Institutes of Eminence (IoE) can establish campuses on foreign land after receiving no-objection certificates from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, reported The Indian Express.
The development, which is enshrined in the National Education Policy, 2020, was made possible after the University Grants Commission made certain amendments to its regulations.
“Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities shall be allowed to start new off-shore campuses with the prior approval of the Ministry after receiving No Objection Certificate from Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.”Amendment made to the UGC Regulations, 2017.
India has around 18 Institutes of Eminence, including IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay.
Strict Monitoring of Offshore Campuses
However, the amendments state that the IoEs will have to ensure that the norms and standards of the offshore campus are same as the ones in their establishments at home.
“The offshore campus shall also follow similar admission criteria, curriculum, examination system and evaluation system,” the norms say. In addition, all information about these offshore campuses will have to be disclosed on the website of the IoEs.
Moreover, the functioning and efficiency of these offshore campuses will be subject to review by an Empowered Experts Committee. Upon review, if the committee is “not satisfied with the performance of the off shore campus, it may recommend discontinuation of the campus to the central government.”
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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