US-India task force set up for expanding research & higher education partnerships

Courtesy: Association of American Universities

A new task force consisting of university research and higher education leaders from the United States and India has been set up to make recommendations for expanding US-India research and higher education partnerships.

The co-chairs of the AAU Task Force on Expanding United States-India University Partnerships include The Pennsylvania State University President Neeli Bendapudi, University of Illinois Urbana-Campaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones, University of California San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi, and current Johns Hopkins University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Sunil Kumar (who is set to become president of Tufts University on July 1).

AAU has created this task force in coordination with the Biden administration’s US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), which seeks to grow technological and industrial collaboration between the two nations. The task force will meet monthly to determine key focus areas for bilateral research and education cooperation, to identify existing programmes that could provide blueprints for future partnerships, and to formulate strategies on how best to move forward.

“It is nearly impossible in today’s world to make advancements in scientific research and technology without international collaboration and cooperation,” said AAU President Barbara R. Snyder. “This is why the Association of American Universities is proud to lead this effort to strengthen relationships between leading US and Indian research universities and to lay the groundwork for shared future scientific and economic success.”

Five Australian unis place ban on Indian students

Courtesy: Pixabay

Five Australian universities have placed bans on students from a few Indian states in response to an increase in fraudulent applications. According to emails in Australian media, there has been a “crackdown on applications from Indian students”. 

The universities alleged to have placed a restriction on Indian students are Victoria University, Edith Cowan University, the University of Wollongong, Torrens University, and agents working for Southern Cross University.

According to reports, the restrictions apply primarily to applicants from eight Indian states — Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. However, in an official statement released recently, the University of Wollongong has denied placing restrictions on students from India.

The UOW said in a statement that it “does not have any restrictions on student applications from India other than the standard entry criteria we apply to all international students and the requirements of the Australian Department of Home Affairs”.

“Like all Australian universities, UOW has rigorous entry criteria for all students. All Australian universities are required to guard against fraudulent applications.” The university statement added that UOW works hard to ensure that the “admissions process is fair and just and accessible to all students”. While this has created a fair amount of confusion amongst Indian students aspiring to study in Australia, it remains to be seen how the situation plays out going forward.

Australia is reportedly set to enrol the highest number of Indian students ever, surpassing the previous high of 75,000 in 2019. 

India, Singapore may join hands to prepare future-ready workforce

Courtesy: @SGinIndia on Twitter

India and Singapore are exploring the possibility of joining hands to prepare a future-ready workforce. According to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, “skill development and knowledge collaboration are an important element of the strategic partnership.” Pradhan was addressing a G20 workshop on “Skill Architecture and Governance Models of India and Singapore.”

“Skilling is lifelong. In the next quarter century, 25 % of the global working population will come from India. Until and unless we skill, re-skill and up-skill our young demography and prepare them for the Future of Work, we cannot fulfil global responsibilities.”

Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong said that Singapore was honoured to be part of India’s education and skilling journey. The G20 workshop was attended by representatives from schools, government, industry and other stakeholders.

At a time when India’s “worthless degrees” have come under flak, a strategic partnership and exchange of best practices could help India revamp its model with focus on skill development as laid out in the National Education Policy 2020.

NIRF Rankings: Comparing Apples and Oranges?

 

Courtesy: Pixabay

University and college rankings have always been a controversial topic in the higher education space. There is definitely a strong case for collecting data relating to performance, teaching, research, graduation outcomes and holding institutions accountable to certain standards of excellence. But the quest to ace the rankings game often pits institutions against one another in an unhealthy bidding war to increase enrolments. Often the data collected does not reflect the reality on the ground and students are left feeling deceived about their academic choices.
 
The seventh edition of India’s Ministry of Education-driven National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2022 has thrown up the same questions. With the usual suspects – IITs, IISc Bangalore, IIMs bagging top spots with scores similar to last year, there seem to be few surprises. Comparing smaller, better-funded institutes with larger, diverse state universities may not be the best way to judge performance. “Putting JNU and IISc together is comparing apples with oranges,” Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi remarked after JNU lost the number one position to IISc.
 
The NIRF rankings are prepared based on parameters such as teaching, learning, resource quality, research, professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach, inclusivity and perception. However, given the sheer numbers of HEIs, creating one solid framework to assess and rank institutes will have weak links to begin with. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), there are 1043 universities, 39931 colleges and 10725 independent institutions. 
 
Union Minister Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan said that India’s “HEIs are working towards making our education ecosystem more vibrant and making our youth future ready. A robust and objective framework for assessment, accreditation and ranking will play a major role in enhancing quality in the higher education ecosystem.”
 
This is not the first time higher education institutes are being ranked in India. The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC – for colleges and universities) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA – for technical and professional institutions) was the first government initiative to rank institutions in 1994. Publications such as India Today and The Week also publish their own ranking of colleges and universities. But the NIRF has taken things to a different level.
 
It makes sense for public higher education institutes to participate in this exercise to improve their chances of better funding. Plus the NIRF is being touted as transparent and a good way for institutes to showcase themselves and drive enrolments. However, there needs to be a connect between the data collected via the questionnaire and on-ground realities for the exercise to yield positive outcomes. Otherwise it will remain a hollow attempt without any real value delivered to either institutions or students.

However, there needs to be a link between the data collected via the questionnaire and on-ground realities for it to accurately reveal the performance and increase student satisfaction. Otherwise it will remain a hollow attempt without any real value delivered to either institutions or students.
 
Note: The list of top 100 ranking colleges and Universities in Engineering, Management, Medical, Dental, Law and Architecture fields is available on the official NIRF website.

Indian medical students in Ukraine: Stuck in limbo

Courtesy: Pixabay

With India’s medical regulator, the National Medical Commission (NMC) locked in a stalemate with state governments, the fate of some 18,000 Ukraine-returned medical students hangs in the balance.

Currently, there are no provisions under the NMC regulations to make allowances for Indian students studying medicine abroad to transfer to domestic medical college mid-session. Earlier in March this year, NMC had indicated that foreign medical graduates who had not completed their internship could finish it in India provided they had cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. But in May, the NMC wrote to the Union Health Ministry saying they had been directed by the Supreme Court of India to frame a scheme within two months to allow students to complete clinical training in Indian medical colleges.

 

With the Ukraine-returnees at various levels of their medical education, will a one-size-fits-all approach work? Some might be ready for internships while others might not. NMC will now need to assess students on a case by case basis, according to the Supreme Court order.

 

In Kerala, parents and 1,500 Ukraine-evacuated Keralite students have formed a group, All Kerala Ukraine Medical Students’ and Parents’ Association, demanding government action.  Having taken hefty bank loans and paid the entire course fee for the 6-year-course, parents are worried that they will not be able to afford fees at private medical colleges in India.

 

Some students are trying to transfer to other universities in Europe. Sayyan, a third-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University is continuing with online classes at his university as he has already paid the semester fees. There are many others like him in the same situation. However, the quality of these classes with teachers delivering lessons from the safety of their bunkers are often compromised. Practical lessons are also non-existent in the online format.

 

In addition, in the absence of complete clarity or information, it is no easy task to transfer mid-session to other universities in countries such as Hungary, Poland or Romania.

 

A group of students in Chennai recently staged demonstrations demanding that they be admitted into Indian college. But even in cases where state governments are offering help, the NMC is posing a problem. Take for example, the West Bengal government has been pulled up by the NMC for promising to accommodate students from Ukraine. NMC claims that the West Bengal government did not seek permission from them before announcing this move.

 

Stuck in between this bureaucratic tug-of-war are the students. Hopefully, the Supreme Court order (when it arrives) will bring some clarity and provide direction to the students in limbo.

Foreign universities in India: Looking a GIFT horse in the mouth?

GIFT City, Gujarat: pic courtesy: Jay Soni (Unsplash)

The stage is finally set for foreign universities establish campuses in India.
 
The University Grants Commission (UGC), has set up a committee that will facilitate their entry. According to reports in the media, the universities will be permitted to operate from GIFT city in Gandhinagar to offer post-graduate and executive programmes in financial services and technology. They will not have to follow domestic rules. Which indicates that local education regulators such as UGC and AICTE will not supervise them and they might be allowed to make and repatriate profit.
 
Now all of this sounds very promising and if it does come through, it will be a huge step in the right direction. Over the years, attempts to open up India’s higher education space to international universities have been a series of hits and misses. In 1995, the then government drafted the Foreign Education Bill which was ultimately shelved. In 2006, there was another bid to allow foreign universities into India but the draft law was not approved. Finally, in 2010 the UPA-2 government brought the Foreign Educational Institutions Bill which ultimately lapsed in 2014 when the political regime changed.
 
International colleges and universities have been collaborating with Indian educational institutions since the early 1990s when government regulations did not, allow foreign institutes to set up campuses in India or, recognize foreign degrees awarded in India. Collaborations were inked to help foreign institutes market their programs in India through a local partner, participate in student and faculty exchanges as well as lend their expertise. Collaborations ranged from twinning agreements, joint faculty and staff exchange programs to support in curriculum design and pedagogy. 
 
So what does the new mandate mean for foreign universities keen to set foot into the Indian market?

“This will open new opportunities for Indian universities for collaborative research in emerging areas such as finance and technology. To facilitate such collaborations, UGC will work with Indian universities and provide the necessary assistance,” UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar told Moneycontrol.
 
Foreign universities opening campuses will boost internationalisation and exchange of students and faculty. The National Education Policy 2020 gives a green signal to foreign universities interested in setting up shop in India and domestic institutes to establish campuses abroad. Through all this, the government hopes to reduce the foreign exchange outflow by bringing overseas education to India.
 
But the entire study abroad experience for Indian students involves living in a foreign country. Will the GIFT experience be able to provide that? 
 
Only time will tell.

 

India's EdTech Boom: Boon or Bane?

 

The pandemic has catapulted India’s EdTech industry into the big league. Even as I write this post, an EdTech startup is probably being birthed in some part of India. Currently, there are more than 4500 EdTech companies in the country and the industry, valued at US$ 750 million in 2020, is expected to reach US$ 4 billion by 2025 at a CAGR of 39.77%.

No small figure, this. In fact it was the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns that fuelled India’s EdTech boom. Schools and educational institutions had to switch to online learning with physical campuses being off limits. Tech-enabled learning became a winning proposition and more startups jumped onto the EdTech bandwagon. Right now, Byju’s is one of the leading companies followed by Unacademy, UpGrad, Toppr, Next Education, Meritnation among others.

I’d interviewed Byju Raveendran in 2016, a year after he had launched his company. He had explained that “online learning is not offline learning taken online by simply digitizing content. There is a lot of scope for technology to make learning better and more efficient.” Be that as it may, the real test of technology lies in whether it can improve the lives of people. And while urban India has clearly benefited from tech-enabled learning, have rural and underserved areas been able to make the switch smoothly?
 
A villager in Himachal Pradesh was forced to sell his cow as he didn’t have the money to afford a mobile phone for his children’s online lessons. His plight moved many to tears on social media and there was an outpouring of help to fund his children’s education.
 
Aishwarya Reddy, a mathematics student of Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi was not so fortunate. She died by suicide recently as she couldn’t afford a laptop for her studies. The instalment of her scholarship that was due in March had been delayed and the student did not want to trouble her family for money. A resident of the Rangareddy district in Telangana, she was the state class 12 examination topper and had mortgaged her house to fund her higher education.
 
Out of the 1.26 billion children worldwide out of school due to the pandemic, over 320 million are in India. With a population of over 1 billion, the government has a challenging task in ensuring universal elementary education. While there has been an increase in the number of educational institutes in the country, especially over the last few years, the problem of literacy in rural areas and among the female population still remains unsolved.
 
Even though the government’s National Education Policy 2020 stresses on the importance of leveraging technology in education solutions and supporting creation of content in regional languages, it remains to be seen whether these firms will help bridge the digital divide effectively. 

According to the IAMAI-Kantar ICUBE 2020 report, India had 622 million active internet users in 2020. This number is expected to increase by 45% to reach 900 million by 2025, due to higher adoption rates in rural India. Small towns in India account for two out of five active internet users in the country. Urban population comprises 67% of active internet users.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020, smartphone ownership among government school student families increased from 30% in 2018 to 56% in 2020, whereas smartphone ownership  among private school student families rose from 50% to 74%.
 
While these statistics present a hopeful picture, clearly a lot more ground needs to be covered to make sure access to education (and tech-enabled education) is equitable. Whether the EdTech phenomenon can deliver on its promises remains to be seen.

For now, firms such as Byju’s are weighed down by controversies regarding hard sells, prohibitive fees that only the upper crust can afford and toxic work culture. The need of the hour is effective regulation so that the benefits of this boom trickle down to the bottom where it is needed the most.