Govt seeks to increase university seats to help students who have had to give up studying abroad

In consultation with colleges and universities, Govt set up a committee called 'Stay in India and Study in India' and tasked it with working out the modalities of the proposal.

The Modi government is looking into the possibility of increasing the number of seats in Indian institutions to accommodate students who had planned to go abroad for higher studies but were unable to do so due to the Covid-19 pandemic

The government has set up a committee called "Stay in India and Study in India" — comprising members of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) regulators and the University Grants Commission (UGC) — in consultation with colleges and universities across the country to work out the modalities of this plan.

The committee was asked to fulfil its mandate "as soon as possible," headed by UGC Chairman D.P. Singh.

The development was confirmed by AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe who is a member of the "Stay in India and Study in India" committee.

"The government has set up a committee to look at different issues that have arisen in higher education because of Covid-19. One of the problems is that because of the pandemic students are not able to go abroad, "he said.

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"The committee will discuss the issue and explore the possibility of increasing the number of seats in Indian institutions to accommodate students who have not been able to go abroad."

The Covid-19 pandemic has scuppered the plans for studying abroad for many of the students. Earlier this week it had reported that Indian institutions are seeing a spurt in the number of applications as students who had been eyeing foreign education are now recalibrating their plans.

Sahasrabudhe said increasing seats is one of four proposals that the committee is exploring to ease the pandemic's impact on students. The other points include allowing the use of laboratories for research scholars at leading institutes who had to return to India in the middle of their course due to the pandemic.

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To this end, the government will look into facilities at top institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs), among others, according to Sahasrabudhe.

Students will be able to use the laboratories at the selected institutions as long as they are in India, he said.

The committee will hold discussions with various colleges and universities, as they need to be brought on board for any type of change, such as upgrades to infrastructure. It will also look at whether the institutes need additional funds to accommodate more researchers and students.

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