Impact of FDI on the Investments in the Indian Education Sector

Since implementing the economic reforms in 1991, significant economic growth in India has established its place in the world economy. The implementation rate of reforms has been steady, and opportunities for foreign direct investment have been broadened over time. The automatic route permits 100% FDI in Education Sectors.

The integrated FDI policy, launched in 2017, freed the activities related to the development of construction in the education sector from the confinement period of three years. It began from the date on which the acquisition of minimum funding was completed.

Reasons for Restrictions on FDI in the Education Sector Before 2020

But, even after all this, FDI has remained restricted in the Indian education sector due to the following reasons-

• Regulations that are in effect permit the schools to be non-profit entities only. This implies that schools can only be built by a Society or Trust or by an organisation that is registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013.

The issue that arises now is that even with the availability of funding opportunities, a Trust is not eligible to receive FDI. A similar situation is faced by the Section 8 enterprises that offer charity. According to the regulatory structure, the profits or income generated by educational institutions must be distributed for promoting culture, art, science, etc.

• There is a major lack of the effects of the centre, and the state is well organised in this aspect. Despite the Right to Education (RTE) being the backbone of all the policies regarding this matter, the absence of mutual coordination between the central and the state government is stressful  and needs to be addressed.
• The absence of the procedures being well organised is also displayed in the potential legal clash that can happen because of the present human resource and infrastructure being transferred.

Role of FDI in the Education Sector in the Current Decade

FDI was always available for investing in the education sector to its highest possible limit. Educational institutes were permitted by the government to receive capital through external commercial borrowings(ECBs) in the 2020 budget. It was done with the expectation that the capital would enable the research institutions to create better infrastructure.

Analysing the Various Segments for Investors

Despite the regulatory uncertainties being a huge obstacle for investors, this alone can’t discourage them. Also, ed-tech organisations or enterprises that offer educational services don’t need to restrict themselves to non-profit status.

In maximum instances, laws that are centred around education are not applicable to these companies either. Considering this, the most obvious place for international investors to invest would be the enterprises that offer services related to education and construction to educational institutes.

Conclusion

Due to the international investors not being able to discover any merit in the current regulatory structure of the Indian government, the Indian government permitted mediums like ECBs to enable educational institutions to seek funding from international sources.

FDI in Education Sectors helps in the improvement of educational infrastructure by providing several opportunities to increase the amount of funding.

Consult With FDI

We at FDI India, aim to make the complex structure regarding foreign investments and transactions of FDI simple through years of on-field expertise. It is our goal to transform FDI’s facilitation services in India by keeping our focus on sustainable investments and loans to help Indian businesses. The investment climate of the country is transformed by FDI India by keeping the business environment for investors simple.