Red carpet to Ivy League

Hundred days ago, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had made a strong statement about the entry of foreign universities into India.

"I would like to see foreign university to come to India on our terms," he had said.

But now there is a re-think. NDTV has learnt that Sibal has given the go-ahead to the Foreign Universities Bill, but with relaxed terms.

For instance, the quota clause is gone. This means the foreign universities will not have to keep aside seats for SC/STs or OBCs. However, if these universities offer quotas they will be given incentives.

"We want to bring in this legislation as soon as possible. May be this week," said MoS D Purandesuri.

The bill also lays out the red carpet for Ivy League and Oxbridge universities. They will not need any clearances from the government.

But the foreign university will have to put in at least 50 per cent of the investment by themselves, without the help of any affiliates.
 
To keep out second-rung universities the bill will insist on a Rs 10 crore corpus. It will also keep a tab on the syllabus to make sure they are in sync with Indian laws and ethics.

So the bill is ready after years of waiting, but will it attract the best international universities? No one is willing to bet on that just yet.