Education

The Classroom Is Not Exempt: DPDPA Compliance for Educational Institutions

Summary: The blog provides a summary of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in Abhishek Baxi v. Union of India, where parents challenged the extensive and compulsory nature of collecting and retaining student information for the purpose of generation of Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (“APAAR”) ID. Among other findings, the Supreme Court emphasised that consent must be meaningful and informed. It also acknowledged the need for data protection at the time of collection and processing data, in light of the Digital Personal Data Protection (“DPDP”) laws, reinforcing the need for educational institutions to ensure compliance.

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Tightening the net around safety & security compliances for schools

Summary: The article explores how school safety and security compliance in India is moving from a general framework to increasingly detailed and strictly enforced regulations across different states. It also examines the implications of these changes for schools in the future. We further cover practical tips for schools, emphasising how to integrate compliance into a continuous, institution-wide process through consistent awareness, well-documented SOPs, and regular audits.

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Empowering, not shielding our kids online

Summary: Countries globally are actively developing strategies to deal with the challenges presented by social media, especially in the context of children. Australia, and more recently the UK, are banning social media for children below a certain age. India is also toying with the idea of a ban v/s a limited ban or restriction to make the online space safer for youngsters. This article focusses on the viability of a ban and offers recommendations for future action.

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Crackling News: India allows foreign higher educational institutions to set up in-country campus

In November, India opened its doors to foreign universities and institutes by permitting them to set up campuses in the country.

The light-touch ‘The UGC (Setting Up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023’ (“2023 Regulations”), are in line with the commitments set out in the National Education Policy, 2020 (“NEP”), and the government’s vision of internationalisation of education in India.

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Introduction

The Gujarat Public Universities Act, 2023 (“the Act”), came into effect on October 9, 2023[1], with the intent to unify the State legislation, governing 11 (eleven) public universities in Gujarat and any new public university that the Government of Gujarat (“GoG”) may constitute and notify (collectively, the “Universities”). The Act provides a common consolidated legislation for all Universities, aiming to provide better governance, improved academic standards, adequate representation through a democratic process, state of the art facilities and to transform, strengthen and regulate higher education in a more efficient manner.

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Gift City

On October 11, 2022, the International Financial Services Centres Authority (“Authority”) notified the International Financial Services Centres Authority (Setting up and Operation of International Branch Campuses and Offshore Education Centres) Regulation, 2022 (“IBC-OEC Regulation”), permitting foreign universities and educational institutions to open a branch in Gujarat International Financial Tec-City (“GIFT City”) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. This stems from the proposal to allow the entry of foreign universities and institutions in GIFT during the FY 23 Union Budget announcements.Continue Reading Gift City: Foreign Universities’ Gateway to India?

GIFT City

Introduction

 In the 2022-23 Union Budget announcements on February 1, 2022 (“Budget”), the Finance Minister introduced a proposal to allow the entry of world-class foreign universities and institutions in Gujarat International Financial Tec-City IFSC (“GIFT IFSC”), to offer courses in subjects pertaining to financial management, fintech, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, to facilitate the availability of skilled human capital for financial services and technology[1]. The announcement is seen as a progressive step, giving further impetus to promoting GIFT IFSC as the preferred International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) globally.Continue Reading GIFT City Opens Doors for Entry of Foreign Universities in India

Opportunities for Foreign Universities in India

INTRODUCTION

Education is one of India’s most rapidly-growing sector, which is expected to be worth approximately USD 225 billion[1] by 2025. Enrolment in higher education institutions that stands at approximately 37.4 million[2] today, is estimated to grow by nearly 38% by the year 2030, with India potentially emerging as the single-largest provider of global talent where one in four graduates in the world could be a product of the Indian higher education system[3]. The Covid-19 pandemic has provided further impetus to this sector by increasing the acceptance of online education and opening fresh e-learning opportunities for national and international educational institutions. The Government of India (“GoI”) has also brought renewed focus on the education sector with the roll-out of the National Education Policy, 2020 (“NEP”), which lays down the future roadmap of education in India.Continue Reading Opportunities for Foreign Universities in India: A Regulatory Overview