50 foreign varsities interested in having campus in India

NEW DELHI: About 50 foreign universities, including Duke University from the US, have evinced interest in setting up campuses in India as the government is all set to introduce a bill to allow entry of such institutions.

These institutions, mostly from the US, the UK and Australia, have approached the HRD Ministry in the last three months, a senior official said. Duke, a renowned private university in the US, offers courses in various streams and research studies.

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has said non-profit making institutions would be allowed to set up campuses in the country.

The Foreign Education Providers Bill is before the Cabinet, which is expected to take it up tomorrow.

"Institutions can make surplus money. But they cannot distribute it among their shareholders. They can spend it for further expansion of the institution," Sibal has said.

To take forward the process of engaging their institutions in education sector in India, a number of foreign dignitaries, including British Trade and Investment Minister Mervyn Davies and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed, have visited India.