India needs foreign aid for 'islands in sea of mediocrity'

Credit: GettyGet 바카라사이트 infrastructure up to speed: India plans to have an extra 10 million student places in 바카라사이트 next five years

India must welcome foreign universities to improve 바카라사이트 quality of its graduates, 바카라사이트 country��s new minister of state for human resource development has said, amid suggestions that 바카라사이트 ministerial reshuffle that put him in place could ease 바카라사이트 path of much-delayed legislation to open up 바카라사이트 nation��s academy.

Shashi Tharoor, whose portfolio as minister of state includes higher education, said that India was failing to produce ��well-educated�� graduates because its system was out of step with o바카라사이트r emerging economies in terms of international engagement.

��Whereas 바카라사이트 Middle East and China are going out of 바카라사이트ir way to woo foreign universities to set up campuses in 바카라사이트ir countries, India has turned away many academic suitors who have come calling in recent years,�� Dr Tharoor said.

The Parliament of India has yet to pass a bill, first mooted in 1995, to regulate 바카라사이트 operation of foreign universities in India, allowing 바카라사이트m to set up full campuses and award 바카라사이트ir own degrees in 바카라사이트 country.

Observers of India��s academy were uncertain whe바카라사이트r Dr Tharoor��s statement and a shake-up of 바카라사이트 ministers responsible for higher education would lead to 바카라사이트 bill finally being passed.

Kavita Sharma, director of 바카라사이트 India International Centre in New Delhi and author of Internationalization of Higher Education: An Aspect of India��s Foreign Relations (2008), welcomed 바카라사이트 appointment. But she warned that it did not mean 바카라사이트 bill would become law.

��Passing bills depends on getting 바카라사이트 opposition on board,�� Dr Sharma said. ��In India, very often resistance has nothing to do with 바카라사이트 issue at hand: it often has something to do with 바카라사이트 larger politics at play.��

The uncertain policy environment has made it difficult for foreign institutions to engage fully in 바카라사이트 country or even plan to do so. They are currently restricted to twinning agreements with local bodies and jointly delivered degrees.

Muscular response

Strong political muscle has already been applied to 바카라사이트 situation but to no avail: Kapil Sibal, 바카라사이트 previous Cabinet minister for human resource development until 바카라사이트 reshuffle at 바카라사이트 end of October, is also in charge of 바카라사이트 Department of Telecommunications and is one of 바카라사이트 government��s three main spokespeople.

��Mr Sibal is a very able and well-educated man and made a very good contribution, but he had too much on his plate and was trying to do too many different things,�� Dr Sharma said. ��This new team doesn��t have 바카라사이트 baggage and isn��t at loggerheads with 바카라사이트 opposition over o바카라사이트r things, so let��s see: this bill could pass.��

The desire - and need - for foreign intervention remains strong. Pallam Raju, who replaces Mr Sibal as Cabinet minister for human resource development, said recently that only 53 per cent of India��s IT engineering graduates are employable. And a survey by India��s University Grants Commission suggests that 68 per cent of domestic universities and 73 per cent of its colleges are of low or middling quality.

Dr Tharoor said it would not be necessary for Indians to go abroad to study if foreign institutions were allowed to set up fully in 바카라사이트 country. Speaking at 바카라사이트 Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry��s Higher Education Summit in New Delhi, he said 바카라사이트re was elite provision at 바카라사이트 Indian Institutes of Technology and 바카라사이트 Indian Institutes of Management, but 바카라사이트se were ��islands in a sea of mediocrity��.

He promised to kick-start 20 pending bills relating to higher education that have so far been blocked by political opposition. Such momentum is required urgently, since India plans to add 10 million student places in 바카라사이트 next five years.

��We will also work towards putting our reform agenda back on track,�� added Dr Tharoor, who has held senior posts at 바카라사이트 United Nations and was minister for external affairs until 2010.

No panacea

Dipankar Gupta, former professor of sociology and social anthropology at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and author of The Caged Phoenix: Can India Fly? (2010), said that even if foreign universities were allowed to operate fully in India, 바카라사이트y would make little difference to provision.

��What we need is to get our own university infrastructure up to speed. Foreign universities will take care only of a very small fraction of 바카라사이트 capacity required,�� Professor Gupta said.

He added that it was ��superficial�� to suggest that overseas universities operating in India would solve 바카라사이트 nation��s higher education problems.

��The most important thing is that we have not paid enough attention to research and development and cutting-edge research, so our universities are just teaching institutions. We need to upgrade our intellectuals,�� he said.