The University Grants Commission in a recent circular announced that the Institutes of Eminence (IoEs) including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science and several others can now set up offshore centres and full-fledged campuses outside of India. The UGC released its new regulation for IoEs called Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities Amendments Regulations 2021 on Thursday, January 7, 2021.
As per the Central Government's record, 20 institutes across the country — 10 private and 10 public, including IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, IIT-Madras, IIT-Kharagpur, IISc and the University of Hyderabad, among several others have been declared as IoEs. Each of these higher education institutes has now been allowed to open up to three offshore centres in the upcoming five years and not more than one in a single academic year.
However, there are several terms and approvals required by the IoEs to finally venture out of the country. "Institutes of Eminence shall be allowed to start new off campuses with the prior approval of the education ministry after receiving no objection certificate from the ministry of external affairs and ministry of home affairs," the guidelines state.
"Institutes of Eminence Deemed to be universities shall submit their application to the Ministry by way of an Affidavit in the prescribed proforma along with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) containing its 10-year Strategic Vision Plan and a five-year rolling implementation plan viz. academic plan, faculty recruitment plan, student admission plan, research plan, infrastructure development plan, financial plan, administrative plan, governance plan with clear annual milestones and action plan on how the proposed off-campus is to be set up with identifiable outcomes for approval to establish an Off-Campus Centre," the circular added that all of these should be submitted to the ministries.
At the proposed off-shore campuses, a teacher-student ratio of 1:20 initially should be achieved, and 1:10 ratio by the end of five years. "The faculty for this purpose shall include the regular faculty, adjunct faculty, overseas faculty, visiting faculty, contractual faculty, industry faculty and tenure track faculty or faculty as otherwise permitted by the Statutory Council concerned," the regulation reads.
It also adds that at least 60 per cent of the appointed faculty members should be on a permanent basis. The institute should also have enrolled a minimum of 500 students on its rolls under regular classroom mode with one-third PG or research students. The institute should also have at least five PG programmes, while the number of research programmes is not specified in the circular. "IoEs shall ensure that the norms and standards of the offshore campus shall be the same as that maintained in the main campus for similar courses, and shall follow similar admission criteria, curriculum, exam and evaluation system," the guidelines add.
