Category Archives: Education Reforms

Sep 10 2010

Indian message to Australia: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” and random thoughts on the Australian Elections.

Indian expectations from the new Aussie Government…

This is being penned from Sydney where I have been keenly observing the dynamics of the Australian politics over the last few weeks. To me it has been so very interesting and one that I can easily relate to (coming from India). Minority Governments, a deal with Independents, last minute jigsaw and not much to decide between contending political parties is all too common in today’s India. Also like Indian political alliances between contrasting outfits, Australia too is seeing the Greens and the Labour and conservative Independents going with the Labour to form the Government.

I am often asked what can be expected from the current Government with regards to the “international education angle” in the “Indian” context and that does get one to start thinking. Is there really going to be any change? No. Not actually. Wasn’t Julia Gillard, the PM today, the education minister yesterday? Was she not the one who was the first Minister to visit India to soothe its nerves in September last year and how can she absolve herself from the gross in-action on part of the Victorian Police and also by the federal government’s non-regulation of the private colleges for such a long time.

Anyway, we all learn with time and even though I would avoid trying to read much into the words uttered by the politicians, I do believe that continuity is the best medicine at this time. There is a policy that is emerging in Australia in favour of quality education providers and in favour of the genuine migrants who bring in skills to Australia. We may have to forget the emotions and understand that at the end of the day Australia needs international education export and needs skilled immigrants. Both are linked and will remain linked in some manner. The other advantage of continuity is that the current Indian Government and new Australian Government have been talking to each other through the last one year and almost a dozen visits by Australian senior leaders reciprocated by 3-4 visits by Indian ministers has led to a level of understanding now. Kapil Sibal as India’s education minister (Minister of HRD) has hit off with Julia Gillard apparently and that is good too. With no real reshuffling expected of the bureaucrats, we can expect the joint working group continuing with its dialogue.

I am further encouraged by the fact that Greens who are now a part of the ruling coalition has been talking through the campaign for less vindictive border control and better treatment of migrants including the illegal migrants and asylum seekers. Marry this to “stop the boat” campaign of the Labour government and you are certain to get a balanced immigration policy.

At the micro level to my industry, I am expecting a fairly quick call with regards to easing of visa norms for the “university bound” students and this will be really welcome. For those who understand technicalities, I am advocating lowering of Assessment Level for India for category 573 and acceptance of Pearson’s and TOEFL in addition to IELTS. I also hope for less “anti-migrant” noises that were previously made for the domestic vote-banks, now that elections are out of the way.

I have been however desirous of observing if the Indian Media was following the Australian elections and whether it understood its relevance to India. The sad truth is that there was hardly any coverage outside of wire reports from time to time. Even on the day of the final result on this Friday, very few newspapers gave it prominence and even the internet sites of NDTV and IBN failed to even mention it. Hence pleasantly surprised I was when my hometown newspaper (The Telegraph in Calcutta) carried an editorial on the election result yesterday. While I don’t agree to the first paragraph of the article on this link where it claims that most attackers were “white Australians” (reality: attackers were of mixed race and also Indians) and most attacks ended in death (aware of only one death from the attacks and most deaths in the last few years were handiworks of other Indians), the editorial commentary on the election result including the caution that even one single by-election can bring down the government before its tenure ends, display a good understanding of the current Australian politics. Quoting from this editorial from The Telegraph (Kolkata, India) below:

So India may well hope that Mr Rudd’s successor and party colleague, Julia Gillard, who became the first female prime minister of her country, would be more proactive in making Australia a safer and more equitable place for immigrants. Such an expectation is not unwarranted. After all, Ms Gillard has cobbled together a ‘rainbow coalition’ with crucial support from one Green and three Independent members of parliament. And the Greens want the new government to focus on humane treatment of asylum-seekers and other foreigners in Australia. So this is Ms Gillard’s best chance of salvaging the global image of her country even as she tries to repair the schisms within her party.

Earlier this week, I was hosted by UNSW to pay my homage to the newly installed bust of Gandhi. The bust, I am told, was presented by the Government of India to the State Government of NSW and the state Government chose UNSW grounds as the appropriate location for its installation.

What an appropriate symbol at this time…  What was even more appropriate was the choice of his words that are inscribed on the sculpture…

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

Aug 26 2010

India’s Advertising “watchdog” introduces “code” for Education Adverts… High Time indeed!

ASCI introduces advertising code for educational sector; puts draft code up for public review.

I HAVE REPRODUCED THE BELOW MATTER FROM PRESS ARTICLES. I WELCOME THIS MOVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY AS YOU CAN OBSERVE IN MY EARLIER BLOGS, I HAVE COMMENTED TO MISLEADING ADVERTS ISSUED BY SOME OF OUR NEW  “INDIAN” PRIVATE COLLEGES.

Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the self-regulatory body for the advertising content of the Indian advertising industry, will introduce a new set of advertising guidelines for the educational sector. The new advertising content guidelines will apply to ads of all educational institutions, coaching classes and educational programs. The draft of the guidelines has been put up for review, feedback and suggestions on ASCI’s official website – www.ascionline.org.

The Council has called its members, educationists, institutions and the general public to send in their suggestions and feedback on the proposed guidelines by Monday, September 6, 2010 to, The Secretary General of ASCI, on email ids asci@vsnl.com; alan@ascionline.org.

The new set of guidelines takes note of the fact that a significant amount of advertising activity is currently happening in the education sector, reflecting the vast variety of educational programs being offered in the country. According to the recent Adex report, last year’s figures show that eight per cent of all advertising expenses in print media came from the educational sector, a significant increase as compared to advertising expenses just few years ago.

Speaking on the guidelines, Prof. Dhananjay Keskar, ASCI’s Chairman and Director, IBS Pune, said, “ASCI recognizes the role of educational institutions in building the country’s intellectual capital and the value parents place in them for getting the right education for their children. Unlike other tangible products and services, the value of education and training programs can only be judged by degrees and diplomas, which are advertised in a variety of ways. ASCI realises that a variety of these claims in advertisements need to be regulated through a set of guidelines tailor-made for the education sector.”

The proposed advertising guidelines for educational institutions, among other things, prohibits institutions and programs from claiming recognition, authorisation, accreditation, or affiliations without having proper evidence. The proposed guidelines also requires that name and place of the affiliated institution which provides degrees and diplomas on behalf of the advertiser who may not be accredited by a mandatory authority, is also prominently displayed in the ad.

Under the proposed guidelines, educational institutions will not be able to promise jobs, admissions, job promotions, salary increase, etc. without substantiating such claims and also assuming full responsibility in the same advertisement. The proposed guidelines discourages institutions from claiming success in placements, student compensations, admission to renowned institutes, marks and rankings, and topper student testimonials unless every such claim is substantiated with evidence.

“Recently, ASCI has been receiving several intra-industry complaints against claims being made in ads of various educational institutions. Many students and parents too have complained to ASCI against claims made in advertisements by educational institutions,” added Keskar.

After September 6, 2010, and based on the feedback received from the public and concerned stakeholders, the ASCI Committee will finalise the guidelines and put it up for ASCI Board’s approval. Once the Board approves the final draft, the guidelines will become a part of the ASCI’s Code for Self Regulation in Advertising.

Notably, the subject of advertising in educational sector was discussed in the recently held ASCI’s ‘Seminar on Marketing Responsibly’. An eminent panel of professionals and educationists had underlined the need for special guidelines for regulating advertising in the education sector in India along the lines of Self Regulatory Organisations (SRO) around the world such as in South Africa and Brazil.

In the recent past ASCI has put out specific Guidelines for advertisements in automobile and food & beverage sectors.

Aug 6 2010

Damming the “Damned” Migrants !

“Migration is the oldest action against poverty. It selects those who most want help. It is good for the country to which they go; it helps break the equilibrium of poverty in the country from which they come. What is the perversity in the human soul that causes people to resist so obvious a good?”

J.K. Galbraith in The Nature of Mass Poverty, Harvard University Press, 1979.

Observing the debate in Australia where the leaders of both key parties seem to be turning anti-immigration simply for some votes while still making speeches in migrant pockets in a manner that seem to suggest that they are totally confused themselves. The lack-lustre campaign for the 21st August poll is indicative of the fact that Australian politicians are more election-savvy than really having a strategy for their country.

ACPET CEO, Andrew Smith, said no major party has promised any support for international education in the lead-up to the federal election, which is unforgiveable given the scale of economic destruction the industry faces at the hands of poorly planned policy reform.

“The Federal Government has crippled this industry over the past 12 months. The opposition’s cuts to migration would make things even worse. When will our leaders wake up and realise just how much is at stake in this industry?” Mr Smith said. “International education is a great industry for Australia and the region – economically, socially and diplomatically.”

“Yet it beggars belief that the larger international education sector has been ignored by both major political parties as they choose instead to trade blows in a race to the bottom on migration policy that could cripple industry, devastate our international reputation and take away Australian jobs,” Mr Smith said.

“I challenge Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to show their support for Australia’s third-largest export industry and one of its great export success stories, and announce policies to help us build a sustainable industry for the future.”

Australian Government VET providers from the state of Victoria have taken out a release that indicates exactly what the Private Education Provider’s lobby group has said.

RE email

Universities Australia too seem to be using its interactions with the Government to put forth their focused arguments for a slow-down on the anti-immigration vitriolic that has now become a fashion.

I am a resident of Australia and hence donot have a vote. Voting in elections is mandatory for citizens and this gets me to ponder albeit academically as to who would have won my vote. Liberals or the Labour.

In my role I have had the pleasure of close interaction with policy makers and the Ministers with loyalty to both sides of the spectrum. To me there is not much to choose from. While in India last year, the current PM and the leader of the Labour party, Miss Julia Gillard, spoke so eloquently on the advantages of the migration policies and the fact that 1 out of 5 Australian was born outside of Australia. She also used her own example to illustrate that even the first generation migrants have equal opportunity in Australia. However, the election rhetoric is suggesting something else.

I have just put down an excellent read IMMIGRANTS – YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS THEM by PHILIPPE LEGRAIN and I recommend it to all policy makers… Impressed by some of his arguments, I will like to borrow some questions asked by him…

… most people baulk at the thought of people from poor countries coming to work in rich ones.

Why? Why can computers be imported from China duty-free but Chinese people not feely come to make computers here? Why is it a good thing for French insurance salespeople to hawk policies in Poland but a bad thing for Polish plumbers to offer to fix French pipes? Why is the door open for American managers to run factories in Honduras but the door slammed shut for Hondurans who want to work in American factories? Why, in short, is free trade and the free movement of Western elites a wonderful thing but the free movement of everybody else unthinkable? And why is it a good thing for workers to move within a country to where the jobs are, but a bad thing for people to move between countries for the same reason?

Sober-minded economists reckon that the potential gains from freer global migration are huge and greatly exceed the benefits from freer world trade.

If you are skeptical about the merits of globalization, you may not be swayed by the argument that the case for freer migration follows on logically from freer trade – although you might be, since I am essentially arguing that rich countries should open their borders to service-providers from poor countries, which is not a million miles away from arguing that rich countries should open their markets to farm produce from poor countries. But another way of looking at the case for freer international migration is this: if you want to help people in poor countries, freer migration is one of the most effective ways of doing so.

I can go on quoting LSE educated Philippe but that will not be right. You should get hold of a copy of this book read it yourself. It will be very useful and money well spent. However, if the Australian policy makers want a copy, I can contribute too.

Skilled Migration can have several benefits and amongst them is that foreigners may have different skills and qualities – or superior ones. According to an old joke, in heaven the cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian, and everything is organized by the Swiss; in hell the cooks are British, the police is German, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss and everything is organized by the Italians. If these national stereotypes are correct, and the French are particularly talented cooks, then it would make sense for France to specialize in training chefs and export some of them. But not all cooks are the same, and Americans also like Asian cuisine, they might also want to import chefs from Asia. Moreover, the bubbling pot of immigrants from around the world may inspire innovative fusion cooking that blends the national cuisines in appetizing new ways.

Another useful skill that immigrants have is knowledge o their country of origin, which can be a big help for local companies who want to export there. And since, as one of the people interviewed by Philip and of an Indian origin puts it. “Immigrants bring a burning desire to succeed and make themselves”, foreigners can boost productivity and economic growth – especially if the extra competition they bring spurs locals to up their game too.

Australians, be reminded that in 2001, John Howard came from behind in the polls to win the General Election by declaring that “we will decide, and nobody else, who comes to this country” and turning back a boat laden with Afghan refugees. It is John Howard who has now been blamed by the Labour Government for opening Australia’s Immigration policies… There seems to be a contradiction somewhere indeed.

“Strangers instinctively question things that natives take for granted. They stimulate new perspectives because, simply, many things strike them as odd and stupid. That’s why it’s great for any tribe to have a smart stranger injected into it.”

G. Pascal Zachary, The Diversity Advantage. (Quoted in Phillip Legrain’s book)

May 15 2010

Time for Aussie TUTORIAL to the “education” world!!!

Before Minister Sibal left for Australia in April, I, in my blog had suggested that he should take some tips from the Aussies regarding Vocational Education and any collaboration to focus on the Vocational Education and Training in India will be to India’s benefit.

As it turns out, Minister Sibal, not just did that but went one step ahead.

“India plans to restructure its college admission policy to allow vocational education students lateral entry mid-course into mainstream higher educational institutions for the first time following the Australian model.”

“Under the restructured policy, such a student will be allowed to join an appropriate engineering course mid-way — directly in second year, for instance.”

“The impetus for the plan came following a trip by HRD minister Kapil Sibal to Australia last month. Australia allows lateral movement of students between mainstream and vocational education courses. Close to a lakh Indian students went to Australia last year alone, mostly to pursue vocational education courses.”

These are only the first paragraph and the last paragraph of the article COLLEGE SWITCH IN SIBAL PLAN from The Telegraph of this day. You are welcome to take a look at the link for the full article.

India is not the only one, which seems to be taking notes from the Australians.

BBC has reported (see link) that

“Unscrupulous” recruitment agents who bring bogus overseas students into the UK are being targeted in an international initiative.”

“The British Council has for the first time brought together countries including the UK, the US and Australia to try to keep out such students.”

“A meeting of immigration and education authorities in London, the first of its kind, is intended to co-ordinate a multi-national response. Higher education has become a globalised market and the British Council says there needs to be an international approach to tackling fraud.”

“There are also concerns about “multi-national businesses which open up money-making colleges and then close them down, leaving students stranded”.”

“An inaugural meeting of English-speaking countries brought together representatives of the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Irish Republic. The UK Border Agency was among the representatives from the UK.”

“Pat Killingley, the British Council’s director of higher education, said competitor countries need to work together. “We have common interests – we’ve all built up reputations for quality in higher education that we want to protect,” she said.”

Not just the British that find need to exchange notes with the Aussies, Americans have gaped for long at the lead taken by the Australians. Take a look at the following slide used by AIRC (American International Recruitment Council) highlighting Aussie ESOS as an example for US to follow… It will be quite obvious…

These are only a few as examples. I found the American SEVIS to be inspired by the PRISMS. British too have openly admitted being inspired by the Ozzie point system and also they have just recently moved from visa letters to CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) aping the Ozzie electronic COE (Confirmation of Enrolment).

I did a blog earlier this week titled WILL NZ EVER BE A DESTINATION FOR INDIAN STUDENTS. This blog resulted in me receiving so many emails with differing views and also many who were aghast as my being so candid. This blog too indicates that even NZ has lessons to learn from the Ozzies.

Lets certainly give the Aussies their due here. They are in the lead. 2009-10 is actually going to be part of their experience and 2011-12 will build upon this current year. Lessons are to be learnt. Following the Twenty-20 World Cup Semi-final match, I need to say that they have “hussey-ed” the world and India too stands “siballed”.

May 8 2010

The world of International education… this week.

A lot has happened in our world this week with direct and indirect impact on the Industry that I belong to…

Sibal tabled the Education Reforms bills:

Irrespective of whether I agree or disagree with Sibal and his directions, all the bills prepared by the MOHRD were tabled in the Parliament. Guys, it will take a long time even from now but the direction is certainly being shown. It may mean a few modifications and a few months but certainly the Foreign Education Bill in some form or other will be passed… You already know my take on the bills through my earlier blogs. Will India gain? It will. Will it gain enough? It will not. Will it justify the reasons being put forward? Never.

Australia defered the SOL announcement and has now suspended the Skills Migration lodgments temporarily…

The deferment of the SOL is actually a cause of anxiety for the potential applicants in Australia (onshore students who have or are completing their courses or on the TR) and also overseas. It is a cause of anxiety to all those who are planning education in Australia. Once again, you may say that PR and Education should not have a link BUT every student wanting to study does want to know if the occupation that he is planning for is an occupation in demand. The temporary suspension of the Migration lodgments is an indication of some things to come. There is a situation on the ground with many onshore with some expectation from the Australian Government. In the election year, will the Government be a little flexible or more inflexible?

Australian Immigration has re-registered Education Agents in India.

Just done a blog on 5th May and have added a postscript to that too. This is a turning point in the industry in India. You reap what you sow…

UK election result and its impact on Immigration.

Clearly the Tories are heading towards forming the government but the fact that they donot have clear majority is an advantage to some sections of the industry. The Tories agenda on Immigration was clearly a reversal of the labour-flexibility and almost like the current Ozzie mindset.

Conservatives

  1. Believe that immigration today is too high and needs to be reduced. Steps will be taken to reduce net migration to “tens of thousands a year, not hundreds of thousands”.
  2. Student visa system will be tightened up to clamp down on abuse:
  3. Make it easier for reputable institutions to accept applications.
  4. Extra scrutiny on new institutions and institutions not registered with Companies House
  5. Insist foreign students at new or unregistered institutions pay a bond in order to study in this country, to be repaid after the student has left the country at the end of their studies
  6. Ensure foreign students can prove that they have the financial means to support themselves in the UK
  7. Require that students must usually leave the country and reapply if they want to switch to another course or apply for a work permit.

More on http://blog.conservatives.com/index.php/2010/03/08/the-student-visa-security-loophole-must-be-closed/

(Thanks Rahul for sharing this…)

However, not having the majority and being forced to bed with the Liberal Democrats will mean that they may have to work on a “Common Minimum Program” and hence we can look forward to some softening on their agenda. The success of several “first generation migrants” in the elections including those from the subcontinent too means that there will be a more inclusive UK in future too. Just as a reminder Liberal Democrats are actually asking for amnesty for the illegal migrants… Interesting bed-fellows indeed.

Looking forward to the coming week with anticipation…

… Australia should soon announce the SOL.

… UK should get its coalition government.

… Time for Mangoes and Litchi now that Nor’wester has hit town.

May 5 2010

Ozzie Immigration re-registers Indian eVisa student agents

You are possibly aware that two months ago, DIAC(Department of Immigration And Citizenship) announced that it was terminating the earlier access agreement and requiring all education agents to submit fresh expressions of interests. This was a process akin to re-registering and fresh agreements to be signed between DIAC and education agents. The process is nearing completion and agencies on the first list have been invited.

121 education agents in India submitted the EOI and DIAC undertook an exhaustive screening process using various parameters including success rate of visas, integrity of the agent, level of fraud and the ability to meet new threshold. Shortlisted Education Agents were invited formally on 29th-30th April and just yesterday on the AHC website has been updated with the new list of agents with eVisa access from India.

In 2009 the number of Indian agents with access to eVisa was close to 70 which was reduced to 47 by March 2010. The re-registered list released today has only 15 of the earlier 47 eVisa agents along with 7 new inclusions. I have attached the new list which can also be found on LINK HERE.

Personally, I feel that it is a turning point in the industry in more ways than one. Several “largish” members are fuming at not being included and I feel their pain as several have been in the industry for a long time and many are friends. While they are all in their right to complain, DIAC certainly knows more than me or you and the benefit of doubt, in the absence of any of their data, will be to the Australian Government’s DIAC. The process was a thorough one indeed and appeared to be fairly transparent based on some parameters.

GR is proud indeed to continue being on the list. I wish the success rate and fraud details could be made public as I feel that GR possibly has the highest success rate of all agencies due to our stricter quality control mechanism.

I will be doing a blog on the various cleansing mechanisms being embarked by the OZ government and whether all this is in the right direction.

POST SCRIPT ON 06.05.2010

It appears that a number of education agents have been kept on a kind of “waiting list” or in Indian Railway’s terminology RAC and these agents on the secondary list may be included on the primary list over the coming months subject to several factors.

I also want to make one major clarification above. It appears that a number of members are giving an impression to the rest that they have been unfairly not included on the list this time. However, it is a fact that DIAC has been actively observing several agencies over the last year. Some of the agents (atleast 4 that I know of) were actually taken off the list way back in February itself while the impression to the rest that they have not been included now. Only that the DIAC list on the immi site was not updated leading to them continuing to claim to be an eVisa agent when in reality they had ceased to be so.

Do I agree with the process undertaken by DIAC?

YES. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN EARLIER ITSELF.

Do I agree with all the names on the primary list?

NO. There are some names included who seem to be too new in the industry or are clearly not overboard. Once again, DIAC knows best. I will differ though. Also some names should have been there who are not there. They languish on the secondary list and should be included in the primary list.

Does AAERI have a role?

NO. It is between DIAC and the agents primarily because AAERI is not privy to the conduct of the agents while DIAC is. AT THE MOST, AAERI PRESIDENT CAN SEEK CLARIFICATIONS ON THE PROCESS FOLLOWED and I know that he is already doing that.

Is eVisa the future?

Absolutely.

THE ABOVE ARE ONLY MY PERSONAL VIEW POINTS AS I KEEP GETTING CONTACTED BY MEMBERS ON THIS ISSUE AND WILL BE DIVERTING THEM TO THIS BLOG.

Apr 29 2010

US-fed Education data misleads the world and themselves…

India believes that USA is the No. 1 destination for Indian students. Indian Minister for HRD has stated this too. Indian academics and students will be spontaneous in their acknowledgement of the same. All based on “spinned” data.

In reality, this is complete non-sense and is not backed by data at all.

The data released by IIE purposely highlights the “enrolment” figures and not focusing on the actual number of Indian students proceeding to USA each year. Even if that data is also in the document, it doesn’t figure in the press releases primarily because that will make USA look poor in comparison to Australia and United Kingdom in the Indian market. And how can USA accept that reality. Hence, the spin…

The press releases get picked up by the media and it reports…

The number of students from India enrolled in US universities and colleges crossed 100,000 for the first time ever this year even as international enrollments in America registered the largest percentage increase since 1980, defying broad economic trends.

The Indian numbers went up 9.2 per cent from 94,563 in 2007/2008 to cross 100,000 for the first time to retain its position as the top place of origin for international students in the United States. China remained in second place, although there was a sharp 21 per cent spike in students from China, going up from 81,127 last academic year to 98,235 this year. South Korea (69,000 to 75,000) remained in third place.

This is the eighth consecutive year that India has remained in the top spot.

Authors of the report said the findings do not reflect the full impact of the past year’s economic downturn, since decisions to come to the United States to study were made before the financial effects were fully felt in the sending countries.

SOURCE: TIMES OF INDIA (LINK)

There is nothing inaccurate in the information provided above but it simply confuses the Indian students, Indian governments and Indian media to believe that there were more than 100000 Indian students choosing USA during 2009. The real actual start numbers hide behind the enrolment figures and nobody wants to point to it.

The catch is in the word “enrolment”. An enrolment data is a cumulative data and includes continuing students from previous years. If there is a slowdown in the economy and there are less jobs, students tend to continue as students by re-enrolling to keep their visas in USA. This leads to an increase in enrolment statistics even if the actual visa numbers are falling. This happened post 9/11 for a few years and is happening now again.

The reality is that less number of Indian students applied to USA in 2009 and USA actually became No. 3 choice destination for Indian students.

Shocked. Let me provide the  actual data now… Education Journalist Ishaani Duttagupta reported in TOI titled US F1 visas fall 25% (link)  …

It’s official. There were less F1 student visas for the US issued across India in financial year 2009 (Oct 08-Sep 09) than the previous FY08. In fact, 25,860 issuances in FY09 actually translates into a whopping 25% decline over 34,510, which was the number issued last year.

Most experts and consultants feel that the fall in numbers of Indian students choosing to go to the US for higher studies is because of the fall in financial aid offered by institutions rather than any visa strictures.

And even as most experts agree that lower financial aid and scholarships are the reason for the drop in number of Indian students going to the US, many are hoping that as the recovery kicks in the numbers will improve.

So, enrolment rises even when the actual demand for that country has declined. There is evidence that this is not unusual but the fact is that reliance on this data can lead to wrong planning and even incorrect implications. Not just journalists tend to use the terms “enrolments” and “student-starts” interchangeably, even institutions get misguided. I have visited several institutions and very few of them take a detailed analysis out of the falling “actual” numbers and just gloat over the increasing enrolments.

Interestingly again, while the world knows that the number of students going to Australia from India has fallen steeply in recent months(possibly even 50-70%), the enrolment of Indian students has actually increased in the same period due to less numbers moving into residency or work permits due to the tightening of the process. This is akin to what happened in USA. Will it be right for Australian planners to give much credence to the enrolment growth at this time???

Look at this report that shows up the Aussie replay of the US enrolment-actual syndrome.

Despite the increasing value of the Australian dollar compared with other currencies, and widespread reporting across Asia of attacks on Indian students, the nation’s universities continue to attract more foreign fee-paying students.

The total number of foreigners enrolled in universities, schools and vocational and English language colleges also rose, by 6%, to almost 390,000 in the 12 months to February.

More worrying for the institutions that have come to rely heavily on fees from foreigners is the fact that in the same period, the number of students beginning a course this year fell by nearly 3% to 98,000.

Yet universities managed to boost their commencements by 10%, bringing the total number of overseas newcomers on campus to 31,000.

China and India were the largest markets for both enrolments and commencements in all sectors. China accounted for 27% of total enrolments and 29% of commencements while India accounted for 17% and 9.4% respectively.

In the higher education sector, the two largest markets were also China, with almost 34% of enrolments and 39% commencements, and India, with 11% enrolments and 5.4% commencements.

SOURCE: UNIVERSITY WORLD NEWS (LINK)

Hence, anyone wanting to really gauge the demand for an education destination should ONLY look at the fresh student entries into that country during the year. Enrolment statistics are only “red herrings” and will misguide planners.

Also, the fact is that

  • USA was No. 3 choice destination for Indian students during the year 2008-09 after Australia and United Kingdom.
  • USA has been No. 3 choice destination of “full fee paying” students from India for a few years now.
  • USA gets far less “vocational” Indian students than several countries.
  • USA is however No. 1 destination for “research” students and for “scholarship” students.

There you go… another MYTH shattered. Did I wake you up???

Apr 23 2010

Saving India’s Higher Education: Now that FORBES writes like me, you will agree too.

I have now done several blogs on Sibal’s various reforms and the one on Foreign Education Bill has received maximum hits.  This blog (Sibal’s Foreign Education Bill is Mere Rhetoric!!) was on 24th March 2010.

The April 16th issue of FORBES INDIA carries the theme SAVING INDIA’S HIGHER EDUCATION and focuses on the Sibal Bill.

Let me quote some paragraphs from the editorial right on the first page. If you find the quotes and the matter of the article to match with the theory prescribed in my blog, I guess the FORBES article has been inspired by some of my arguments or it is a mere co-incidence.

The editorial of this prestigious International publication states:

… the challenges India faces on education seldom receives the kind of attention it deserves. And it is evident from the string of politicians who were picked to head the Union HRD ministry That’s one of the reasons why I am among the lot who cheered the appointment of Kapil Sibal as the Cabinet Minister for Human Resource Development.

…The sheer size of India’s middleclass may be alluring for P&G or Vodafone, but not necessarily for the biggest brands in the global higher education space. So expecting Stanford, Cambridge or Harvard to setup large campuses in India is simply a figment of someone’s fertile imagination. Frankly, our prognosis is that there will be no stampede of any kind. Some lesser known universities may step in and no one’s quite sure whether their quality will be up to scratch.

… While as a magazine, we are solidly behind the idea of opening up higher education to greater competition, it’s important to guard against one important myth: That these foreign universities will help solve India’s gigantic higher education challenge.

These quotes is only to whet your appetite.  Get hold of the article… and read it along with my blog of 24th March.

There is one very strong argument being provided as a solution.

…  We’ve still got time to make amends. It starts with dismantling yet another shibboleth: That education should be run only by not-for-profit trusts. Now, here’s my contention: Why not allow some of India’s leading corporations, be it the Tatas, Birlas or even Wipro, to set up for-profit institutions? Many of them are genuinely interested and the’d be a good deal better than the assortment of unscrupulous politicians and dubious entrepreneurs who have used these entry barriers to dish out poor quality education and fleece students. Under the existing model, no corporation can set aside large amounts on education without running into corporate governance issues.

Certainly, why should the Tatas, Birlas or even Wipro, not be allowed and people like Mr Chaudhury of IIPM not be checked. Careers 360 April issue provides more details on IIPM and how some states are taking action and even banning them BUT  the one who matters is going slow. I am talking of Kapil Sibal and his Ministry.

Mar 24 2010

Sibal’s FOREIGN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BILL: Mere “Rhetoric”?

rhetoric |ˈretərik|
noun
the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, esp. the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
• language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but is often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.
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I admire the enthusiasm of India’s Minister of HRD, Mr Kapil Sibal. Articulate, Suave and extremely qualified… Qualified more as a lawyer, spokesperson for his party and certainly as the type of politician that we need for “Urban” India. He did initiate a whiff of fresh air to the MHRD taking over from Mr Arjun Singh, who was neither Suave nor Articulate though still extremely qualified as a seasoned politician for the non-Urban populace.
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I also tend to relate to Sibal’s urbanism having lived only in cities, and having been educated at institutions no less. One with congress leaning (yes, not-hiding-this even on my facebook profile), I do instinctively become an advocate for Nehruvian and Rajivic directions that India has taken. “Desh ka neta kaisa ho, Rahul Gandhi jaisa ho” is my slogan too. Rahul is my candidate for the next Prime Minister not just of India but also Bharat and hence tend to expect all Ministers also to act as representatives of all sections of Indians, Urban and non-Urban. It was with this “bias” that delayed my criticism of the Women Bill and also completely silenced the amplification of the natural grumbling on the proposed abolition of the CBSE’s 10th level boards.
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However, as the policies being hurriedly pushed under a 100 days agenda relates more and more to my expertise, I wish I had a role to play in the designs of India’s education policies.
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A case to point is the FOREIGN EDUCATION INSTITUTION (REGULATION OF ENTRY AND OPERATIONS) BILL 2010.
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I know that the bill is not through yet and may not find it easy to get the nod even of the Rajya Sabha considering that unlike the Women Bill, this doesnot have the support of the BJP and certainly not of the Left. Hence, its sailing through both the houses in a jiffy may only remain a Sibal-dream. Even if it is passed, it will require some further compromises diluting its attractiveness to even the non-Ivy League institutions.
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Since, the final form of the regulation will only be known in the months ahead, I am refraining from the specifics. Hence am analysing the usefulness of the bill only from the objective that it hopes to achieve. Objectives, unlike the implementation, are already known.  If the expectations are hyped, then disappointment will follow at some time. Achievement is not in getting a legislation in place for the sake of change. Kapil Sibal’s ability as a lawyer and a spokesperson of a political party is sufficient background to camouflage the shortcomings by exaggerating whatever positives that the proposed legislations may have. The Sibal charm clearly won Thapar over in a recent TV interview and the Devil’s advocate was all but clapping to the rhetoric being dished out by the minister.
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The goals are 1) increasing capacity, 2) offering greater options, 3) challenging the current standards and hence improving the quality…
Also are 4) saving Indian forex outflow as students will not need to go overseas as they will now be able to get the foreign degrees in India and 5) India becoming an education hub attracting students from around the world.
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Are these goals realistic and achievable? Let me go over them one by one:.

INCREASING CAPACITY:

In a realistic scenario we are only looking at a handful of institutions offering handful of programs either on their own or in partnership with local institutions. Indian capacity building requirements are far higher and these few hundred places created in some of the large urban locations will only aid the students who already have options and can afford to “buy” places at alternative locations in India or overseas. What India needs is capacity building at smaller towns and there are many possibilities in doing that including capacity increases at existing institutions and also push in the polytechnic sector. The PPP (Pubic Private Partnerships) are already initiating activities in this area. Kapil Sibal, himself, a few months ago in a program WALK THE TALK had stated that institutions of repute in India are in a position to increase the student intakes. The larger institutions in India have space and infrastructure to do so quite easily. Increasing Capacity can hence not be the excuse for this bill.
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Historically, branch campuses do not absorb many students. India will have to provide access that Indian needs. It cannot rely on foreign universities to do that.
Philip Altbach, Director, Center for Intl Higher Education, Boston College.
(Quoted in TOI)

OFFERING GREATER OPTIONS:

Students will have more options but not significantly more options. India holds attention for foreign institutions either when they have philanthropic interest or commercial interest. If it is the former then the studies / research will focus on specific areas of academic interest to the institutions and their researchers. For example an institution that wants to study tropical medicine or third world economies may collaborate with Indian institutions. If the institutions have commercial interests then there will be the regular offerings that will attract those who can afford more expensive education (compared to the Indian colleges) and my guess will be that a course like BBA will be the first to be offered as more kids of wealthier families opt for this stream. Is this giving greater course options.  If we are talking of options in terms of institutions, these new-campuses will never be preferred over the tried and tested Indian institutions.  Hence it is giving options only to those who already have the options. Also the quality conscious institutions are reluctant to open offshore campuses as they feel that it will lower their quality.
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We are loathe to consider creating a satellite campus that would offer a degree programme that did not live up to the quality that we can offer on our home campus. So we are not considering a satellite campus location that would grant degrees in India or anywhere else.
Lisa Lapin, Asst VP, University Communications, Stanford University.
(Quoted in Education Times.)

CHALLENGING THE CURRENT STANDARDS AND IMPROVING QUALITY:

This is possible. However, I don’t think that the new campuses can ever have better teaching staff. The Government sector in India provides security and very generous work culture for academics, which is the single biggest incentive. The mentality of professors in India (I know because my mother was the Head of Department in Economics) revolves around the prestige and security that comes with the jobs. And colleges and institutions draw their prestige from these professors… There is almost a cult following for some of the professors. This is not going to go away. Irrespective of the salaries that are offered, it will be difficult for the “private sector” (Yes, the foreign campuses will be considered private colleges) to be able to compete. A parallel is that despite better salaries offered by Private airlines, Air India remains a preferred employer for cabin crews / ground staff. Some Universities that have opened campuses in the Gulf are finding it difficult to find teaching staff and consequently run some programmes using distance learning and video based classes. TOI reports that “just last month, academic audits conducted by the University Quality Assurance International Board, found serious gaps in various campuses and has threatened to shut some of them down”. Hence what quality improvements are we aiming?
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The Ivy League may not come. But we will see a range of second-tier universities flying in.
Narayan Ramaswamy, Executive Director, KPMG.
(Quoted in TOI)

INDIA SAVES FOREX AS INDIANS WILL OPT TO GET THEIR FOREIGN DEGREES IN INDIA AND NOT OVERSEAS.

This is so misplaced and displays that the planners have no clue as to why Indians go overseas to study. There is ample evidence that the two of the most important reasons for those from the middle-class for choosing to study overseas are 1) International exposure and 2) Pathway to work/settlement overseas. Both of these are not fulfilled through studies at the Indian campuses/study centres of the foreign Universities. Indian students donot necessarily go overseas because of the label of the degree alone. A few years ago I was hired by an institute in Kolkata to market the London School of Economics degrees that they conducted in the External mode. This meant that the students graduating from the Kolkata study centre would finally graduate with a degree that indicates the LSE branding. I assumed that this will find enough takers to fill up the classes. I was wrong and the institute failed. I currently market the Carnegie Mellon’s full-fledged and high profile campus in Australia. Once again, thought that the brand of this University should be more attractive than the other Universities in Australia. I was wrong again. The local Aussie providers continued to be preferred. People want to study at Carnegie Mellon in USA but not in Australia. This might change with time as the campus establishes itself but there is no love at first sight even though the Carnegie brand is one of the topmost brands in the world and the institute is in a heritage building with full infrastructure.
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The premise also is that students going overseas to study leads to drain of forex. In short term indeed but in long term, the flow is actually the other way around. There are reports that the inward remittances in some cases begin even when the students start working part time along with studies in some countries. One of the reasons for the huge increase in student numbers to some of the low cost diplomas in Australia, NZ and UK in recent years was this alone.
Students want to experience cross-culture exposure of International campuses; experience of studying and living in a foreign land and certainly the freedom that young experience. All this does not come from studying at the offshore centres.
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“New Zealand’s spectacular environment and enjoyable lifestyle are a major appeal for international students and these cannot be replicated offshore”
Michelle Waitzman, Communications Specialist, Education NZ.
(Quoted in TOI)
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BECOME A HUB FOR EDUCATION AND ATTRACT STUDENTS TO INDIA

Can it? It’s far fetched. Even if it does, it can only be if Indian institutions are able to accept and host foreign students and not otherwise. The UAE and Singapore examples are before us. Students from India would prefer the NUS or NTU to any other foreign operators in Singapore. The local government’s two-tier approach is also a hurdle and we can foresee that same situation in India. Academics, Alumni, Research and also the local patronage establish an institution and it takes decades. International students at the foreign campuses in Singapore donot have the same rights as those at local University campuses in Singapore. One University is not allowed to call itself University in their name too even when they have a valid presence as a University. UNSW, which was invited by the Singapore Government and was recruiting students, realised the faulty financials and decided to call it quits very early and UK’s Warwick University too backed out. In UAE, the relationship of the local government with the foreign providers is primarily of a landlord and tenant. There are reports that NYU campus alone costs $300 million in running costs. All the campuses are basically different identical buildings in the knowledge village and the campuses are having difficulty in attracting student from other parts of the world. They are surviving on the local expat population and because there is really no local University of repute. Then comes the tag that we attach to each country. An US University’s campus in Thailand suffers due to the repute of Thailand with a certain type of tourism. Monash has an excellent campus in Malaysia but is yet to become attractive to Indian students since the students associate Monash to Australia. INSEAD, which operates in Singapore and in Abu Dhabi in addition to France, runs each like a home campus and not offshore campus, study centre or subsidiary because they believe that “Offshore campuses can dilute quality and damage the brand name of an institution” (Frank Brown, Dean, quoted in TOI)
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Harvard Business School has no plans for a campus outside Boston, as we strongly believe that our campus in Boston is an essential part of the Harvard MBA experience.
Anjali Raina, Exec Director, HBS India Research Centre, Mumbai
Quoted in TOI.
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The aspirations from the FOREIGN EDUCATION INSTITUTION (REGULATION OF ENTRY AND OPERATIONS) BILL 2010 are like “shooting in the dark” and there is a need to stock-take the experiences other nations.
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What can be a better way to end this blog than quoting Minister Sibal himself.
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“I Witness”, subtitled “Partial Observations”, published by Roli Books, is the outpouring of a public man who felt driven to communicate his private thoughts in poetic form in the midst of incessant soundbites and perfunctory speeches he had to give in his official role as minister and a spokesperson for the Congress party.
“In a sense, that’s the argumentative Indian who is finding his voice in poetry. These verses are written from many viewpoints – from those of a bureaucrat and a lawyer to a politician and a modern-day commentator of daily life,” Sibal told IANS
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Turning poetical on his blackberry, he writes about T-20 cricket. (See link)
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Cricket lovers’ nightmare
Slapstick tamasha
Connoisseurs often complain.
Instant stroke play
Without any foreplay:
This is not cricket, they claim!
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These lines also apply to a number of initiatives that the Minister has put forward, which to me appear, too hurried and similar to T-20 cricket.
Hope they are not fixed.