Autonomy questions for Indian branch campuses – Times Higher Education

Resources for
academics and university staff
Everything you need for each step
of your study abroad journey
India’s publication of draft guidelines for foreign universities establishing branch campuses in the country has sparked concern among academics about potential infringements on institutional autonomy.
The criteria, which were expected to be finalised later this month following consultation, clarify the rules for international universities setting up Indian campuses, a shift first announced in the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP). They come amid soaring demand for higher education in the world’s fastest growing major economy.
According to the draft, foreign universities must be ranked among the world’s top 500 to set up shop in India, a more expansive definition than the top 100 threshold originally set out in the NEP.
The guidance also specifies that the quality of education provided by Indian outposts must be “at par” with that of an institution’s main campus. Once approved by the University Grants Commission, providers will be free to set their own tuition fees, define student selection criteria and appoint faculty.
While numerous commenters praised the “flexibility” of the guidelines, several academics speaking to Times Higher Education raised concerns over institutional autonomy.
Ashok Kumbamu, an assistant professor of biomedical ethics at the Mayo Clinic and an advocate for academic freedom in India, worried that foreign universities could “compromise on their liberal values” to accommodate Hindutva – Hindu nationalist – values.
“I could see a symbiotic relationship between foreign capital and Hindutva ideology. They cooperate with each other to dispossess historically marginalised groups in the Indian education system,” he said.
While others were less pessimistic, they too shared the concerns over academic freedom.
“Given India’s increasingly spotty record on academic freedom, foreign universities may have hesitation linking up with Indian counterparts or starting their own branches in India,” said Philip Altbach, professor of higher education at Boston College.
Furqan Qamar, former secretary general of the Association of Indian Universities and professor of management at Jamia Millia Islamia, a university in New Delhi, agreed.
“Academic autonomy has been and is a major concern at the moment,” he said. “There are many provisions which circumscribe the autonomy of universities, and I think they would deter the best ones” from opening Indian branches, he added.
Some academics raised questions over phrasing in the draft that prohibits universities from operating in a way that runs “contrary to…the security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, [and] public order”.
The language replicates the phrasing of an earlier regulation aimed at academics, noted Katharine Adeney, a professor at the University of Nottingham who researches majoritarianism in South Asia. In 2021, India put in place a rule requiring professors and administrators to get prior approval from its Ministry of External Affairs to hold international conferences related to India’s security or internal matters – a catch-all to clamp down on dissenting views, critics said.
But not everyone was worried by the new guidelines.
Shantanu Roy, professor of chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and previously its dean of academics, said the language on state security was “fairly standard”. 
“I don’t think it is right to speculate on matters of academic freedom in regard to [foreign] institutions,” he said.
Eldho Matthews, a deputy adviser to the Unit for International Cooperation at New Delhi’s National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, was doubtful that academic freedom would ultimately force foreign universities to reconsider India branch plans.
“Many foreign universities are operating in countries like China, UAE, Kuwait [and] Qatar,” he said.
[email protected]
Why register?
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
Already registered or a current subscriber? Login
If Western universities don’t respond to India’s opening up in the way envisaged, a clampdown could quickly follow, warns Peter Brady
Gujarat seeks to entice overseas institutions with ‘headache-free’ offices in gleaming tower blocks
Survey on Indian government initiative to open up to foreign offshoots finds concern about hurdles from overseas institutions
Experts laud move to welcome international universities despite hurdles and lack of immediate interest
Concerns over regulator’s independence and sweeping new powers necessitates parliamentary investigation, letter to Robin Walker states
Ministers accused of adding bureaucracy then ‘putting the costs on universities’ with planned rise while cutting student support in real terms
The Armenian government’s aborted attempt to amalgamate three universities has left a bad taste, says Karine Harutyunyan
Trump administration found by congressional watchdog to have largely abandoned investigative office, while Biden team pressed to fix things quicker
Subscribe
If you like what you’re reading online, why not take advantage of our subscription and get unlimited access to all of Times Higher Education‘s content?
You’ll get full access to our website, print and digital editions.

source