Visiting delegation says UK universities are working to address housing crunch faced by foreign stud

Accommodation options in UK universities have not risen in line with the increase in the number of students flocking to the country for education.

Visiting delegation says UK universities are working to address housing crunch faced by foreign students

UK universities are working towards solving the problem of accommodation, Steve Smith, former vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter and one of the leaders of the UK delegation visiting India to explore educational partnerships, told The Indian Express in New Delhi on Monday.

“There is pressure of accommodation. There is a lot of work going on in the universities to increase the stock of accommodation, and they’re going in partnerships with private providers to increase accommodation. There are some issues, but the vast majority of the international students have their accommodation sorted out,” he said.

Accommodation options in UK universities have not risen in line with the increase in the number of students flocking to the country for education. Many Indian students have, as a result, had to put up in cities close to their universities, as per reports. This option tends to be unaffordable for many too, given the rising inflation and room rents. Construction challenges during lockdown have been cited as one of the reasons behind the accommodation shortage in the universities. Experts have suggested students contact other Indian aspirants before moving in, to avoid facing any trouble after landing in the UK.

In its week-long visit to India, the UK delegation is expected to visit three more cities — Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad — to explore the possibilities of a joint degree programme, industry-academia partnership and other modes of collaboration between Indian and UK higher educational institutions. These discussions will be held as a part of the Going Global Programme of the British Council.

“The delegation from the UK is the largest to have visited India for these purposes,” Smith said. The participating bodies from India include the University Grants Commission, the Department of Science and Technology, the Association of Indian Universities, the Department of Biotechnology, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, and several public and private higher educational institutions.

Asked about the aims of the visit and the scope of the delegation, Smith said the delegation focused on “developing partnerships with Indian educational institutions to offer high-quality degrees in India itself”. He did not say anything about UK universities setting up campuses in India.

“The focus of this delegation is on developing partnerships. Whereas some delegations come to recruit students, this isn’t. This is about developing partnerships with organisations in India so that we can think about offering high-quality degrees here, with Indian partners responsive to the needs and skills gaps of students here, without necessarily the expense of travelling to the UK,” he said.

Rittika Chanda Parruck, director of education (India) at the British Council, told The Indian Express that sustainability has emerged as one of the top areas of interest where the universities seek to join hands. “The other areas include computer science and AI,” she said.

The delegation will also visit several institutions across the country, including IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, TISS, Anna University, Ashoka University and Gujarat BioTech University — besides engaging with the stakeholders from other public and private universities via discussions and roundtable conferences.

“You can expect frequent announcements from universities throughout the next year,” Smith said.