GUEST COLUMN
Onkar Singh
The present academic arena is offering numerous educational opportunities for students to pursue higher education programmes run jointly by institutions from India and abroad. This is pushed by the keen desire of the students and their families for getting foreign degrees/certificates or those jointly issued by Indian and foreign institutions, with the hope that it not only opens new vistas of employment across the globe but also adds to social status. The high social value attached to internationalisation of education is also boosted due to it being in reach of only those who can afford its high fees and logistic costs. However, there are certain programmes abroad that can be supported by the scholarships and grants from the government or other sponsors/philanthropic organisations.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also calls for internationalisation of Indian education programmes for bringing them up to global standards and making Indian higher education institutions (HEIs) a destination for foreign students. The apex regulator had also created enabling provisions for permitting twinning and dual degree programmes. Besides, the exchange programmes involving students and teachers are also encouraged.
A look at the institutional ranking frameworks delineates internationalisation as a key attribute with varying weightage and forms. It is based on the premise of educated individuals being transformed into globally suitable individuals in the interconnected world. Supposedly, the diverse perspectives brought in by the global engagements through cross-cultural exchanges and the institutional preparedness for the same stimulate the academic quality enrichment and also act as a leveller. Special efforts for international collaborations on common goals, cultural transformations, diversity, and inclusion on the campuses of HEIs catalyze research, knowledge creation, ideas sharing for innovation, intercultural understanding and teaching-learning activities.
Challenges and limitations:
Internationalisation is often ridden with financial constraints and calls for ample funding by the partnering institutions/organisations/countries to raise the competencies of their human resource. In the absence of financial support, the students of low-income backgrounds are unable to benefit from the internationalisation strategies and the class divide deepens. Besides, the geopolitical considerations and geography yield differing cultural practices, language, and educational backgrounds, which act as a deterrent to capitalizing on the internationalisation of higher education.
Since Covid-19, the acceptance of online interactions and virtualisation of educational processes has eased the financial constraints by virtual exchanges in various domains, provided that globally compatible, robust virtual platforms are set up for it.
The presence of foreign nationals in HEIs does make them look international, with global dimensions dictating the on-campus activities. At times, the language barriers, cultural gaps, use of narcotics, etc., nucleate activities that vitiate the educational ambience, and these are not permitted in Indian society.
Despite numerous provisions created by the apex regulator for easing out the internationalisation of higher education, most of the HEIs are catering to students from underdeveloped or developing nations only, and the failure to attract a large number of students from developed nations calls for honest introspection. Similarly, the spending of Indians abroad for pursuing joint degree programs needs to be minimised by qualitative strengthening of the Indian HEIs to retain native students and attract students from abroad.
Undoubtedly, it does have a flip side of the native HEIs shifting focus towards the global aspirations and the national priorities taking a backseat in certain situations. With the significant number of HEIs operating on a self-financed basis in the country, their intentions of maximising admissions tempt them to secure a good global ranking and end up in a ranking competition. For securing a high ranking, the HEIs work to perform well on the ranking attributes, which changes the priorities of the institution. As a result, HEIs not only drift away from the core mandate of imparting good quality education to native students, but also focus on creating an enabling environment for foreign nationals. As regards the curriculum and teaching processes, the HEIs that align education with the collaborator’s academic cycles and frameworks also influence the existing education model. This adversely affects the organically grown indigenous education system, suiting India’s socio-cultural-economic aspirations. Sometimes, the philosophical and ideological differences may compel HEIs to recast the education programmes as per the needs of global partners, thus disadvantage native students, especially in non-STEM streams. Furthermore, the educational standards of partnering nations also decide whether it is for our tangible gain or the collaboration is meant just for a service to educate the world. The global acceptance of Indian degrees/certificates from a long time underlines their worthiness and should not be compromised for internationalisation.
Way forward:
For harnessing the internationalisation for the overall good of humanity, it is inevitable to have adequate financial support to HEIs aiming for internationalisation of their academic and research programmes of short/long durations and set up the scholarships / financial assistance to the students and faculty for their seamless mobility. Alongside, HEIs should design the programs that meet diverse expectations as well as overcome the linguistic and cultural limitations of the students from different regions of the world while accounting for the facilitation/disruption emanating from the dynamic geopolitical situations. In order to avoid the huge financial burden and limitations of movement across the boundaries, virtual programs could be developed. Nevertheless, setting up the explicit feedback-controlled strategies for the overall gain of the native students and enriching on-campus experiences for all while preventing any adverse cultural/social impact will contribute to the success of internationalisation initiatives.
The HEIs should keep their overarching goal of imparting the best quality education to native students intact while attempting to internationalise higher education through collaborations. The academic framework may be reworked to suit the international partner(s) without sacrificing the rigour and basic purpose of the respective programme for our students. The cost involved in the exchange of students/teachers should be backed by financing options so that the funds do not deter meritorious ones from pursuing the international programmes due to poverty. The short-duration and low budget customised programmes are attractive propositions for maximising the benefits of internationalisation. Efforts can also be directed towards obtaining candid feedback from students completing their education or research programmes abroad and using it to update our processes, faculty, and infrastructure. This will help align with the aspirations of Gen Z, strengthen our system, and attract foreign nationals for educational and research pursuits to benefit native stakeholders as well.
(The author is vice chancellor of Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University; views expressed are personal)
