Timeline: Foreign Educational Institution Bill
Timeline: Foreign Educational Institution Bill
The union Cabinet on Monday approved the Foreign Educational Institution (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010.
The Bill seeks to regulate the entry and functioning of foreign education providers in India.
The Bill has repeatedly drawn controversy and could not be tabled in Parliament during the first term of the UPA because of opposition from the Left parties.
India has a severe shortage of higher education institutions for its booming population where more than 30% of its 1.1 billion people are under 14 years old.
The proposed bill sets out rules and regulations that foreign educational institutions would have to follow before opening in India. The process would take at least eight months.
Below is a look at the progression of the passing of the Bill:
17 Feb 2010: The government decided to introduce a bill to allow the entry of foreign universities during the parliament session. Read story-
12 Jan 2010: India and the UK ink key deals in higher education in a bid to boost bilateral relations. Read story
11 Nov 2009: Foreign universities knock on India’s doors as educational reforms accelerate. Read story
16 Sep 2009: The interested universities, mostly from the US, the UK and Australia, approach the ministry of human resource development. Read story
7 July 2009: Amid criticism of his 100-day agenda, HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said that the government is contemplating a bill on allowing foreign universities, but would move carefully and through consensus. Read story
28 June 2009: A panel set up by the government to draw up a reform road map for the higher education sector recommended that only the top 200 foreign universities be allowed to enter the country. Read story
10 Nov 2008: The proposed Bill holds fire after being cleared by the Union cabinet in February 2007. Read story
14 May 2007: A much-hyped Bill that would pave the way for foreign universities to enter India is stalled by Arjun Singh, amid disagreement over exceptions made for certain investors and the attention of ministry officials being diverted to the legal battle over broader caste-based reservations. Read story
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