July 2022 saw a watershed moment in India-UK education partnership. The two countries signed a historic pact to recognise each other’s higher education qualifications with a synced 10-yearroadmap to solidify bilateral ties.
Coming on the heels of India’s new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which has introduced revolutionary changes in the education system, such as a four-year undergraduate (UG) programme followed by a one-year or two-year post-graduate (PG) Master’s degree; major and minor courses for UG programmes; multi-disciplinary courses; academic bank of credits and multiple entry and exit points, the recognition of qualifications pact with the UK spells a giant leap for education partnership between the two countries.
UK preferred destination
After the US, the United Kingdom is the most preferred destination for Indian students looking for studyabroad options. The outflow from India has only increased after the pandemic. Most Indian students go to the UK for PG programmes, i.e., Master’s or PhD.
UK institutes tick several boxes for aspiring students from India. First, and most important criteria while selecting a country for higher education, is distance. Compared to the US, which takes almost 24 hours of flying time plus airport transfers to reach, going to the UK is easier as it takes only half this time to be there.
Validation of degrees
Second, also very important, is the cost of study. The UK offers one-year Master’s programme, as compared to a two-year programme in the US. Before NEP, this was the norm in India as well. So, while a PG degree from a US institute was kosher, that from a UK institute was not recognised in India for purposes of further education or eligibility for government jobs.
But because studying abroad for one year is cheaper than doing so for two years, several students used to select UK institutes and then take equivalency certificates for their degrees, back home.
Now the mutual recognition of degrees pact changes this. In fact, this had been a long-standing demand of the UK institutes from India. The Ministry of Education officials had been under pressure for very long to bring about this amendment. The item used to be top of the agenda at each bilateral meeting on education between the two sides. A joint task force on this subject was set up in 2020 when Dominic Raab, the then Foreign Secretary of the UK, had visited India and discussed the issue with Ramesh Pokhriyal, the then Minister of Education.
Since it was not possible for India to provide recognition to one-year PG degrees from UK institutions without first allowing this within the country, there had been no action on this all these years.
Praise for ISB
In fact, the sole high-profile Indian institution which went against Government norms, stuck to its guns with the backing of industry stalwarts, and introduced a one-year Master’s programme in business administration in 2001, was the Indian School of Business (ISB). The institute made a name for itself and earned high praise around the world on the basis of its high quality of teaching and learning.
But as far as the regulatory framework was concerned, ISB programmes were outside its purview. Same was the status of UK degrees in India, pre-2022.
Ever since Brexit in January 2020, the UK has been concerned about adequate manpower supply for research as well as services such as nursing, healthcare etc. While the exit from the EU was guided by the need to preserve local jobs for local people and stem the influx of migrants from Europe who would look for lucrative opportunities to work, it created a scarcity of hands to do odd jobs.
Work permits
To tackle that, the UK Government liberalised post-study work permits for students graduating in 2021 onwards. Before that, students were required to immediately return to the home country after the completion of the academic programme.
As Nick Jennings, Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University, writes, “With a moderate visa fee and a health surcharge, the visa allows students to continue to work in the UK, for a period of two years and be a part of a diverse workforce in the UK’s competitive labour market, and make a more enlightened decision on their next steps.”
