Lo, foreign universities are coming!

By O.J.George

India may become an international hub of foreign universities and other institutions of excellence soon. For, the Union Cabinet has approved a bill called Foreign Educational Bill.

The procedure for bringing in the bill has been in the offing for some time, from UPA I governmental bandwagon. But the Leftists were dead against allowing foreign varsities come in and do business in the education sector.

Times are changing as we have already opened up vistas of knowledge to our people through many tools.

Popularisation of internet, spilling of an avalanche of information at the press of a button and conveyance of all sorts of ideology, thinking and peals of wisdom have broadened the horizons of Indian people as well on an intellectual plane.

Efforts at putting an iron curtain over the information explosion is not feasible. One cannot close the door to the infusion of invaluable information.

Even before that some of the best educational institutions in the capitalist countries had good centres of excellence teaching Leftist ideas, Marxism etc in addition to their other pet subjects. The Leftists need not worry about obliteration of teaching covering their spheres in these foreign institutions.

There would be no harm in foreign varsities of the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Harward, Stanford, London School of Economics and the like opening shop here and imparting training to those who seek it in India itself.

No one can block huge developments in the education sphere. Let all good institutions from across the oceans come here for mutual benefit.