France, Italy interested in setting up university campus, institute in India: Subhas Sarkar

NEW DELHI: Countries like France and Italy have shown interest in setting up their universities’ campuses in India, Minister of State for education Subhas Sarkar said in a reply to Lok Sabha today.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has informed that the French side has expressed interest in setting up a university campus for higher education courses in India, as per a reply in Lok Sabha. The Istituto Marangoni in Italy has also expressed interest to establish a foreign, fully independent higher education institute of Fashion and Design in the country, it said.

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“International campuses will give students from India and neighbouring countries exposure to quality education of global standards,” the reply said.

Regarding education reforms to meet international standards, Sarkar informed that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has informed that in view of the recommendation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education including vocational education from 26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035 and to further promote Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and online education, it has formed an expert committee to review existing ODL and Online regulatory framework while ensuring quality, driven by simplified recognition system and processes.

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During the Budget speech 2022-23, the government announced that world class foreign universities and institutions will be allowed in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City to offer courses in Financial Management, FinTech, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics free from domestic regulations, except those by IFSCA to facilitate availability of high-end human resources for financial services and technology.