Open Campus Challenge

Context: With the New Education Policy (NEP) opening up space for foreign universities in India, the internationalization of higher education is welcomed but requires certain fine-tuning.

Factors of India’s attraction:

• Second largest education system in the world: after China, with more than 1.5 million schools, over 40,000 colleges and close to 720 universities.
• Massification of Higher Education: with a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 26.3%, which is increasing rapidly.

Internationalization of Higher Education in India: based on the mobility of students, faculty members, programmes, and institutions across countries. Measure taken by the Government of India (GoI) - 

• Mobility of Students and Faculty:
• Global Initiative of Academic Network (GIAN): aims to invite world-class scholars, scientists and researchers. 
• Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC): to promote joint research and collaboration with top QS ranking institutions.
• Study in India programme: allows meritorious students from Asian and African countries to study in top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked institutions.
• Mobility of Institutions:
• NEP aims to attract top 100 QS World Ranking universities: to open offshore campuses in India. 

Advantage of Opening Foreign Campuses in India: Foreign institutions will -  

• Reduce the migration of Indian students and provide opportunity to study in foreign universities at home. 
• Bring knowledge, technology and innovative pedagogy and set new standards in higher education.

• Enhance India’s access and exposure to global intellectual resources.

Disadvantages of the move:

• Would increase the cost of education and widen the already existing disparities in matters of accessing quality and affordable higher education. 
• Could accentuate the existing hierarchies and have a bearing on the diversity on campuses. 
• Scramble for meritorious students with many of them going to foreign campuses.

Challenges

• To widen the scope of internationalization: balancing the advantages and disadvantages of international ranking frameworks.
• The danger of falling into Policy Cracks: Several world-class institutions do not participate in any world rankings, For, E.g. Max Planck Institute
• Critiqued Rankings: There is a growing body of literature critiquing the world rankings. 
• Foreign campuses might not give preference to social sciences and humanities disciplines.
• STEM and professional courses have greater market value compared to the social sciences and humanities. 
• Vocational and skill education cannot be internationalized in the same manner as academic education. 
• Foreign varsities might not agree with the overall vision of NEP.

Conclusion: The idea of internationalization of higher education in India outlined in the NEP requires fine-tuning.