PM Modi pushes to overhaul education sector

In a bid to to woo nearly 750,000 students who spend about US$ 15 billion each year pursuing degrees overseas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thinks that renowned international universities like Yale and Oxford should be able to open campuses in India. Some universities are already collaborating with Indian institutions, allowing students to partially study in India and complete their degrees on the main campus abroad.

Having over 51,000 institutions, India’s higher education system is second only to China in terms of number. However, it lags way behind China in terms of infrastructure, quality teaching, and research investment. Similarly, currently ranked 72 among 132 nations in the 2020 Global Talent Competitiveness Index , India has a long way in terms of reforming its heavily regulated education sector. It needs to bridge the growing gap between college curricula and market demands.

However, there are fears that complex bureacratic procedures slow down this collaboration. “My concern is that the control-minded bureaucracy should not scuttle the execution of the policy by putting in unnecessary controls,” said Mohandas Pai, chairman of Manipal Global Education Services.