Yale, Oxford in India: Is Modi Government Transforming India?

The Narendra Modi administration has recently opened India's doors to international colleges such as Yale, Harvard, and Princeton to establish campuses there. M Jagadesh Kumar, head of the University Grants Commission, made the statement at a press conference on 5 January. According to media sources, "a foreign institution planning to establish a campus in India should be ranked within the top 500 in overall/subject worldwide rankings," as per Modi Government rules. This implies that all these elite colleges worldwide will look for new campuses on Indian soil. Courses will, of course, be taught in English, with a globally competitive curriculum.

Why the BJP-led government has enabled institutions to teach courses in English of their choosing?

Modi Government has often said that Hindi should be the language of teaching in higher education institutions and that the curriculum should focus on India's culture and traditions. The Centre is attempting to include Vedic and Puranic subjects in university curriculums.

Will international universities teach Vedic science, mathematics, and humanities as 'global' civilisational sources in Hindi?

Kumar, the chairperson of the UGC, emphasised the independence that international colleges will have in India. "We are concentrating on offering as much liberty as possible. So, besides academic programs and campus infrastructure, there would be no involvement from the UGC regarding operations regarding establishing a campus in India," Kumar explained.

What about the educational quality of Indian universities and the employability of its graduates? 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration aims to reform the country's severely controlled education industry, allowing Indian students to gain international diplomas at a low cost and making India an appealing worldwide study destination. The move will also assist foreign institutions in reaching out to the country's young population.

Even though India's institutions and colleges have produced CEOs at firms ranging from Microsoft Corp. to Alphabet Inc., many do poorly in worldwide rankings. The country's education system must be strengthened to become more competitive and address the widening gap between college curriculum and market needs. It is now placed 101 out of 133 nations in the 2022 Global Talent Competitiveness Index, which assesses a country's capacity to grow, attract, and retain talent.