Foreign exchange

While universities in countries like China and Hong Kong have been rising up the ladder, India despite having one of the largest higher education systems in the world, has failed to build world-class universities. Even Delhi University, one of the most sought-after universities in the country, does not feature in the top ranking universities of Asia, let alone the world. One of the plausible reasons as pointed out by PB Sahu, dean, international relations, DU, is its students’ lack of international exposure.
According to Sahu and many other educationists, "Offering an international education is no longer an option but a necessity for educational institutes." This change can be ascribed to the increasing movement of individuals across the world due to globalisation. "International education gives students a chance to understand other cultures and form a global perspective about issues," he adds.
DU, while realising the importance of an international exposure, is keen on casting its net wide. It has signed many MoUs with universities and colleges abroad for student and faculty exchange programmes. The two main international initiatives of the university include the Erasmus Mundus Mobility Programme organised by a consortium of 12 European universities and eight Indian universities, and Universitas 21 exchange network. Apart from this, departments and colleges too have signed MoUs with other universities at an individual level.
However, these programmes are by and large availed by students at the postgraduate level. At the undergraduate level, college students have to remain content with cultural exchange programmes. Deepak Pental, vice-chancellor , DU, says, "Many colleges send their students for participating in international debates or cultural exchange programmes. But they are for a shorter duration and most of the time a one-way process. Not many international students come to DU. It has to be a two-way process where students from other countries study in our university."
Pental says that the university did make an effort to invite 100 students from various UK institutes to the Delhi University. "But since they have very little time it is more like a tourism trip. The real international education comes with academic exchange programmes. And DU unfortunately does not have that provision," he says. The university is hopeful that once the semester system is in place in colleges , there can be academic exchange too. "We want our students to go and spend a semester in a foreign university. Similarly, their students should be spending a semester in our university to make the most of international education in its true sense."
It is not only DU that is interested in such academic exchange at the undergraduate level. Universities abroad too are keeping an eye on the latest developments in the university . "International education is a two-way process. We too want our students to go and study in India since India is becoming the hub of economic activities. We are hopeful that once DU starts the semester system, we would have academic exchange programmes where students from DU can study one semester in our university and vice versa," says Marcus Williams, director, international affairs, University of Sussex, UK.
Sahu says that the university understands the importance of international academic exchange at the undergraduate level. "The Erasmus Mundus and U-21 already have the provision that applies to undergraduates, postgraduates , doctoral, postdoctoral as well as the academic staff. We have also signed MoUs with Hamburg and California University. But the absence of grading and semester system have till now stopped us from implementing the provision of academic exchange at the UG level. The university recently had a meeting with various vice-chancellors and European Union officials. It signed the Delhi Accord to increase students’ mobility at all levels."
In 2009, the university had hosted around 11 students and one academic staff from the Katholeike Univ, Lueven, Belgium for two months in the department of history, under the Erasmus Mundus programme. Under Universitas 21 exchange network, four students from Edinburgh have joined the history department. Additionally, DU is part of the U21 research projects on water resources and food security , being coordinated by the University of Melbourne and the University College Dublin. "Six of our undergraduate students participated in the summer workshop on Climate Change Adaptation held at the University of Queensland in the summer of 2009," Sahu informs. But this is a very small number and the university wants more academic exchange programmes in place.
THE CHALLENGES
If on the one hand the university administration is keen to have this international academic exchange in place, colleges affiliated to the Delhi University confess it to be a challenging affair. "We are struggling with our own issues of accommodating students and creating infrastructure for implementing the OBC quota. Of course, we do want our colleges to have international exchange programmes, but only when infrastructural compulsions are done away with," says IS Bakshi, principal , Dayal Singh College. Sahu agrees that infrastructure limitations and teachers ’ resistance with regard to the semester system is acting as a major impediment in this regard. "But the Indian government wants Indian higher education to be internationally recognised and universities can negotiate with the University Grants Commission for funds."