Kapil Sibal is correct to insist that foreign universities should be allowed to set up their campuses in India. This will allow Indians to get degrees from reputed foreign institutes without having to venture out of India. They will save precious money and will also be protected from the kind of racial abuse our children are subjected to when they go to countries like Australia.
Allowing foreign universities to offer degrees in India will also put some pressure on Indian universities to shape up. If Harvard Business School were to set up a centre in India, most students would prefer to go her than to our IIMs. This would put pressure on the IIMs to find ways to improve their teaching and curriculum. The same thing would happen with the IITs if MIT were to be allowed to offer its courses in India.
Countries like Australia must understand that if Indian students are spending several thousand crores each year in their country, they must be respected and protected. Once our students start pulling out and enrolling in foreign universities in India it will have a salutary effect.
Satinder Singh, New Delhi
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