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After the Indian government's approval to the Indian Institutes of Management to set up shop abroad, IIM-Bangalore's ambitious plan to open a campus in Singapore is finally ready to take off. IIM-A is also taking the first plunge in Singapore as it plans to start a management course in collaboration with the Essec Business School. Is this phenomenon of Indian B-schools going abroad the next big thing?
Outsourcing may be the rage these days, but offshoring India's higher education is also turning hot. To begin with, India's most distinguished education brands -- IIM (Indian Institute of Management) and IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) -- are all set to go international. So who all are taking their esteemed schools abroad? IIM-Bangalore and IIT-Bombay, and latest in the fray -- IIM-Ahmedabad, are going to be the pioneers. IIM-B -- the impressive B-school in India's Silicon Valley of Bangalore that made it to The Wall Street Journal's list of the top 100 business-schools globally in 2003 -- has already chalked out a plan for an international debut. Similarly, IIT-Bombay has tied up with the prestigious National University of Singapore, which paves the way for the former to offer M.Tech courses to students in Singapore. Under the memorandum of understanding that the IIT-Bombay has signed with the National University of Singapore, students will be permitted to be attached to major Indian companies. It also allows Indian students to work for Singapore-based global companies. The Singapore venture of IIM-B is estimated to earn substantial revenue for the institution in its overall objective of achieving financial autonomy in future. IIM-B, IIM-Ahmedabad and IIM-Kolkata have already become financially independent in the last two years but IIMs in Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode are still getting funds from the Centre. The floodgates for the Indian brands of education to go abroad in fact opened up in January 2003 when an expert committee set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) suggested that premier IITs and IIMs be allowed to set up shop on global shores. The report by the UGC committee on the promotion of Indian higher education abroad also recommended that prominent, privately run educational institutions like the Manipal Academy of Higher Education and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, may also be encouraged to make an overseas foray. However, the human resources development ministry, which studied the UGC report, has insisted that only IITs and IIMs be allowed to go offshore to begin with. The reason: the strong IIT-IIM brand equity. For the last three years, Dubai has been the chosen frontier for leading Indian B-schools. And business school administrators and professors have been flying in and out of Dubai armed with feasibility studies and course material. So far, only two, XLRI and S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, have actually set up shop. And other schools like XIM Bhubaneswar (XIMB), MDI and IIFT have plans to expand into not just Dubai, but Africa and South-east Asia as well. The Union human resources development ministry is flooded with applications from foreign universities looking for Indian tie-ups. Countries that are queuing up for tie-ups with the IITs and IIMs include Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates and some other West Asian nations. Experts say that these countries, which have a low level of science and technology activity, are captivated by the IITs and IIMs as they feel the Indian schools could be a stepping stone to their educational, management and scientific advancement. While the older IIMs are busy planning their entry abroad, the younger of the lot are planning to strengthen their foothold in India first. IIM Lucknow is setting up a branch in Noida near Delhi. While IIM Indore is increasing its student intake by 60 seats this year and by 120 seats in next two to three years before looking at options abroad. The IITs and IIMs going abroad is just the beginning. This year, India will fully open up its education sector to foreign investment under the World Trade Organisation regime. In days to come, private Indian educational institutes and government-run higher education institutions may also join the race to set up campuses abroad.
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