Only private universities such as Symbiosis and Bits Pilani have so far been successful in opening campuses abroad. But soon, government and public universities like IIM and IIT may also set up campuses abroad. Th is step will cross-subsidise higher education for vulnerable sections of society. Pune University, a government-run institute, is one of the fi rst universities to open its campus in the UAE. The proposal was earlier rejected on the grounds that there were no legal guidelines on establishing universities overseas. But the plan got approved at the Prime Minister’s Offi ce (PMO) after it was able to convince the PMO that it would earn `1 crore in the first year without much investment. Th e Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) had earlier rejected the proposal put forward by IIM, Bangalore to open its campus in Singapore, stating that the IIM should invest in education in its home country rather than overseas. Also, the government is expected to consider new guidelines to allow Indian universities to set up campuses on foreign shores to help Indian universities earn from these initiatives.
Volume 1 Issue 3