The International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC), an international provider of British education and skills in India, organised a roundtable discussion on October 12 in Kolkata.
The speakers discussed at length on the theme ‘Education Beyond Borders—Internationalisation—the Way forward.’ The discussion was attended by leading institute heads of eastern India. The focus was on the new University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations around International Collaboration between Indian and Foreign Higher Education Institutions based on the latest National Education Policy (NEP) developments.
Margaret Curran, head of International Development, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said, “The collaboration between SQA and ISDC primarily aims to offer Indian students the opportunity to study in the UK with 2+1 arrangement wherever students study in India for two years and then for one year they attend classes in the UK institutes. This will enable students to acquire a degree from the UK in a more affordable option.”
The roundtable discussion was part of the all-India road show organised by ISDC. The event connects 12 cities throughout the nation and will comprise 11 such discussion forums and one mega-conference in Bangalore. The roundtable series started in Hyderabad on October 10 and will conclude in Kochi on October 22.
Tom Joseph, executive director for Strategy & Development at ISDC, said, “The government of India is taking a number of initiatives to promote the internationalisation of higher education under the National Education Policy 2020. The UGC has initiated the latest set of regulations around international collaboration between Indian and foreign higher education institutions in order to develop a conducive environment for Indian students. We are hopeful that through our series of roundtable discussions, we will be able to reach out to the maximum number of students, highlighting the positive aspects of the internationalisation of education and helping them achieve greater success in their respective careers. He further added, “We would like to thank all the attendees for coming forward to make this event a huge success and also show their support for this revolutionary upgrade in the Indian education space.”
Other prominent speakers and guests at the event were Margaret Curran, head of International Development, Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA); Michael Lee, head of Global Development, International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC); Suman Bhattacharya, director, Kareer School, KIIT University; Sanjay Pratap Singh, VC, Royal Global University; Gopal Pathak, VC, Sarala Birla University; Anup Kumar Samanataray, dean, IBCS; Hussain Ahmed, Mentor International Collaborations, Xavier’s College, Ranchi and Puneet Pradhan, Advisor KIIT and KISS.
Pritam Sarkar, spokesperson and head of strategic initiatives, ISDC said, “More students are looking forward to pursuing higher education in the UK and that usually can cost them up to 10-15 lakh per annum only on tuition fee. The total expenditure can shoot up to Rs 80 to 90 lakh. So, an average Indian family cannot afford this. This is where our framework will help students to get the same opportunity but in a more affordable arrangement. The three-year programmes will be split into 2+1 where students study in India for the first two years and then pursue the last year at a university in the UK. We are collaborating with institutes in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal to provide the students with this framework.”
The next roundtable session will be conducted in New Delhi on October 13.