50 foreign institutes await nod

Nearly 50 proposals from foreign universities, including Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Imperial College London, are awaiting the government’s clearance.

But of these institutions, very few are planning campuses in India, a source in the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) said. The majority have expressed a desire to enter the Indian education market either in collaboration with domestic institutions or through twining programmes where part of a course will be taught in India and part in the parent institution.    

The MHRD plans to have a time-bound schedule to approve the proposals, which probably were the driving force behind Union human resources minister Kapil Sibal resuscitating the Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, which was hanging fire for four years.

If the bill is passed by Parliament, the government will clear proposals within eight months from their date of submission.
The source said that foreign education providers are closely following the legislation, expected to be tabled in Parliament shortly, though it is being opposed by the opposition in its present form.