The Higher Education Conundrum
Higher education is critical for developing a modern economy, just society and a vibrant polity. It equips the young people with skills relevant for labor market and opportunity of being absorbed to prominent positions. It provides people already in employment with skills to negotiate rapidly evolving career requirement. It prepares its citizens as responsible citizens who value a democratic and pluralistic society. Thus higher education creates huge repository of human capital to meet the country’s need and shapes its future. Higher education is the principal on which our national goals and development priority can be examined and refined.
Health of higher education in India
India’s higher education is world’s 3rd largest in terms of students, next to US, China and equivalent to Australia’s population. Gross enrollment ratio is a mere 11% as compared to china’s 20% and US’s 83%. Overall standard of education does not match global standard where quality is determined by profile and quality of faculty, number of journals in the library, an ultra-modern campus, efficient use of resources and highly satisfied employable graduates.
Critical appraisals
Increasing educated unemployment leaves the young graduate with low morale and motivation. Increasing unrest and indiscipline on the campus and the frequent collapse of the administration further deteriorates performance. Deteriorating standards and poor quality of teachers in most of the private institutes lowers the quality of graduates. Most of the Indian Institutes lacks in high-end research facility, which are not funded well. Also there is a little or no contribution from the industry for the research projects, although they reap the fruits of technological development. The gap between industries and the higher education and research oriented institutions worsen the situation which is likely in case of developed countries like Germany and USA where 50% of their projects are funded by the industries. The government spending is low with 0.9% in the field of development of science, which is further slashed recently.
The country is not able to absorb the graduates from the apex institutes like the IIT’s and IIM’s. In general higher education became so profitable a business that the quality is lost along with quota system and politicization further adds fuel to the boiler. Teaching as a profession is not so attractive in the country is another reason for poor quality of delivery.
Recent proposals
Common entrance test, credit transfers, faculty and student mobility and a common syllabus are some of the recent measures taken to enhance the enrollment. Nationwide schemes like Swayam, Kushal, Gian etc are introduced along with online courses, e-libraries.
Suggested Reforms
A move towards a learning society requires a contribution from experts, highly skilled and best of the talent of the country to make the country a centre of global standard. Industry-academia connection ensures upgraded curriculum and necessitates skill development in the right direction. It will also attract funding for the projects which would encourage the culture of research and development in the country. Better incentivizing teachers and researchers, encouraging innovative practices and best utilization of science and technological development to contribute the growth of economy, improving health and making life easier for common people. Mobilizing the funds and investing more in research and development. It needs student centric education and dynamic curriculum, updating it with the changing global requirement.
