Indian Universities Seeking Foreign Collaboration Must Have Top Ratings: UGC

Any Indian university or institute, before entering into any twinning programme with a foreign institute, will have to fulfill certain criteria like approval from the regulatory authority and ensure that they have the minimum required accreditation grades.

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These tie-ups are supposed to help these Universities in multiple ways like -

• Increasing the synergy between foreign and Indian academic institutions
• Improving the curriculum
• Delivering knowledge and educational content

Students from both the countries will be benefited in multiple ways ultimately leading to the enhancement of their career prospects. The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently issued regulations on the collaborations, although the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had in place provisions for such tie-ups.

Latest UGC Regulations of 2016 stated that Indian universities and colleges seeking a twinning arrangement with any foreign University must have a higher grade of accreditation. They could apply online to the UGC for such a collaboration initiative.

As per the AICTE regulations, the Indian university must also have a valid National Board of Accreditation (NBA) stamp for at least one year. No foreign university and college could carry out any educational activities in India and award any degree, diploma, PG degree and a doctorate to Indian students without prior approval from AICTE.

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AICTE Chairman, Anil D Sahasrabudhe said that the twinning programmes help students to get exposure globally. Students are able to improve their capabilities and they become globally competitive and employable than before. Under the twinning programme, universities can avail the best of the two systems of education, improve the quality of education and learn lessons. The institutions also receive better branding.

Under the collaboration, students have to spend at least one semester in foreign institutes which contribute to an excellent personal experience about the educational system of another country, added Sahasrabudhe.