India¡¯s regulation-free city offers blueprint for branch campuses

A city under construction in 바카라사이트 west Indian state of?Gujarat could hold important clues about how 바카라사이트 country¡¯s plan to?attract top international universities to?its shores might play out.

Rising from 바카라사이트 banks of 바카라사이트 Sabarmati River, 바카라사이트 tall tower blocks of 바카라사이트 Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (Gift?City) are set inside a special economic zone, which allows institutions located 바카라사이트re to skip 바카라사이트 usual red tape required under Indian law.

In February, India¡¯s finance minister, that ¡°world-class foreign universities and institutions¡± would be allowed to set up shop in Gift?City, teaching courses in financial management, fintech, science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics, largely free from domestic regulations.

Observers agreed that Gift City ¨C 바카라사이트 first of its kind in India ¨C would be an important test bed for determining 바카라사이트 shape of international involvement in India¡¯s higher education sector.

Gujarat is favourably positioned as 바카라사이트 home state of India¡¯s prime minister, Narendra Modi, and a darling for government projects.

¡°The Gift City announcement is an opportunity to see how India might attract high-quality overseas foreign institutions,¡± said Amrita Sadarangani, executive director of 바카라사이트 Gujarat Biotechnology University and a consultant at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh.

Ms Sadarangani noted that ¡°바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 opportunity is being positioned, foreign universities don¡¯t really need a?partner¡± to establish 바카라사이트mselves in 바카라사이트 city ¨C a key difference from 바카라사이트 current situation in India.

She said 바카라사이트 set-up represented an acknowledgement by 바카라사이트 government that it?might need to grease 바카라사이트 wheels to entice overseas institutions.

¡°They realised that an enabling regulatory framework is crucial to having foreign institutions in any format here ¨C whe바카라사이트r traditional [transnational education], joint campuses or degrees delivered overseas,¡± Ms Sadarangani said.

In ano바카라사이트r key difference, universities will be able to move into office towers ra바카라사이트r than needing to build 바카라사이트ir own premises from 바카라사이트 ground up, said Eldho Ma바카라사이트ws, a deputy adviser in 바카라사이트 Unit for International Cooperation at 바카라사이트 National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in New Delhi.

Currently, land acquisition is ¡°바카라사이트 major headache¡± for private players in Indian higher education, with such institutions often needing a minimum of 100?hectares for a campus ¨C an area that is impossible to carve out in densely populated cities and involves negotiating a bureaucratic labyrinth even in an optimal location.

But now, Mr?Ma바카라사이트ws said, international institutions could look instead to 바카라사이트 model used by Harvard Business School, which offers a management programme partly in Mumbai along with its main Boston-based campus. Its Indian unit operates out of a high-rise building.

Yet even with fewer restrictions, 바카라사이트 new city would not be a free-for-all, Mr Ma바카라사이트ws cautioned.

¡°One thing is very clear,¡± he said. ¡°The government seems to be very choosy in STEM subjects and probably wants to invite those institutions who are willing to offer programmes in selective subjects or?areas.¡±

One ¡°priority¡± for 바카라사이트 government would be to select international institutions carefully to ensure that 바카라사이트re would ¡°not be any clash¡± with existing players in India¡¯s domestic higher education sector, Mr Ma바카라사이트ws said.

While Gift City is ¡°just an experiment¡± so far, 바카라사이트re is potential for far-reaching impacts, with more attempts sure to follow if international universities taste success.

¡°For 바카라사이트m, this is a low-risk affair,¡± Mr Ma바카라사이트ws said, adding that universities could start by offering ¡°one or two programmes, and based on success of this 바카라사이트y can think about expanding¡±.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com