What is Cross Border Higher Education?

1
Cross Border Higher Education India's
Response forA Regional Conference on
Strategic Choices for Higher Education
ReformDecember 3-5, 2007 organized
byMinistry of Higher Education Malaysiathe
World Bank Asha Gupta Director, Directorate of
Hindi Medium Implementation University of Delhi
2
What is Cross Border Higher Education?

• According to the Global Education Digest (2006),
  students mobility surged from 1.75 to 2.5
  million during 1999-2004, a rise of 40.
• Cross border higher education is in vogue these
  days. By CBHE we imply higher education that
  takes place in situations where teachers,
  students, programmes, institutions/providers or
  course materials cross national jurisdictional
  borders.
• It may include higher education by public/private
  and not-for profit/for profit providers. Though
  small in scale, it has bigger impact than
  for-profit higher education. It can take various
  forms ranging from face to face higher education
  to e-learning.
• Though the term cross-border is used
  interchangeably with global, international,
  borderless, transnational or multinational,
  it is not correct to do so.
• In fact, the term cross-border implies an
  awareness and recognition of national borders and
  all that means in terms of political, social and
  cultural specific norms and realities found
  within.
• One can have access to international higher
  education without crossing the borders.
  Internationalization of higher education implies
  integration of international, intercultural
  and/or global dimension into the goals, functions
  and delivery of higher education.
• By CBHE, we usually imply students following a
  course or programme of study that has been
  produced, and maintained, in a country different
  from ones country of residence.
• Source John Daniel, Asha Kanwar and Stamenka
  Uvalic-Trumbic A Tectonic Shift in Global Higher
  Education. Change. July /August 2006.

3
Modes of CBHE Supply
4
Why Cross Border Higher Education?

• With massification of higher education, we find
  sudden escalation in the demand for higher
  education that cannot be met by most governments
  on their own. CBHE is the natural choice.
• The estimates are that by 2020 there will be 165
  billion people seeking higher education,
  including 7.2 billion international students.
• About 60 of demand is likely to come from India
  and China, the two most populous states, emerging
  economies and world power in making.
• In the wake of knowledge-based and
  technology-driven economies, it is necessary to
  upgrade ones skills constantly.
• CBHE helps in capacity building, human resource
  development, practical and relevant education,
  professional training, broadening ones outlook,
  acceptance of multiculturalism, ethnic or
  linguistic diversities, etc.
• It can be seen both as a political strategy and
  economic device towards educational
  internationalism and cooperation.
• The media too is found playing a proactive role
  in promoting the consumption of higher education
  by spreading/strengthening the myth that the more
  you learn the more you earn!
• The very purpose of CBHE has changed from pursuit
  of knowledge to gaining job-oriented skills.
• Source Asha Gupta. Education in the 21st
  Century Looking Beyond University. (forthcoming,
  Shipra, 2008, New Delhi).

5
Whither Higher Education in India?

• India is more than a state and almost like a
  continent. We find development underdevelopment
  juxtapositioned.
• It has the credit of running the 3rd largest
  higher education system after China and US.
• It has 348 including 62 deemed to be
  universities, 17973 colleges, 11 centers for open
  learning, 11.8 million students and 0.5 million
  teachers (2006-07).
• India has inherited the British system of
  affiliation. Only the universities have degree
  granting power.
• About 70 of higher education institutions are
  privately managed. They are affiliated to public
  universities or open learning centers. There are
  only 10 private universities.
• India has the advantage of 350 million middle
  class willing to invest into quality higher
  education.
• It has demographic advantage of having 60 of its
  population below the age of 25.
• Only 8-10 of adults are in continuing education.
• India has robust economic growth at the rate of
  9. About 60 contribution comes from the service
  sector
• India has great potential of becoming a hub for
  Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), especially
  in leagl services, data analysis, animation and
  design, business and market research,
  biotechnological and intellectual property
  research
• The economic growth is led by private sector that
  is willing to invest into higher education and
  professional training.
• India spends only 0.68 of its GDP on higher
  education. Only 13 of the youth have access to
  higher education.

6
Indias Response to Cross Border Higher Education

• India became more outward looking, globally
  connected and innovation-driven after economic
  liberalization in July 1991.
• The new economic policy has a definite bearing on
  higher education in India though it has a record
  of CBHE as early as 4th and 5th century when
  scholars from far off places flocked to Nalanda
  and Taxila in quest of knowledge for the sake of
  knowledge and cultural diversity.
• Shanti Niketan, established in 1929, attracted
  many scholars from abroad. Its founder Rabindra
  Nath Tagore used to assert that India has an
  obligation to offer the hospitality of her best
  culture and it has the right to accept from
  others their best.
• Today, India is sending a large number of
  students abroad in pursuit of higher education
  and professional training, at the exorbitant
  costs of US 4 billion per annum.
• Indian government is now willing to allow 100
  FDI in higher education in India. Most of the
  CBHE in India falls in the category of Mode 3
  (commercial presence) or Mode 1 (higher education
  through distance learning). 5 seats are now
  reserved for foreign students.
• Joint degrees and collaborative programmes are
  becoming more popular. Manipal Academy has
  collaboration with Malaysian Medical College at
  Maleka, BITS Pilani has launched a business
  school in Dubai and Wharton has a management
  programme in Hyderabad, IIT with French
  collaboration in Singapore.
• India has the advantage of 350 million people
  having English language skills (UK has 60, US 250
  and China 200 million).
• India has the credit of providing 3rd largest
  pool of skilled personnel worldwide. It is one of
  the five telecom giants and has 4th biggest
  economy in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
  despite 13 access to higher education.
• We find national mind in favour of CBHE but
  national heart against it. It applies to
  globalization, economic liberalization and
  privatization as well.
• It is feared that CBHE can adversely affect
  national sovereignty and boost hegemony of the
  West and English language.
• In the absence of proper regulatory regime,
  certain unscrupulous foreign institutions can
  take undue advantage of unmet demand in India by
  operating fly by night institutions of low
  caliber or by offering degrees/diplomas not even
  recognized in their own countries.
• Students and their families can be easily duped
  and exploited by full page advertisements in
  local and national dailies. Such institutions may
  also be found lacking in terms of linguistic,
  ethnic, gender, religious, regional or cultural
  sensitivities.
• India is now planning to develop ways and means
  for dealing with this situation.

7
Pros and Cons of CBHE

• Leads to intellectual enrichment, broadening of
  cultural outlook, and forging of meaningful
  international ties.
• Can be useful in managing globalization and
  enhancing human capital.
• Creates scope for business-academia interface and
  exposure to work scenario in future.
• Leads to entrepreneurship-hallmark of knowledge
  based and technology driven economy.
• Being a young nation, a sizeable demand for
  Higher education is likely to come from India
  itself. It is rich both in terms of quality as
  well as quantity as far as human resource is
  concerned.
• Helps in brain circulation and brain gain rather
  than brain drain.
• Enhances professional skills through diversity,
  critical thinking and innovation.
• Strengthens communication skills through group
  discussions and interactive sessions in
  multi-cultural and multi-lingual settings.
• Exposes to latest educational technology and
  practical insights.
• India can hope to improve its share in the
  business of higher education through CBHE by
  adopting supportive policies and removing some of
  the undue apprehensions and bottlenecks.

• Indian psyche is against commercialization of
  education. It considers imparting education as a
  noble task.
• No distinction is made between profit and
  profiteering',' self-interest and selfish
  interest.
• CBHE is seen as detrimental to national interests
  due to huge disparities in exports and
  imports of higher education.
• More Indians go abroad at exorbitant costs,
  whereas India can provide quality education that
  can also be cost effective.
• Indians feel that India should become an
  educational hub itself as it is multi-cultural
  and has the advantage of English as medium of
  instruction.
• Indians are averse to exploitation and low
  quality higher education by foreign providers.
• They are critical of fly by night operations by
  dubious stakeholders.
• India is known for adopting cautious approach .It
  saved itself from Asian Crisis.
• Many Indians feel that CBHE is not easily
  accessible, affordable and available to the vast
  majorities.
• It can only widen the already prevailing chasm
  in terms of socio-economic, regional, cultural or
  gender perspectives.

8
Regional Disparities in India in Terms of CBHE
9
Disincentives for Foreign Stakeholders for
Starting Branch Campuses in India

• Large endowments expected of foreign universities
  
• Remittances/profits not allowed
• Government plans to impose social responsibility
  even on foreign universities, such as, free
  ships, reservation, etc.
• Too many regulations, very little support
• No clear legal direction
• Frequent judicial interventions
• Too much politics, less business

10
Types of Foreign Collaborations in India

• Foreign HEIs can be diversified into 4 categories
  on the basis of a survey carried out by National
  Institute of
• Educational Planning and Administration (now
  NUEPA) in 2004

11
Rise of For-Profit Private

• In ancient India it was believed that Saraswati
  (the Goddess of Learning) cannot co-exist with
  Lakshmi (the Goddess of Wealth).
• The brahmins (the learned) were accorded higher
  social status than the kshatriyas (the warriors),
  vaishyas (the commercial class) and the shudras
  (manual workers).
• Imparting knowledge was seen as a noble task and
  profit-seeking was considered demeaning.
• Though profit-seeking is still illegal and a
  taboo, institutions, such as, National Institute
  of Information Technology (NIIT) and APTECH (a
  computer and online training courseware) are
  making huge profits.
• Aptech systems revenue was in excess of Rs.
  9226.70 million (208.75 million USD) in 2006 and
  is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and
  National Stock Exchange, India.
• NIIT is also doing remarkably well on the stock
  market. In 2006-07, its profit scaled up by 22.
  It has a tie up with Intel Corporation for
  developing a multi-core training curriculum.
• APTECH and NIIT are registered with the Ministry
  of Trade and not with the Ministry of Human
  Resource Development. They have branches in more
  than 35 countries ranging from US to Africa.
• NIIT was set up in 1981 as a computer training
  institution. Today it has become a leading
  provider of IT services worldwide.
• They have devised special curriculum to meet the
  short-term and long-term demands of the
  knowledge-based and technology-driven economy. It
  blends classroom teaching with on-line learning.
  They are highly practical.
• Today they enjoy full-fledged status of deemed to
  be university.

12
Deemed to be University A Short Cut?

• Under Section 3 of the UGC Act of 2000, this
  status can be conferred to those post-secondary
  institutions, including private and foreign
  collaboration, which are either
• Engaged in teaching programme and research in
  chosen fields of specialization, which are
  innovative, and of very high academic standards
  at the Masters (or equivalent) and/or research
  levels. It should have a greater interface with
  society through extra mural, extension and field
  action related programmes.
• Making in its area of specialization, distinct
  contribution to the objectives of the university
  education system through innovative programmes
  and on being recognized as a university capable
  of further enriching the university system as
  well as strengthening teaching and research in
  the institutions and particularly in its area of
  specialization.
• Competent to undertake application-oriented
  programmes in emerging areas, which are relevant
  and useful to various development sectors and
  society in general.
• Institution should have the necessary viability
  and a management capable of contributing to the
  university ideas and traditions.
• Source www.ugc.ac..in

13
Role of Private Sector in Enhancing Access to
Higher Education (2004)

• Country of Enrolment Receives
  Sends
• in Private from abroad abroad
• Australia 1 166,954(16.6) 6,434
  (0.5)
• New Zealand 7 26,359(13.5)
  6,513 (2.4)
• Japan 77 117,903 (2.7) 60,424 (0.8)
• South Korea 81 7,843 (0.2)
  1,339 (0.1)
• Brazil 68 1,260 (-) 19,619 (0.1)
• Philippines 66 4,744 (0.2) 6,974
  (0.1)
• Russian Federation 11 75,786 (0.9)
  34,473 (0.3)
• Malaysia 32 27,731 (4.4) 40,884 (1.9)
• India 31 7,738 (0.1) 123,559 (0.1)
• USA 24 572,509 (3.4) 41,181 (0.2)
• Macao, China 67 14,627(58.9) 853
  (2.4)
• UK 100 300,056(13.4) 23,542 (0.6)
• South Africa 9 (2001) 49,979
  (7.0) 5,619 (0.1)
• Indonesia 61 ----- 31,687 (0.1)
• Source UNESCO Institute for Statistics on
  Global Education Digest 2006132-37. Figures in
  bracket are from PROPHE.

14
What Needs to be Done?

• Be prepared for the diversity of cross border
  providers. It can take various forms, such as
  franchise, branch campus, study centers,
  twinning, joint or double degree, validation,
  articulation by way of credit transfers,
  e-learning,etc.
• It is important to assure quality of higher
  education provided instead of putting barriers.
  Students should have access to all relevant
  information and documents.
• It is important to develop regional network to
  check undue commercialization, fake universities,
  lower standards or high fees.
• It is important to be sensitive to local culture,
  languages and needs as providers or receivers of
  CBHE services.
• Strengthen the regulatory framework by roping in
  both for-profit and non-profit private/ community
  colleges.
• Quality without equity or access has no meaning
  in a democratic set up. The purpose of quality
  should be to promote innovation and creativity
  rather than enforcing uniformity, discipline or
  central control in a federal set up.
• There can be a separate set up for domestic and
  foreign providers. Assessment and accreditation
  can be mandatory or voluntary.
• Cross border higher education should be seen as a
  contribution towards human, social, cultural,
  scientific and economic development.
• There should be proper guidelines for all the
  stakeholders and providers for short-term and
  long-term partnerships in mutual interest.

15
A Case for the Foreign Universities Bill

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human
  Resource Development has shown support towards
  collaborations with foreign universities in its
  172nd report (May 22 , 2006).
• The idea is to expand equity, relevance, quality,
  governance and funding.
• The Committee acknowledged the lack of database
  on foreign HEIs already functioning in India.
  Most of the existing 150 foreign HEIs are
  supposed to be functioning illegally.
• While many foreign institutions, including,
  Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and
  Purdue universities are keen to come to India and
  need simpler rules.
• The foreign universities/stakeholders, such as,
  Sylvania Lauriat, are turning away from India due
  to lack of clear guidelines and ambiguity in
  regulatory environment.
• The NAAC, responsible for assessment and
  accreditation of HEIs in India has not been able
  to evolve quality assurance mechanisms for
  foreign higher education institutions.
• Fiscal and other incentives can work better than
  rigid adherence to rules and regulations. Like
  the telecom sector, higher education can also be
  de-regularized in public interest.
• India needs innovative and creative solution as
  only 15 of its trained engineers are employable
  in global markets, only 13 of its youth have
  access to higher education including
  polytechnics, private and part-time education and
  93 of its workforce remains in unorganized
  sector.
• It needs blending of national and foreign,
  academic and vocational, face to face and
  distance, job oriented and lifelong learning in
  various permutations and combinations.

16
Important Provisions of the Pending Bill

• Foreign Educational institutions (Regulation and
  Operation, Maintenance of Quality and Prevention
  of Commercialization) Bill was to be introduced
  in the Rajya Sabha in May 2007. Due to resistance
  from the Left, it could not be introduced. The
  main highlights were
• Section 2(e) defined FEI as an institution
  established or incorporated outside the territory
  of India which has been offering educational
  services in India or proposes to offer courses
  leading to award of degrees or diplomas through
  conventional method in the territory of India
  independently or in collaboration, partnership or
  in a twinning arrangement with any educational
  institution situated in India.
• Section 2(o) defined twinning arrangement as a
  programme whereby students enrolled with the FEI
  complete their study partly in any other
  educational institution situated outside India.
• Section 3(1) held no FEI shall admit students,
  levy or collect any fee from a student in the
  territory of India for ant course of study
  leading to the award of a degree or a diploma, by
  whatever name called, unless such institution has
  been notified by the central government as an
  institution deemed to be university under
  Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act
  of 1956.
• Once a FEI is declared a deemed to be university,
  it will be known as Foreign Education Provider
  (FEP) under Section 2(f). No FEP can start
  functioning in India unless accorded Deemed to be
  University status first.
• Section 3 clearly stipulated that the provisions
  of this Act would apply only if a FEI wants to
  start an educational institution independently.
  It would not apply in case joint arrangement are
  made with any recognized institution.
• The prime object of this Act is to stop
  unscrupulous private higher education
  institutions entering into collaboration with the
  FEIs just to make huge profits by
  commercialization of higher education and also to
  stop FEIs from duping the students in India by
  making false propaganda.
• Section 5(1) made provision for assuring quality
  regarding the curriculum methods of teaching and
  faculty offered by a FEP comparable to those
  available in the country of its origin.
• Section 5(2) prohibited a FEP from offering a
  course adversely affecting the sovereignty and
  integrity of India or hurting the cultural and
  linguistic sensitivities of people of India.
• Section 5(3) made it mandatory for a FEP for
  depositing 25 of the income into the corpus fund
  and the rest for the development of the HEI in
  India. No restriction was provided for the
  repatriation of surplus in revenue generated in
  India by way of fee collection.
• Under Section 7, a provision was made that if a
  FEP violated any provision of this Act, the UGC
  Act or any other Act in force in India having
  bearing on maintenance of standards , then its
  status as Deemed to be University could be
  cancelled and alternate arrangements made for the
  students.
• A provision was made under Section 9(1) to exempt
  certain FEIs from this Act provided they had high
  reputation and standing and were wiling to invest
  at least 51 of the total capital expenditure
  required for the institute and gave an assurance
  that no part of the surplus revenue generated in
  India would be invested for any other purpose
  except for the growth and development of the HIE
  in India.
• This provision gave overriding powers to Central
  Government, its Advisory Body, UGC, AICTE and
  MCI.
• Source Vijender Sharma FEI Bill Crass
  Commercialization of Higher Education. Peoples
  Democracy. May 27, 2007.

17
Existing Policy vs. Desired Policy

• At present, the entry of foreign universities in
  India is resisted as there is no policy
  guidelines on foreign universities despite the
  craze for foreign degrees by the affluent middle
  class.
• Foreign education is seen as market-driven and
  polemic and not substantial for meeting the
  challenges offered by life.
• Indian political economy is not yet ready to
  grant full autonomy to foreign providers as far
  as syllabus, faculty, fee structure and degree
  granting powers are concerned.
• The influx of foreign private and for-profit
  HEIs, such as, Phoenix University run by Apollo
  Group, is seen as private good and contrary to
  national interest and public good.
• The politics of coalition does not allow the
  government to take either swift decisions or
  strong measures.
• Though legally privatization and for-profit
  higher education is not allowed, the ground
  realties favour them.
• India needs a proper legislation on foreign
  universities.

• It is important to lay down clear guidelines to
  resolve the dilemmas and gaps between theory and
  practice.
• Profiteering should not be confused with marginal
  profit-making nor should self-interest be selfish
  interest.
• It is important to provide the necessary
  incentives to higher education providers and
  stakeholders instead of regulating them too much.
• In the era of massification and market economy,
  higher education cannot be imparted as charity.
• Necessary quality assurance mechanisms can be
  developed for HEIs keeping in mind the need for
  academic freedom and accountability instead of
  avoiding foreign institutions.
• It is no longer sustainable to allow only foreign
  universities of repute to enter India as there
  cannot be any consensus or fixed parameters to
  judge quality or measure repute.
• It makes sense to let foreign HEIs to collaborate
  with private HEIs as long as they are able to
  deliver quality education and market-oriented
  skills.

18
A Quick Look at the UK Scenario

• In 2006-07, 60 UK HEIs offered programmes through
  Indian partners to approximately 5000 students at
  undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• Twinning and dual degrees are more popular than
  franchising and branch campuses. Branch campuses
  are illegal to date.
• In 2007, there were more than 23000 students from
  India in the UK (5 fold increase in less than a
  decade).
• The number of student visas issued to
  self-financed students from India increased from
  mere 4000 in 1999 to about 19000 in 2006,
  contributing 300 million Pound to the UK economy.
• To a survey by New York based McKinsey, the
  middle class in India with annual disposable
  income of US 4,382 to 21,890 almost doubled to
  200 million in last decade.
• According to the same survey, 55 of the
  population in India has an annual household
  income of less than US 1,970 or about US 5.40 a
  day.
• India sends second largest number of students to
  UK. 14 UK universities have full-time offices in
  India.
• Source http//www.international.ac.uk/country_p
  rofiles

19
Risks Involved

• Though cross border higher education has become
  acceptable in the present scenario, to promote
  business and research interests, there are many
  risks involved.
• Reputation of a country is at stake if it fails
  to deliver quality product. Thats why a lot of
  attention is paid to quality control by a tiny
  country but a big exporter of higher education,
  like Australia.
• UK has also suffered some damage for lack of
  desired quality of the educational programmes run
  by it in Dubai and other Middle East countries.
• Problems may occur if the faculty and
  administrative staff involved is not properly
  equipped or trained to devise and deliver
  collaborative learning and assessment overseas.
• Governments may not be yet ready with proper
  regulatory framework and cross border higher
  education may be seen as an assault on national
  sovereignty by their opponents.
• If the government is unable to meet the sudden
  surge in demand at the national level, it may
  have to face flight of capital and brain drain.
  Moreover, it needs to assure quality of higher
  education provided by foreign universities for
  which it might be ill-equipped.

20
Conditions Laid Down by AICTE

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
  was set up in 1945 for engineering and
  technological education in India. It became a
  statutory body in 1987 under Parliament of India
  Act.
• It is responsible for planning, coordination,
  promotion, regulation and maintenance of
  technical education, its norms and standards.
• Technical education involves engineering,
  architecture, town planning, management,
  pharmacy, hotel management and catering, applied
  arts and crafts, etc.
• It is responsible for the approval of private /
  foreign institutions, new courses and expansion.
  Its motto is to provide world class technical
  education that is both accessible and affordable.
• Technical education has grown from 46 engineering
  colleges and 3 pharmacy institutions in 1947, 8
  management programmes in 1962, 146 MCA programmes
  in 1997 to 1559 engineering colleges and 602
  pharmacy institutions, 1147 MBA programmes, 1024
  MCA programmes and 110 School of Architect in
  2006.
• There are many short-term and long-term diploma
  now available with the help of private, NGOs,
  foreign and open learning.

• AICTE established the National Board of
  Accreditation (NBA) in 1994 to evaluate the
  quality of programmes offered by technical
  institutions in India.
• NBA has evolved a 3-step process for assessment
  and accreditation at submission, validation and
  recommendation stage.
• AICTE notified regulations for foreign
  collaboration for the first time in May 2005 in
  order to safeguard the interests of the students,
  on the one hand, and ensure uniform maintenance
  of norms and standards, on the other.
• It is necessary for foreign institution to apply
  on prescribed format with requisite fee and a
  certificate from their own embassy saying that
  the institution is accredited in its home country
  along with a detailed project report.
• The Standing Committee of Advisers recommends a
  case for registration under the UGC Act. It is
  bound by UGC and AICTE rules from time to time.
• An MoU may be signed between AICTE and EQA
  (External Quality Assurance Agency) for
  regulating quality.
• Details on AICTE regulations can be retrieved
  from its website www.aicte.ernet.in

21
Vedanta University An Amalgam of Public, Private
Foreign

• Anil Agarwal, a business tycoon from metals and
  mining company, entered into collaboration with
  Orissa Government to set up Vedanta University on
  8,000 acre land.
• Enrolment for 100,000 students, comprising
  national and international, from various
  disciplines will start in 2008.
• The idea is to have a university town in Orissa
  on the pattern of Silicon Valley.
• Anil Agarwal donated US 1 billion as endowment.
  His vision is that Vedanta should emulate
  American Universities with programmes in liberal
  art, science, engineering, medicine, law,
  business and performing art.
• Ayers Saint Gross, responsible for planning the
  architect for John Hopkins, Duke, Virginia and
  Carnegie Mellon, is engaged for Vedanta Univ.
• Dr. Werner Kreuz, Managing Director of A. T.
  Kearney, Germany, has been engaged as a
  consultant for handling this project.
• The mission of this university is to provide
  world class, multi-disciplinary and practical
  education to Indian and foreign students on no
  profit basis.

22

• There cannot be any single or predetermined path
  for cross border higher education in India but
  multiple pathways. It would be in the interest of
  India to forge alliances with neighbouring
  countries to check western hegemony. It can learn
  a great deal from Malaysian experiences as far as
  regulation of cross border higher education is
  concerned.
• Thank you
• Dr Asha Gupta
• Director, Directorate of Hindi
• Medium Implementation
• University of Delhi, India.
• E-mail ashagupta_at_vsnl.com