University education in India was dominated by state-owned institutes for several decades after Independence. The first private colleges and universities began coming up in the south, but by the late 1990s even north India saw the emergence of private varsities.
Now private universities are emerging as popular institutions with thousands of students joining colleges. Dr Prashant Bhalla, President Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI) in Faridabad near Delhi, says: "This trend is now accelerating. Gradually, there's a shift in how the government is looking at these institutions."
Bhalla notes that private universities develop programmes that are integrated with the requirements of industries, resulting in synergies between universities and corporates. "We have the flexibility of working closely with the industry," he points out. "They come forward and engage closely with us."
Increasingly, students at private universities are also doing extremely well and are being recognised the world over, he adds. "They are also open to the transfer of knowledge and to study in foreign universities and industries."
MREI was founded in 1997 by his father, the late Dr O.P. Bhalla, and now includes engineering, management, dental, architecture, commerce and other colleges. "We plan to introduce a law college this year and will soon get into medicine," he says.
According to him, his father started the university to provide education to north Indian students, who were heading south in large numbers for higher education.
MREI has about 12,000 students at its campus, which also includes a number of foreign students from the Gulf, Middle East, South Asia and Africa. The group also operates schools in Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Ludhiana, Lucknow and even Bengaluru and has a total of about 10,000 students.
"The government wants to promote India as a destination for higher education," says Bhalla, who is also active in the Education Promotion Society for India, which cooperates with both central and state governments in a bid to promote education. "We also participate in international exhibitions, including those in Dubai to promote higher education in India."
International students, in fact, prefer private universities, as the facilities are much better here, adds Bhalla. "We are more proactive and provide adequate facilities to international students."
In fact, with students from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Syria at its campus, Manav Rachna has been able to overcome the challenge of language barrier.
Citing various estimates, Bhalla says that India has about 35,000 to 40,000 foreign students at present. With private universities coming up across the country, this number could easily double in a few years, he adds.
Besides focusing on education, Manav Rachna, which means creating better human beings, also trains youngsters in different sports. Some of its students have won Olympic medals for India, and many such achievers are invited to the campus to train students in different sports.
The institution also has an active community development programme, which takes up various projects in and around Haryana. "Faridabad, for instance, was one of the most populated and polluted cities," says Bhalla. "We focused on these issues and it also led to the central government declaring Faridabad to be one of the future 'smart cities' in India in a bid to revive it."
The university works closely with the state administration as well in areas like women's empowerment, traffic management and in helping organising the Surajkund International Crafts Mela. It has also adopted nearly two-dozen government schools.
A private state university has also been planned at Sonepat in Haryana. "We have also been exploring the possibility of setting up campuses abroad in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi," explains Bhalla. "However, currently there are huge opportunities in India."
The university also has 33 collaborations with international universities in several countries, including the US, UK, Japan and Turkey.
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