Welcome to the India Partnership newsletter!

Education Policy and Norms

1) University Grants Commission advisory for Indian students seeking admission into education institutions abroad  
•Advisory for Indian Students seeking Admission in Foreign Universities/Institutions

•Advisory for Indian Students seeking Admission in London College of Management and IT, London

University Grants Commission has received several complaints from Indian students pursuing studies abroad regarding misleading claims being made by foreign universities/institutions in respect of the courses offered by them and validity of their degrees. In order to avoid misguidance of Indian students by Foreign Universities/Institutions, UGC has decided to issue an advisory to students. All Indian students wishing to pursue studies abroad may contact the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or visit their website www.aiuweb.org for information regarding the accreditation status of foreign universities and the valuation and equivalence of degrees and diplomas awarded by the accredited universities abroad.   
For more information click here

2) The University Grants Commission (UGC) urges universities to ‘formalise’ admission to MPhil and PhD programmes and hold entrance exams with effect from 2008

The University Grants Commission (UGC), in a note sent to all universities, has stated that students should appear for an entrance examination for admission to both MPhil and PhD programmes. Admission is to be based on combined merit of the entrance exam and interviews conducted by the universities. Some universities do not have any minimum eligibility for students who want to pursue a PhD and some of others admit students to PhD programmes if they have 55% overall marks in their masters’ programme. Very few, like the Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Delhi University hold an entrance exam for doctoral courses. The Indian Institutes of Technology have for some time adopted the entrance-exam route to PhD programmes. The University Institute of Chemical Technology (UICT), has adopted the entrance exam route recently.

For more information click here

3) Knowledge Commission recommends doing away with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

The National Knowledge Commission has recommended scrapping of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and instead creating an Independent Regulatory Authority for higher education. As per the recommendation the present regulatory system in higher education is flawed in many respects. The challenge is therefore to design a regulatory system that increases supply of good institutions and fosters accountability in those institutions. An independent regulator has to be the cornerstone of such a system.

For more information click here

4) Aligarh Muslim University proposes to elevate itself to a pan-India status

The Aligarh Muslim University intends to make itself compatible with the changing times and needs of the society with a proposal to open five new centres across India. The proposal is awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD). Earlier, in January, the executive council of AMU decided to start four admission test centres at Bhopal, Kolkata, Kozhikode and Pune to give it a pan-India status. This follows the University Grants Commission’s offer to give INR 70 million to the university's technical college, the Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology (ZHCET), to upgrade it to the level of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

For more information click here

Competitors Update

1) Italian Universities offer courses in English to woo Indian students
Lured by the huge business potential offered by large number of Indians preferring to study abroad, universities in Europe, especially from Italy and Germany, joined the fray to compete with educational institutions from US, UK and Australia to attract students from India. European institutions have started offering courses in English to attract more Indians. Recently, a group of Italian universities conducted road shows in India to promote their courses. The Italian universities and colleges were showcasing courses that would be taught in English, especially post graduate courses, as many Indians go abroad for post graduation and research.

For more information click here

2) Western Australia offers permanent and temporary resident visas in a bid to attract skilled professionals and students
The State of Western Australia is throwing open its doors to skilled professionals and students from India to meet an expected shortfall of 400,000 workers. Representatives of the State Migration Centre and the five government universities of the State's capital, Perth, visited seven Indian cities, seeking out those interested in higher education abroad and professionals and tradesmen they deem vital for the State's continued prosperity. The State is offering to sponsor permanent resident visas and three-year temporary resident visas for people under 45 from a range of occupations. These not only include engineers, accountants, general medical practitioners, dermatologists, nurses and dentists but also tradesmen such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, motor mechanics and welders. Diploma programmes encouraging smooth transition to bachelor degrees, vocational studies with industry standardised diplomas in disciplines such as community care, hospitality and aviation, and research track degrees from top universities are part of the education package promoted by the State.
For more information click here

3) French Engineering Education week organised in South India
A French Engineering Education week was organised in Thiruvananthapuram, India. The main objective of the academic meets between the representatives of 12 premier Engineering institutions from France and the institutional heads of various engineering colleges from South India was to develop academic ties between the two countries in the domain of technical education and spread awareness about higher education in Engineering in France. Selection interviews for scholarships in Master’s Degrees in Computer Science, Electronics, Mechanical and Telecommunications were also held. Besides these, interviews by a French company called ALTEN for selecting meritorious Indian students for awarding them mobility grants was also conducted during this event.
For more information click here

4) Purdue University and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, India participate in a joint symposium on advancements in Bionanotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
Researchers from Purdue University joined colleagues from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology in India for a symposium on advancements in Bionanotechnology and Pharmaceuticals. The Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology is a government-led research center that serves as a national laboratory of higher education and applied research with 150 students and more than 200 scientific staff members. A Purdue contingent signed an agreement with the Indian Department of Science and Technology in February 2007 to establish formal research collaborations and exchanges of researchers, students and faculty between Purdue and Indian institutions. Purdue is scheduled to conduct a second international research workshop on carbon nanotubes in collaboration with Indian institutions and corporations later this year. Of almost 5,000 international students enrolled at Purdue this academic year, there are 1,182 students from India, followed by South Korea (818), China (778), Taiwan (243) and Indonesia (197). Purdue also has another 800 alumni in India.
For more information click here

Market Trends

1) Delhi University and Confederation of Indian Industries collaborate to offer vocational courses
Delhi University (DU) has announced the introduction of five new vocational courses from the next academic session starting July 2008. The five courses are on retail management, automobiles and information technology and will be offered in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The School of Open Learning (SOL) will run these courses from its campus. DU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CII. As per the MoU, Delhi University will hold theoretical classes while practical training will be taken care of by CII and its industry partners. All the courses will be for six months duration and have been designed in consultation with the CII.
For more information click here

2) University of Pune to be India’s first university to set up campus abroad
The University of Pune (UoP) will become India’s first state university to have a full-fledged campus on foreign shores. The university will have its offshore campus in Dubai and the first batch will be admitted to 30 courses in June 2008. While institutes like the Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and BITS Pilani have crossed the borders, no state university has done so to date. The University of Pune has also designed a year-long foundation course for United Arab Emirates (UAE) students, who need to develop certain skills before taking up courses designed by an Indian university.
For more information click here

3) US Business Schools break tradition in global education
Southern California universities' business programs are taking the globalization of education to a different level, offering courses that go beyond dry corporate case studies and broadening their collaboration with universities and businesses abroad, particularly in Asia. The Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the National University of Singapore have programs allowing students in the executive master of business administration program to be awarded degrees from both universities after 15 months of taking classes in Singapore and Los Angeles, and also in Shanghai and Bangalore, India.
For more information click here

4) Economics graduates back in demand as services-led economy thrives on analysis and research
There is an upsurge in demand for Economic analysts. Economics is fast gaining back the popularity it once had. Graduates and post-graduates of Economics are in demand from investment banks, brokerage services and IT firms. The sudden rush is attributed to a services-led economy that thrives on analysis and research. The gradual shift in the outsourcing business, from compilation and collection to research and knowledge has resulted in an increase in demand of Economics graduates in the IT and IT enabled services sector. Also, sectors such as insurance and finance require people trained in statistics, economics and econometrics.
For more information click here

Opportunities for Indian Partnerships

Promotional Visits: Please send us details (dates, venues, time and programme) if you are visiting India for a promotional visit through one of our offices or your agent. We offer a free listing on our website to India Partnership institutions.
Please send details to- moneesha.gupta@in.britishcouncil.org