Quality education the key to unlocking India potential

The perception that Australian universities and vocational institutions are not of high quality needs to be addressed.

Peter Varghese’s report says Australia is well placed to partner with India across secondary, university and vocational sectors.

Australian tertiary education providers have a huge opportunity in India but need to address perceptions that Australian universities and vocational institutions are not of high quality, according to a government commissioned report.

The report, by former secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and one-time high commissioner to India Peter Varghese, looks broadly at how Australia can capitalise on economic growth in India and states that a strong and productive Australia-India education relationship should be seen as the flagship of the bilateral relationship.

“There is no sector with greater promise for Australia in India than education,” says the report, An India Economic Strategy to 2035, Navigating from Potential to Delivery. “Australia’s future growth and prosperity will be driven by our ability to generate and attract the best and brightest.”

India’s tertiary-age (18 to 22) population is the largest in the world and is projected to peak at 126 million in 2026 before stabilising at 118 million by 2035, yet enrolment in higher education (27 per cent) is far behind China (43 per cent) and Brazil (51 per cent).

The report estimates that if Australia maintains its growth in international students and can recapture its share of Indian students from its 2009-10 peak, direct revenue from Australian education exports to India could exceed $12 billion by 2035.

Boosting education links with India also would provide a hedging strategy against an over-reliance on the Chinese market. China accounts for roughly 30 per cent of Australia’s education exports but this will decline as the country continues to invest heavily in its own domestic education.

From the Indian perspective, the report states that getting education right is critical to maximising the potential of its young population, but notes the country can’t meet the demand on its own.

“As a world-class education provider, Australia is well placed to partner with India across secondary, university and vocational sectors,” the report states.

“Australia should look to increase the number of high-calibre Indian students at its universities and deepen two-way research links while continuing to welcome Indian students who seek an Australian education primarily for a migration outcome.”

However, the report states that Indian students perceive Australian education to “lack gravitas”, in part because Australia has fewer highly ranked institutions (only one university in the top 40) and lacks an education powerhouse brand such as Harvard or Oxford.

Australian universities also are perceived to lack close connections to business, which Indian students believe will hamper their employment prospects. The report notes Canada has highly evolved co-operation projects for students to gain business experience as part of their coursework.

The government should reposition “Brand Australia” to improve the perception in India of the quality of Australian education and establish a “Study in Australia” education hub in Delhi to conduct international marketing and promotion of Australian education and training. Indian students also should be encouraged to go to universities in states other than NSW and Victoria.

India is unlikely in the medium term to loosen restrictions that prevent foreign universities operating stand-alone campuses there, the report states. International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood says the lack of market entry remains the “greatest frustration” Australian education providers have with India.

Another difficulty is lack of recognition in India of Australian qualifications, such as three-year bachelor degrees and two-year masters degrees. The report says increased recognition would boost the education relationship significantly and should be a priority for the Australian government.

Honeywood also questions the report recommendation that vocational education providers switch to a low-cost, high-volume model to succeed in the Indian market because he says the cost of delivery of these courses is relatively high while Indian wages are low by world standards.

Universities should try to increase research links by introducing jointly badged PhD programs with Indian universities. “For deepening research links, Australian universities should connect with Indian counterparts that are serious about increasing their global rankings, have good governance structures,” the report states.

The focus on research was welcomed by the Group of Eight, Australia’s leading research-intensive universities. Chief executive Vicki Thomson welcomed the recognition that there was “no sector with greater promise for Australia in India than education, and the need to increase and deepen two-way research links”.