Foreign varsities coming to India, Church happy

(March 17, 2010) The Indian federal cabinet on Monday, cleared a bill to allow overseas universities set up their campuses in India, which a Church official said was long overdue. The draft Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010, can now be introduced in Parliament. It seeks to allow foreign universities start campuses in India and offer degree courses. “It is indeed a step in the right direction, as it will open up opportunities for better quality education and better competition,” said Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Church in India. If it becomes a law, it will help thousands of Indian students have international quality education without leaving India, at a much cheaper fee,” he said. As many European universities also teach philosophy and theology as part of their multi-disciplinary curriculum. the new move could help get recognition for courses of certain Religious formation houses, Father Joseph added. The bill plans to give approval to foreign educational institutions within eight moths of application. They need to be registered with the University Grants Commission, or other regulatory body that will have a check on their operations.
Education Minister Kapil Sibal has already said reservation policies will not be applicable to foreign universities setting up campuses in India. The Media has hailed the new moves as the biggest reform Sibal plans to bring to Indian education. The bill, proposed four years ago, had been opposed mainly by leftwing parities, which had objected to certain provisions. Last year, it was referred to a Committee of Secretaries, which modified the draft.