New Delhi, June 18: A central legislation to regulate foreign universities planning to open branches in India is set to be tabled in the next session of Parliament.

The law ministry has cleared the bill, which will be placed in front of the cabinet before being introduced in the House.

At present, foreign universities are setting up branches in India and operating at will. In the absence of a regulatory law, they do not have to conform to any legal guidelines.

The human resource development ministry does not want “fly by night” operators who are looking at India as a potential market and says foreign institutions will have to prove their credentials before they can start functioning here.

The bill makes it mandatory for institutions to have accreditation from a reputable institution in their home country and to obtain a certificate from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), the apex body that regulates technical institutions in the country.

The AICTE, which has mandatory norms on student-teacher ratio, faculty strength and academic content, has in the last couple of years tightened the noose on institutions that do not meet prescribed standards.

Foreign universities are most likely to offer professional courses, which means they will have to conform to the AICTE’s guidelines.

HRD minister Arjun Singh has said foreign universities are “welcome” to set up branches but they will have to fit into the Indian framework. The University Grants Commission could be the regulating agency chosen for the job.

The ministry says foreign providers will have to abide by all the rules applicable to Indian universities, including those on affirmative action. This means the institutions will have to provide reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

At present, there are three categories of universities ? mandated by Parliament, mandated by the state government and deemed universities. Foreign universities are likely to be clubbed with the last.

The government’s Left allies want it to make the rules of entry for foreign universities as stringent as possible.

Left leaders and MPs have expressed scepticism about allowing foreign institutions to set up branches in India, arguing that they “do not understand the cultural ethos” and that they charge fees that are out of the average Indian’s reach.