Already an important port of call for international students, with about 20,000 pursuing higher education here, Pune - known as the 'Oxford of the East' - is set to make its presence felt on foreign shores, with several local educational institutions setting up shop abroad.

While Bharati Vidyapeeth University started its campus in Dubai this month, another city-based institute, Training and Advanced Studies in Management and Communication (TASMAC), is set to become the first Indian college to establish a branch in London. This initiative is claimed to be the first foreign direct investment in the educational sector by any Indian university There are more in the fray - Symbiosis International University will start its Dubai campus in September 2009, as will the University of Pune (UoP).

However, even though these institutions have been looking westwards for a while, the journey has been bumpy for some universities. For instance, UoP vice-chancellor Narendra Jadhav had declared in February that the university's Dubai campus, offering 14 courses, would start in September this year. But in the absence of necessary clearances from University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), the UoP proposal got stuck.

According to the UGC, UoP had restricted jurisdiction, as it is a state university. They also pointed out that the UGC is the only recognised authority to deal with when it comes to setting up a campus abroad. A somewhat incensed Jadhav argued that the UoP had every right to set up a campus abroad and even sought the intervention of Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in the matter. The state Government is now pursuing the matter with the MHRD.

But the issue of starting a UoP campus in Dubai did not end there and soon became a veritable battlefield, aided in no small part by Jadhav's strong remarks against private institutes in the city that are also setting up shop in Dubai. He said it was these institutes that were raising obstacles in the way of UoP's objective. Incidentally, Bharati Vidyapeeth and Symbiosis are the only other Pune institutes in the city that are opening branches in Dubai. Meanwhile, state Education Minister Dilip Walse-Patil took issue with the fact that Jadhav went straight to the CM instead of contacting him first. Significantly, Walse-Patil has not been visible at any functions of UoP from the time Jadhav took over as vice-chancellor.

On the other hand, TASMAC started its London campus smoothly. When asked whether the management institute had obtained permission from the MHRD or the UGC, the answer of a senior officer was to the point. "We have gone through the FDI route, which doesn't require these permissions. All you need is to be 'street smart'."

But even as some universities await their turn to make a mark abroad, Pune itself continues to enjoy its reputation as a global education hub. Many foreign universities are looking at the city as a potential resource centre for getting quality students for their postgraduate courses. Incidentally, The January visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to India proved fruitful for Pune as the head office of 'n+I' - a consortium of 75 French engineering colleges - shifted its base from Delhi to Pune.