Eight months after it was first brought before the Cabinet and referred to a Group of Ministers (GoM), the Bill to regulate entry and functioning of foreign universities was approved by the Cabinet today. The Bill, expected to be introduced during the Budget session of Parliament, is likely to be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the HRD Ministry.

The Foreign Educational Providers (regulation of entry and operation, maintenance of quality and prevention of commercialisation) Bill will enforce all national laws, including reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, on these institutions.

According to the Bill, these universities will be given the status of deemed universities — under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act — and their operations will be monitored by the UGC. The UGC Secretary will be ex-officio registrar of foreign educational providers.

The Bill puts foreign educational institutions under the ambit of all regulations of the UGC Act, which are applicable to deemed universities, including admission, fee-fixation and quality teaching standard.

But it has a clause to exempt leading institutions — Harvard, Yale, Oxford to name a few — from UGC regulations.

According to the Bill, an advisory board will decide if a foreign university seeking exemption from provisions of this law deserves the exceptional treatment in view of their reputation, standing and other criteria to be finalised by the government. This board will have three distinguished professors recognised as National Research Professors — one of them will be the chairperson — and heads of the statutory higher education regulators.

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