UGC approval to Liverpool University a paradigm shift

WITH the formal approval from the University Grants Commission to establish its first overseas campus in Bengaluru, the University of Liverpool joins a growing list of international institutions responding to calls to help reshape India’s higher education sector. The UK-based university, which is scheduled to commence admissions by the 2026-27 academic year, is the second member of the prestigious Russell Group to launch a campus in India, after the University of Southampton in Gurugram. According to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, 15 foreign universities are expected to establish campuses by 2025-26. Two Australian varsities have already commenced operations in Gujarat. Such collaborations, he says, are needed to push enrolment and advance the country’s educational goals. Any established institution that offers an exceptional learning experience, with a strong research culture, is a welcome addition to India’s burgeoning but uninspiring educational landscape.

The ever increasing number of students yearning to go abroad demonstrates a widening gap in India’s ability to cater to the demand for quality higher education. A surfeit of private institutions may have cropped up over the past 15 years or more, but barring a few, a question mark lurks over the standards despite the princely fee structure. An unresolved issue — and apparently not getting the urgent attention it deserves — is that of the acute faculty shortage and a large number of vacant posts in top universities. The initiative to invite leading international universities to establish campuses is commendable. However, its aim to boost the global competitiveness of the education sector would require a commensurate fillip to the government institutions, and more stringent benchmarks in the private sector.

India is expanding its presence abroad with IIT-Madras opening a campus in Zanzibar. Fascinating opportunities at home for the vast talent pool can be transformative.

Editorials