Drop in Indian student applicants to UK universities in 2023: UCAS

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While the UK has always been one of the top 3 study abroad destinations for Indian students, recent figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) indicates that there has been a drop in applications from India. While international student applicants have spiked up by 0.7 per cent, there has been a significant 4 per cent drop in Indian student applicants to UK universities in 2023.

"This data indicates a decrease in applications from mature students, particularly impacting fields like nursing. However, it is expected that these applicants will be more inclined to apply later in the process," commented Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Executive, UCAS.
 
According to experts in the higher education space, the UK Government’s recent visa rules might have something to do with the change in sentiment. According to a new mandate, the UK will limit foreign students from bringing family members with them with the exception of students enrolled in postgraduate research courses and/or availing government funded scholarships. The new regulations, effective from January 2024, has created a fair bit of uncertainty regarding the viability of UK as a prominent study abroad destination for Indian students. Recent media reports highlighting the difficulties faced by many Indian students in getting employment after completing their degrees has only added to the confusion.
 
In an interview published on Moneycontrol, Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham has said that UK will continue to be a favourable study destination for Indian students despite the recent changes. According to Tickell, it is those universities that focus on recruiting lower-performing students which have seen the biggest fall in applicant numbers from India.

 

Indian Institute of Heritage and University of Birmingham announce strategic partnership

Courtesy: University of Birmingham 

The University of Birmingham and the Indian Institute of Heritage are joining hands  to create new opportunities in the fields of Heritage, Museums and Museology. The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore a strategic partnership that will create impactful collaborations in the field of education and research. The partnership will help students and experts from both institutes to participate in research projects as well as drive student exchange programmes between academics.

“The University of Birmingham is a global ‘civic’ university, and we are committed to forging meaningful education and research partnerships in India. Indian students occupy an important place in our global student community and our commitment to the country as a strategic partner. This partnership with the Indian Institute of Heritage allows both institutions to build on our undoubted strengths across heritage, museums, and museology – creating opportunities for students and staff in both India and the UK,” said Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham.

The University of Birmingham is renowned for its proficiency in heritage research, and its International Centre for Heritage stands as a global pioneer in adopting sustainable and innovative methods for heritage management practices and future strategies. The postgraduate programs offered by the Centre equip students with the necessary skills for pursuing careers in heritage, with numerous alumni holding prominent positions in museums and conservation agencies.

The University has established meaningful collaborations in India, supported by its India Institute, which seeks to enhance Birmingham's presence, influence, and coherence in its involvement in the country.

The Indian Institute of Heritage is a prominent cultural institution in India. It conducts research on India's diverse heritage and provides outstanding educational opportunities that make significant contributions to the cultural, scientific, and economic aspects of India. The institute offers M.A. and Ph.D. programs in various disciplines, including Museology, History of Art, Conservation, Archaeology, Paleography, Epigraphy, and Numismatics. These programs are enriched through close collaboration with the National Museum in New Delhi, involving engagement with galleries, exhibitions, storage and reserve collections, and the conservation laboratory.

Dr. B. R. Mani, Vice-Chancellor, Indian Institute of Heritage said, “Indian Institute of Heritage is stepping towards making its global presence felt in the field of culture and heritage. This collaboration will result in creating informed and efficient heritage professionals and academicians in the future. It will be benefiting our students and staff. The Indian Institute of Heritage is focused on creating a comprehensive pedagogical framework with incorporation of modern working methodologies and technologies, work ethics, and other fundamentals.”

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

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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?

 

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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

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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.