In a landmark development for Indian higher education, approval has been granted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for five internationally reputed universities to establish full-fledged campuses in Navi Mumbai. The announcement was made during the event Mumbai Rising: Creating an International Education City, which was hosted at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. The initiative has been positioned as the first step towards transforming Navi Mumbai into the country’s first international education hub.
The plan was unveiled by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, UGC Chairman Vineet Joshi, Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, along with diplomats and university representatives from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Italy. Letters of Intent (LoIs) were issued by the UGC to the five selected foreign universities, enabling them to move forward with setting up campuses in India.
It was stated by the Chief Minister that the new campuses would be developed under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Students are expected to be offered high-quality, globally recognised education at substantially lower costs, with estimates suggesting a reduction to as little as 25% to 30% of the fees currently paid for studying abroad. The campuses will be strategically located near the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is already being supported by major transportation infrastructure such as the Atal Setu and other road networks.
It was clarified that scholarship policies would be determined by the individual universities, as no requirement for financial aid had been imposed by the government. However, it was indicated by a senior UGC official that regulations do include the provision for need-based scholarships, which may be offered at the discretion of the institutions.
A separate announcement was made regarding a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the University of Western Australia and Gondwana University in Gadchiroli. The collaboration is set to focus on mining education and workforce training, with the goal of transforming Gadchiroli into a regional mining hub. The expertise of Australia in the mining sector is expected to be leveraged for this initiative.
The education hub project was described by Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as a significant contribution toward achieving India’s vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The long-standing tradition of India as a center of knowledge was referred to by the minister, who emphasized that efforts were being made to revive that historical legacy through international academic collaboration.
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