AIU (Association of Indian Universities) is the only recognized body in India for granting academic equivalence of degrees/diplomas not only within the country but also to other similar bodies in foreign countries. In acknowledgement to the works done by the Division since its inception the Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi, vide their letter No. Dated 13th May, 1995 issued a Notification that the equivalence done by AIU will be valid for the purpose of higher education as well as employment in the country.
The above is how AIU is described on its official website (www.aiuweb.org). I would assume its role to be similar to NARIC in UK (http://www.naric.org.uk/) and NOOSR in Australia (https://www.aei.gov.au/Services-And-Resources/Pages/AEINOOSR.aspx).
With the above background, allow me to present my blog. There are no disclaimers in this piece and this is based on real and factual circumstances of a student who has been in contact with me recently. The said student studied a Masters Degree in UK from University of Nottingham. Nottingham is a member of the Russell Group, Universitas 21, the Sutton Trust, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the European University Association and Universities UK. However when he was seeking employment/further studies in India, he was asked to prove that the qualification that he held was recognized in India and it didnot matter if the University was a leading University. What was required was whether the Masters that he held was “equal” to a Masters.
Confused on how to go about, he wrote to British Council in Delhi assuming that they will stand by their degrees and indicate some document that indicates that the Masters from UK is equal to a Masters in India. The reply that he got was…
Thank you for writing to us. Hope you had a good experience in the UK.
Recognition of overseas degrees in India is guided by Government of India regulations and as you rightly indicate, AIU is the organisation which may comment on it. The British Council is a source of information about education in the UK only and does not offer equivalence certificates.
Wow… he found the reply “dry”. He went on to AIU website (www.aiuweb.org) and then clicked on the link in left column for Evaluation. The page that opened up indicated…
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But he was not wanting to know the MOU that these countries had since he had studied not in Egypt, Russia, Australia, Germany or Sri Lanka. He had studied in “the” Britain that has given India the current system of education and has educated most of Indian leading educationists.
Fiddling around the page he comes across the INFORMATION BULLETIN 2009 ON EQUIVALENCE OF DEGREES. The font being big and colourful was difficult to miss. He went on and clicked and it opened up to the answer that he was looking for. The pdf laid out the full equivalence for school leaving, Bachelors and Higher Degree equivalences and it mentions the answer that he was looking for…
Master Degree programs which are less than 2 years in duration of foreign universities have also not been accorded equivalence by AIU. AIU do not issues ECs in such cases.
The link to the pdf is http://www.aiuweb.org/Evaluation/IB%202009.pdf
Shocked he is! His plans for further education in India which required him to have a Masters is shattered. Masters in UK is mostly a one year qualification and is UK’s biggest USP. He can’t believe that British Council that “promotes” British education in India cleverly indicated that they can only talk of education as in UK. Ha Ha Ha. The British Council promotes the UK Education in India. Holds fairs around the country. Works with Indian institutions and organizations and fosters closer working relationships. Manages scholarships to Indian students and now is not even making its bit to lobby the case of the graduating students from UK to seek their qualification to be equal to Indian qualifications, if not better.
British Council’s Indian pages mention…
Most master’s degrees and MBAs at UK universities last one year compared to two in other countries, including the USA and Australia. Choosing the UK means you only have to pay tuition fees for one year and you’ll be back in the workplace before you know it.
Now is British Council attempting to promote degrees that are not recognised in India. If so, then as per the legal rulings in India, they need to add a disclaimer in the promotions that states that BRITISH MASTER DEGREES OF DURATIONS OF ONE YEAR ARE NOT EQUAL TO INDIAN MASTERS DEGREES!
- Frankly, AIU needs to be presented with facts so that it can change its equivalence system and accords exception to the 1 year Masters from UK.
- Frankly, British Council needs to lobby for recognition of British Masters degrees of one year duration before it begins claiming the British Degrees to be globally recognized.
- Frankly, Banks need to sack all their managers who gave education loans to students going for Masters in UK since the course being aspired for was not going to be recognized even to work in their own nationalized banks. Ha Ha Ha but Yes, true.
- Frankly, RBI needs to pull all the forex vendors for having opened Higher Study Quotas and allowed precious forex to go out for such studies which are not “equal”.
- Frankly, education counsellors and agents such as us who have promoted British quality education need to be pulled up by someone. Maybe Ministry of HRD.
- Frankly, all Indian Leaders, Corporate giants and several others who hold Masters degrees from UK need to be told that they hold “Not-Recognised Qualification”.
and
- Frankly, UK needs to remind the Indian Minister who went to lobby for work-rights for graduating Indian students in UK, to first give those Indian students work rights in India itself.
What a joke it is! Only AIU prodded by British Council can fix it. If AIU insists to stand by its equivalence model, UK Universities need to be told to promote their Masters in India with a clear statutory wording or disclaimer that their degrees are not eligible for employment and further education in India. Yes, this is what AIU equivalence means.
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