Feedback sought on tie-ups with foreign edu institutions

For the first time, Higher Education Institutes will enter into an academic collaboration with foreign institutions to offer joint degree or dual degree programmes in both Under Graduate (UG) and Post Graduate (PG) disciplines from the coming academic year as per the proposal from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

As the UGC had recently released a draft regulation under which students could get a dual degree from Indian and foreign higher education institutions, separately and simultaneously, the Commission has asked suggestions and feedback from academicians, educationists, teachers and parents about the dual degree courses.

UGC sources said that the New Education Policy-2020 calls for permitting credits acquired in foreign countries to be counted for the award of a degree.

“Furthermore, the Budget announcement of 2021 proposed regulatory mechanism to permit dual degrees, joint degrees and twinning arrangements,” it added.

Accordingly, the UGC constituted a committee to frame enabling regulations in these regard. The draft UGC (Academic collaboration between Indian and foreign HEIs to offer joint degree, dual degree and twinning programme) Regulations, 2021 were placed in public domain.

Sources further said that the suggestions and feedback will be considered according to their merits so that amendments could be made by the panel.

The feedback and suggestions could be made by the stakeholders till March 2021. With all the universities affiliated with the UGC had received the circular concerning dual degrees and the state government is also looking into the aspects of the UGC’s proposal and would give its feedback to the commission.