Piyush Goyal says education as a service has significant potential to boost India’s export earnings and take high-quality Indian education to the World

Addressing the Vice Chancellor’s Conclave on “Reimagining Internationalisation of Higher Education for Viksit Bharat 2047” in New Delhi, Shri Goyal said he would like to engage with Vice Chancellors and hear their ideas and thoughts on the future of higher education in India. He expressed happiness that the Ministry of Commerce and the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) under the Ministry is taking a lead in exploring the potential that education as a service holds for India’s export earnings as well as for expanding the global reach of Indian education.

The conclave provided a platform for thematic discussions and expert dialogues on key aspects of internationalising higher education, including international partnerships, student mobility, regulatory frameworks and dual degree programmes. Participants also deliberated on strategies to enhance the global competitiveness of Indian Higher Education Institutions, while examining emerging global trends in education mobility and exploring opportunities for India to strengthen its presence in the expanding global education services market…Shri Goyal said he sees growing recognition of this trend while negotiating services chapters in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). He noted that the nine FTAs finalised by the government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi have all been with developed economies. According to him, nearly two-thirds of global trade is now covered by India’s FTAs because the country has engaged with more developed and evolved economies.      He said this reflects a shift in India’s approach to global engagement, noting that the country no longer negotiates from a weak position or a colonial mindset. Instead, India now engages with the world with confidence and from a position of strength.

The Minister said that if India is currently contributing around 20 per cent of global growth and has emerged as an engine of growth, then in the future the younger generations across the world will increasingly need to work with countries such as India.

The Minister said the policy has permitted international campuses to come and set up in India and has enabled universities to collaborate with Indian institutions to offer dual degrees. It has also encouraged cross-border student exchanges so that Indian students can gain exposure to education systems in developed and other countries while international students can also experience India’s education system…Shri Goyal noted that there is now a need to encourage students from developed countries to come and study in India. He suggested models such as a three-year programme where students could spend one year in India and two years in their original institution, or split their time equally between both institutions. According to him, such dual degree programmes would help students from developed countries understand how developing countries think, work, and engage with culture and society.

Addressing the Vice Chancellors present at the conclave, Shri Goyal described them as architects of India’s future, noting that they play a crucial role in shaping the minds of young Indians. He said that each Vice Chancellor carries a significant responsibility as they prepare students to face the challenges of tomorrow and lay the foundations of a modern developed nation.

He said that higher education institutions must evolve with changing times and that teachers should undergo retraining and relearning so that they remain current with modern curriculum and future-oriented knowledge while teaching students.

The Minister stressed that students cannot be prepared for the future through outdated curricula. He said that institutions and teachers must remain agile and understand emerging opportunities that the future holds…Shri Goyal said that as institutions adopt modern teaching techniques, upgrade facilities and improve teachers’ understanding of global trends, Indian students will increasingly choose to study in India rather than abroad. At the same time, India will begin attracting students from across the world.

He expressed hope that in the coming years the present ratio of 28 Indian students going abroad for every one international student coming to India would be reversed, and that India would attract around 1.3 million foreign students to study in its institutions while only a small number of Indian students go abroad.

The Minister concluded by encouraging greater collaboration between academia, government and industry to realise the vision of internationalising higher education and transforming India into a global education destination by 2047.

Vice Chancellor, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi noted that the conclave created a collaborative platform for academic leaders to collectively reflect on how Indian institutions can expand their global engagement while contributing to the broader national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. “India has immense potential to emerge as a global destination for quality education. Through initiatives such as the Vice Chancellors’ Conclave, IIFT seeks to catalyse partnerships and dialogue that will strengthen internationalisation of Indian higher education,” said, Prof. Joshi.

The conclave was attended by several eminent academic leaders including Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Prem Vrat; Vice-Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit; Director, Indian Institute of Science, Prof. T. G. Sitharam; and Chairman, Executive Committee, National Assessment and Accreditation Council, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe.

The gathering also witnessed distinguished academic leaders and Vice Chancellors from prominent institutions such as Indian Institutes of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, University of Southampton, Jamia Hamdard, Central University of Tamil Nadu, North Eastern Hill University, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi, and Netaji Subhas University of Technology, along with several other leading universities from across India. Senior policymakers, education leaders, and representatives from global academic institutions also participated in the deliberations.