March of foreign universities preparing for the battle for teaching talent

Apart from a clutch of Australian universities, the University of Southampton, Liverpool, York, Aberdeen and Queen’s Universities Belfast from the UK, Istituto Europeo di Design from Italy and the US-based Illinois Institute of Technology are in line to enter India next year. The institutes are mainly looking for New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and GIFT Cities of Gujarat to open their campuses.

Typically, universities recruit for academic and non-academic roles. While the former includes teachers, vice-provosts, vice-presidents and deans, the latter includes the vice-chancellor.

A senior faculty member of one of the top five Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) said foreign universities are offering top dollar for the best talent. “Global universities are looking at second-rate management colleges and offering even more 1.5-2 crore for the post of Director and Vice Chancellor. the faculty is roaming 50 lakh,” said the professor.

lack of talent

The increase in the number of foreign universities comes after the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 gave the green signal to their entry. According to KPMG estimates, around 500,000–800,000 university teachers will be required over the next decade to meet the expansion targets of the NEP. A recruiter for universities said principals of international schools have been approached with offers of 15-30% salary increases. As new entrants and incumbents compete for rankings and recognition, demand has increased.

According to Narayanan Ramaswamy, partner and head of education sector, KPMG India, the availability of faculty meeting a certain quality standard is a serious issue. “This is especially true for universities that have reached a certain stage of maturity, especially those that have been established for a few years and are gaining recognition through innovative courses, research intensity, quality measures such as accreditation, rankings, etc.,” Ramaswamy said.

According to Ramaswamy, some large private universities and foreign universities are willing to pay this much Rs 2 crore for the right candidate. “If the location is remote, it may include other facilities,” he said.

The government informed the Rajya Sabha in April that the University Grants Commission may approve 50 more foreign universities. The NEP aims to increase the gross enrollment ratio in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035.

senior appointment

“In the first year, we will likely hire around 60 faculty members – 10 Indian faculty per university across six universities. Around 30 will be inducted by April-May and another 30 by September-October,” said Ashwin Damera, founder and CEO of upskilling platform Eruditus, which is working with several global universities setting up campuses in India.

York University, which will soon launch its Mumbai campus, said it has started recruiting senior leadership. A spokesperson said, “Our recruitment sector is both local and international in Mumbai, and over time, we aim to provide York employees with opportunities to work at the Mumbai campus as well.”

kpmg The partner said that some foreign universities are in the news even before opening their campuses.

“India’s higher education landscape has extraordinary talent, especially in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs),IIM), and major private and state universities. We are also engaging with research institutions and policy think tanks that align with our focus areas: fintech, AI, sustainability and global development,” said a spokesperson for Queens University Belfast, as it prepares for its upcoming GIFT City campus.

Australia’s University of Wollongong (UoW), which is setting up shop in GIFT City, is also scouting. Its India campus director Nimay Kalyani said it was “engaging” with universities and institutes to identify “potential candidates, especially those with experience in areas such as business, computing and engineering”.

Eruditus’s DeMera said many of the positions will be filled by expatriate candidates from the university’s home country or who have worked there. Earlier this month, York University named Lindsay O’Deas provost of the University of Melbourne for its India campus, which will open in Mumbai next year.

facilities

Training abroad can also be an advantage. “We recognize that academic recruitment is highly competitive, particularly in the Indian context… Another opportunity for academics appointed to India is the possibility to visit Australia, not only to become familiar with our ethos but also to collaborate with our colleagues in Western Australia,” said Guy Littlefair, Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at The University of Western Australia.

Meanwhile, Indian institutions are not sitting back.

Local universities say they are strengthening their research ecosystem and career development opportunities to retain top faculty. “While foreign institutions often have deep financial resources, leading Indian universities such as Ashoka A spokesperson for Ashoka University said, “It has made strong progress in offering an intellectually stimulating environment, strong research opportunities and global collaboration that attracts faculty beyond mere compensation, with more than 180 tenured and 90 visiting professors.”

director of a IIT Said that the entry of foreign universities may soon affect India’s elite technical institutions as well. “If foreign universities invest time and resources to set up fully functional units focused on education in India instead of grooming and exporting talent to countries like UK and Australia, it could result in competitive offers from IITs and illegal procurement of faculty,” the director said.