Internationalisation of Higher Education GATS:Illusory Promises and Daunting Threats

Internationalisation of higher education has been an issue of high priority for as many as 73 per cent of the higher education institutions around the world, according to a survey conducted by the International Association of Universities in 2005. Internationalisation of higher education has taken different forms and it is nowadays broadly equated to trade in education. Many countries are getting involved in it, either out of conviction, or more out of compulsion. Bringing of higher education under the purview of the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) has profound implications for the development of higher education. The traditional and neo-liberal schools of thought have advanced powerful arguments against and in favour of GATS in higher education. The paper is an attempt to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanism of the GATS and to offer a critical assessment of these arguments. It also analyses its implications from the point of view of developing countries like India, and concludes that while there are some advantages in trade in education, the potential dangers are more serious.