Lok Sabha Question No. 3310 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-16
Subject: Financial Outflow by Students Studying Abroad
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION 3310 ANSWERED ON 16.12.2024

## Financial Outflow by Students Studying Abroad

3310. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  steps  to  address  the  significant  financial  outflow  of approximately  $70  billion  by  Indian  students  studying  abroad  by  2025,  particularly  about educational opportunities available within the country;

(b) the manner in which the Government plan to leverage its relationship with Canada to create more educational partnerships and opportunities for Indian students, thereby reducing the need for them to pursue studies abroad;

(c) whether the Government is taking measures to enhance the quality of higher education in the country with regard to fund outflow by Indian students in other countries, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any assessments on the opportunity costs associated with  this  financial  outflow,  particularly  in  terms  of  lost  potential  economic  contributions  from these students if they were educated in the country; and

(e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)

(a)  to  (e):  Studies  abroad  are  a  matter  of  individual  will  and  choice.  Government  of  India  has taken comprehensive action to ensure availability of high-quality education at every level in India. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was framed and approved by the Government of India to transform and improve the quality of education in the country. The key aspects of NEP 2020 include, moving  towards multidisciplinary and holistic education, institutional autonomy, promotion  of  quality  research  through  establishment  of  National  Research  Foundation,  skill development,  continuous professional development  of  teachers, integration of technology, internationalisation of higher education, multidisciplinary curricula, engaging pedagogy, blended assessment and promotion of Indian languages and Indian Knowledge Systems.

Government of India has undertaken several initiatives to ensure availability of quality education in the higher education domain through infrastructure upgradation of the institutions, accreditation of  institutions  and  courses,  promotion  of  research  &  innovation  and  augmenting  the  digital initiatives. Some of the initiatives are:

-  Rashtriya  Uchchatar  Shiksha  Abhiyan  (RUSA)/  Pradhan  Mantri  Uchchatar  Shiksha Abhiyan  (PM-USHA)  scheme  provides  financial  support  to  State  Governments  under three  components,  (i)  Enhancing  quality  and  excellence  in  select  state  universities,  (ii) Infrastructure  grants  to  universities,  and  (iii)  multi-disciplinary  education  and  research universities (MERU).
-  PM  VidyaLaxmi  Scheme  aims  to  provide  support  to  any  student  getting  admission  in quality Higher Education Institutions (QHEIs).
-  Promotion  of  accreditation  of  Higher  Educational  Institutions  (HEIs)  through National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to ensure quality education.
-  To assess  the  qualitative  competence  of  the  programs  offered  by  educational  institution from diploma level to post-graduate level by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
-  Established 8  Research  Parks at  premier  institutions  to  serve  as  hubs  for  innovation, knowledge creation  and  have  research  collaboration  with  top-rated  industries,  to  enable entrepreneurship and incubation of students and building strong academic linkages.
-  Established  Anusandhan  National  Research  Foundation  which  aims  to  seed,  grow  and promote research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
-  Scheme  for  Promotion  of  Academic  and  Research  Collaboration  (SPARC) to encourage  research  collaboration  between  top  Indian  Institutes  with  the  premier  foreign institutes;
-  One  Nation,  One  Subscription initiative  to  provide  centralized  access  to  high-quality academic resources, research papers, and journals to students, researchers, and educators across the country;
-  To  ensure high quality educational content to every learner through SWAYAM , SWAYAM Plus etc:
-  Establishment of three AI Centres of Excellence (CoE) focused on Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities.

Further,  University  Grants  Commission (UGC) has also taken several initiatives to enhance the quality of education, including financial support to HEIs. Some of the important initiatives are regulations for setting up and operation of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in  India  (FHEIs) ,  Academic  collaboration  for Joint/Dual/Twinning  degree  programmes , Guidelines for Internship/Apprenticeship  Embedded Degree  Program , establishment  of Research and Development Cells in HEIs , promoted the concept of Professor of Practice , Accessibility guidelines and standards for Higher Educational Institutions and

Universities , started UTSAH Portal (Undertaking Transformative Strategies and Actions in Higher Education) to track achievements of NEP 2020, issued Curriculum and Guidelines on Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) 2.0, Malaviya Mission Teachers Training Programme, etc.

As informed by Ministry of External Affairs, Cooperation in the field of education between India  and  Canada  is  facilitated  through  various  mechanisms,  including  Memoranda  of Understanding (MoUs), individual partnerships between educational and research institutions, student and teacher exchanges, among other initiatives.

'Study  in  India'  (SII)  program  is  a  flagship  initiative  launched  in  2018  to  promote  Indian education  and  making  India  as  a  preferred  destination  for  Higher  Education.  Third  party assessment was done in 2020 encompassing areas like Quality of Education in India, Gaining International Exposure, High reputation and fame/Ranking of the Institution and Value of the course  and  availability  of  specific  course.  Subsequently,  SII  Program  was  revamped  and continued  for  the  period  2021-2026.  Further,  to  facilitate  seamless  movement  of  foreign students  to  India,  Study  in  India  (Sll)  portal https://studyinindia.gov.in was  launched  on  3rd August 2023.

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