Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
GoM to decide on entry of foreign universities
By agencies
|
Wednesday, 24 August 2005, 19:30 IST
NEW DELHI: A high-powered ministerial panel is on the cards to decide on the entry of foreign universities into India in the light of stringent recommendations made by an expert committee headed by noted scientist CNR Rao.
According to government sources, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was likely to refer the matter to a group of ministers once the proposal was placed before the Cabinet by the HRD ministry. India has to open the education sector as part of its international commitment on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).
The sources said universities like Yale and Stanford have shown interest in establishing greenfield campuses in India. The governments task, however, has been complicated with the Rao committee specifying tough norms for foreign universities wanting to open campuses here.
Among the recommendations made by the panel include disallowing a significant part of the profits to be taken out of the country by foreign education providers as well as proposing a substantial security deposit as a safety measure against fly by night operators.
The committee has also suggested that those universities offering some form of joint ventures including business opportunities should be entertained. The government is also against franchising and offshore study centers, a lesson learnt from the controversy in Chattisgarh.