New Delhi, Dec 23 (UNI) NITI Aayog India’s top policy think tank, that replaced the Planning Commission has come out with a comprehensive report on “Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations”.
The report, produced through a collaboration between NITI Aayog and an IIT Madras-led consortium of knowledge partners, marks a pioneering contribution from the Global South. It focuses on ‘internationalisation at home’ as envisioned in NEP 2020.
It examines approaches to internationalisation at the global, national, and institutional levels, along with temporal trends in academic mobility over the last 20 years. The report explores opportunities for enhanced student and faculty mobility, greater international academic and research collaborations, and the potential of establishing international branch campuses in India and campuses of Indian public and private universities overseas.
The report recommends 22 policy interventions for “inbound and outbound student mobility”. Along with policy interventions, it also outlines 76 Action Pathways and 125 Performance Success Indicators, drawing from nearly 30 Indian and global best practices.
Spanning five thematic areas Strategy, Regulation, Finance, Branding, Communication & Outreach, and Curriculum & Culture the recommendations aim to transform India into a global destination for higher education and research by 2047.
The recommendations were made after drawing responses from160 Indian HEIs across 24 States to a comprehensive survey comprising 100 questions, and perspectives, ideas, and experiences from 140 national and international participants at a National Workshop organised at IIT Madras earlier this year.
Key Informant Interviews were also conducted with experts from 30 international institutions across 16 countries, providing global perspectives.
The report was released by the senior leadership of NITI Aayog including Suman Bery, Vice Chairman, Dr. V.K.Paul, Member (Education), Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Department of Higher Education and others.
Suman Bery,Vice chairman, NITI Ayog said, “there is a business case and a diplomatic case for promoting internationalisation of higher education in India, especially as an instrument of soft power.”
Dr. Virmani observed, “International students who have benefitted from the Indian system can contribute to the growth of India and the world. He emphasised the need to strengthen India’s doctoral programmes through greater international collaborations.”
Shri B.V.R.Subrahmanyam highlighted the many positive outcomes of internationalising the higher education system of the world’s 4th largest economy. “It can improve the quality of courses and curriculum within Indian universities, have a positive effect in reducing forex outflow, and provide greater opportunities for research partnerships. He underscored the role of private universities in furthering internationalisation, the opportunity to leverage the 3.5 crore strong Indian diaspora, and the need for the government to play a catalytic role through ease of regulation.”
Dr. Vineet Joshi said, “India to be a global hub of higher education, public and private universities need to work in tandem. Initiatives under NEP are the starting point, and UGC Regulations have been facilitators in attracting nearly 13 international universities to India. He expressed immense appreciation for the quality of the report and said that the 76 action pathways stated therein provide a robust roadmap to achieve the internationalisation targets of 2047.”
Dr.VK Paul observes that India must target to host 1 lakh international students across Central and State Universities by 2030.
