional education, has not been able to do much.
There are the guidelines for foreign universities partnering with Indian institutes, but the guidelines are seen to be in the nature of greater bureaucratic meddling rather than by way of ensuring quality.