What are the opportunities and challenges for foreign universities?
India’s massive, degree-seeking youth population represents a major opportunity. Several lakhs of Indian students currently seek degrees from foreign institutions. Getting this branding without the hassles of visas and costs of living abroad, may be attractive to them. For the institutions, it is also an opportunity to build partnerships and collaborate with Indian institutions while entering the Indian markets. However, challenges are many. Branch campuses often struggle to maintain consistent standards, competition from homegrown institutions can be severe and financial sustainability can be an issue.
Is there a shift towards deeper collaboration?
Yes, definitely. At IIT Madras, we are seeing this shift particularly from top-ranked universities in Australia and Europe and also Asian countries like Japan.
What will determine foreign universities’ success?
They have to be able to provide a unique value proposition that the Indian institutions cannot do easily. That could be a global career opportunity. A balanced offering that combines the foreign university’s homegrown strength with the needs of Indian students may be the best bet. As per the current trends, an interdisciplinary, multicultural degree and experience may be needed.
IIT Madras has set up a campus in Zanzibar. How has the experience been?
It has been a unique opportunity for us to articulate the future of higher education in Africa. As a government-to-government agreement, the campus is quite different in nature from the branch campuses anywhere else in the world. Retaining the academic experiences, ensuring student selection and an inclusive pedagogy while following the same curriculum as in our Chennai campus have been interesting vistas we have explored. Our master’s students have graduated now and are well-placed. Undergraduate students are in good internship programmes. The model is surely one of a kind and in its early days, but with dedication, will be a successful one.
What can foreign universities learn from IIT Madras experience?
The current landscape of higher education is changing. A collaborative exploration rather than a competitive one is needed. A purely revenue driven model is also not suitable today in a branch campus. The offerings have to cater to the future of the world and truly benefit young people and provide them with lasting skill. How to provide such an education in a way that is financially viable is the problem for foreign universities to solve.