HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA: Problems

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HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA Problems Prospects

• 54th Orientation Program
• Academic Staff College, JNU

Vivek Kumar Singh
Contributing Members Sangeeta Srivastava, Vivek
Kr. Singh V. George Justine, M. Tajuteen F.
Lalromawia,
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KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPMENT

• Indias vision become a Knowledge Superpower by
  2010 and a
• Developed Nation by 2020 Critical areas of
  growth identified.
• GDP must grow by 8-10 per year to reduce
  poverty from 26 to
• below 5 - through Knowledge based economy.
• High quality professionals needed to create,
  share, use and
• manage knowledge.
• India is exporting services and becoming a
  desirable destination
• for Services, RD and Manufacturing.
• India must meet aspirations of its youth in
  18-25 years (over 150
• million) and canalize this vast energy.

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Higher Education System In India

• 348 universities, 17625 colleges
• gt5,00,000 teachers 10.5 million students
• Third largest after US China. Growing rapidly
• Covers all major disciplines
• Professional education in English medium
• Attracts highly selected students, IITs 1 of
  200 applicants gets admitted

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Higher Education System In India(Contd.)

• Public Investments
• Emerging Private-Not-for-Profit-Participation.
• Outcome
• Largely met the manpower needs of the country
• Helped India become self-reliant in several
  areas
• Foreign investors attracted.

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Higher Education System In India (Contd..)

• Low Access Rate - lt 9 of the eligible population
  compared with 40-80 in developed countries
• Regional Imbalances
• Variations in Quality
• Inappropriate Resources
• Mismanaged Regulatory mechanism
• Focus and Relevance
• Declining interest in Basic Sciences, Humanities
• Political Interference.

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Supply Demand Status

• Supply side
• Stock 22 million graduates
• 2.46 million added every year
• 83 enrolment in arts, science and commerce
  symbolic degrees
• Small base of enrolment in PG and Research
• Growth in professional courses
• Growth of non-university sector

• Demand-side issues
• Emerging global occupational structure Mobility
  of skilled work and workers
• Indias opportunity in IT / ITES Sector (require
  8.8 million people direct / indirect by 2010)
• Revival of manufacturing sector / consumption-led
  growth / New economy sectors
• Larger share in global trade and investment

5.3 million graduates unemployed Positive
co-relation between unemployment and level of
education / Skill shortages in IT / ITES sector
and many new economy sector Problem of inertia,
particularly in public institutions
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Existing Regulatory Arrangements

• Problems
• Problem of coordination - gaps and overlaps in
  functioning
• Centralized focus on uniform standards,
  promotes cloning
• One-third unviable colleges exist
• Recognition of degrees by one time legislative
  sanctions, rather than any academic process
• Uncertain regulatory environment
• Non-transparent processes
• Judicial interventions

• Structure Process
• Centre UGC 13 professional councils
• States
• Affiliating colleges (131 universities affiliate
  17625 colleges) 60 temporary affiliated /
  two-third not recognized by UGC
• Regulatory bodies under direct control of the
  government
• Regulations on minimum standards for various
  degrees
• Academic titles approved by the central govt.

Whereas, most nations in the World are working
towards loosening of statutory control over
higher education, India is moving in reverse
direction (The Economist, 2005).
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Growth of Higher Education Institutions and
Enrolment

• Post-1980 rapid growth in number of institutions
  and enrolment (Source ICRIER New Delhi)

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Growth of Higher Education Institutions by Type

• Growth has been mainly of the private unaided
  institutions a trend started in early 1980s.
  (Ref ICRIER New Delhi)

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Relative Share of Private and Public Institutions

• For professional courses, majority of
  institutions are private (self-financing). In
  addition, there is a huge private training sector
  and coaching industry in India.
• (Ref ICRIER New Delhi, 2001-02)

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Financing Higher Education in India

• Expenditure on Higher Education in terms of of
  GDP during 2001-02 was
• 0.43 (7.53 of total expenditure on
  Education which was 4.18 of GDP).

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(No Transcript)
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Present Accreditation system in India

• Instruments and processes for accreditation
  comparable to anywhere else in the world but
  accreditation has no consequence for
  institutions, students, funding agencies

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Major Concerns Issues

• Regulatory system fails to maintain standards
  despite formidable entry barriers
• Over-centralization Lack of institutional
  autonomy and accountability very slow response
  to changes
• Difficulties in recruitment and retention of
  qualified teachers in critical areas
• Poor standards of academic research

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Major Concerns Issues (Contd.)

• Variable quality market mismatch inflexibility
• Skill shortages despite high graduate
• unemployment
• Little knowledge creation little interaction
  with economy, society and other academic/
  research institutions
• Limited access and regional disparity

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Major Concerns Issues (Contd..)

• Diminishing and skewed public funding
• system inefficiencies
• Knowledge Disbursement
• Chaotic and unplanned expansion.

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Opportunities

• Knowledge a key resource for global
  competitiveness
• India a key player in global knowledge economy
  off-shoring, knowledge-intensive manufacturing
• Opportunity to convert demographic surplus to
  economic strength

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Strategies for Reforms

• Empowerment and Accountability of Institutions
• Academic
• Administrative
• Financial
• Managerial
• Optimal Utilization of Resources
• Build on and share existing resources
• Improve system efficiency
• Encourage competitive funding
• Mobilization of Additional Financial Resources
• Enhance cost recovery
• Provide incentives for resource generation
• Encourage private funding

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Strategies for Reforms (Contd.)

• Improving Quality and Effectiveness
• Quality and effectiveness of teaching learning
  processes
• Faculty development
• Curriculum reforms
• Performance evaluation and accreditation of
  institutions
• Networking to Enhance Capacity, Improve Quality
  and Produce Excellence
• Networking of institutions with each other, with
  RD labs, industry and service sector
• Promotion of excellence
• Resource sharing of expertise, facilities
• Networking of libraries
• Increasing Access and Reducing Regional
  Imbalances

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Recent Major Policy Initiatives

• National Policy on Education(1986/92/2000)
• Establishment of NAAC, NBA
• Technology Vision Of India 2020(1996)
• Information Technology Action Plan(1998)
• Encouraging Private Investment in Professional
  Education
• Liberal grant of Autonomy-Deemed University
  Status, IIITs, NITs

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Recent Major Policy Initiatives (Contd.)

• Setting up an Educational Satellite (2003)
• Transforming India into a Knowledge Superpower-
  vision (2003)
• Draft National Biotechnology Plan(2004/05)
• Upgrading Technical Education System-Tech Ed.I,
  II, III, and TEQIP
• Setting up of a Knowledge Commission (2005)
• Private University Act under discussion
• NIT Act (2006) under preparation

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CONCLUSIONS

• Restructuring the Higher education System to
  improve accessibility and quality of services
  offered through greater autonomy and more
  participative governance would continue to be
  essential if India wishes to play a dominant
  international role in the emerging Knowledge
  Society.
• The ability to achieve this and the potential
  for excellence are evident, but is there a
  political will at all levels (without
  reservation) ? Are controllers really prepared to
  let go their authority? Are academics ready
  to respond?

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THANK YOU.