HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA: Funding Access, Quality and Equity

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HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA Funding Access,
Quality and Equity
UKERI Widening Access Social Inclusion in
Higher Education

• Jandhyala Tilak
• National University of Educational Planning and
  Administration
• New Delhi

Kolkata 26-28 March 2007
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The Equilateral Triangle

• Quantity/Access

The Elusive ? of the 3 Qs
Equity
Quality
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Current Status of Higher Education
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Growth of Higher Education in India

• Colleges Univs Enrolment
• (million)
• 1947-48 516 20 0.2
• 1950-51 578 28 0.2
• 1960-61 1819 45 0.6
• 1970-71 3277 93 2.0
• 1980-81 4577 123 2.8
• 1990-91 6627 184 4.4
• 2000-01 10152 254 8.6
• 2004-05 17625 343 10.5

Gross Enrolment Ratio (2004-05) 9.2 per cent
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Strengths of Indian Higher Education

• One of the largest education systems
• Largest stock of educated manpower
• Self reliance in manpower needs
• Export of manpower
• Democratisation improvement in equity
• Pockets of excellence
• Diversity

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Weaknesses of Indian Higher Education

• Quality
• Inequalities
• Inadequacy

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Contribution of Higher Education

• Self reliance in manpower
• Export of skilled manpower to the world economy
• Socioeconomic development
• Democracy and political stability

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The Growth is not Adequate

• For rapid economic development
• To face global challenges
• Globalisation and international competition
• For sustainable high levels human development
• For building an equitable system of education,
  promising opportunities for all
• Creation of Knowledge Society

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Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education
(around 2000)
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Inequalities in Higher Education

• Regional
• Inter-State disparities
• Rural-urban
• Inequalities between Social Groups
• Caste
• Religion
• gender
• Inequalities between Economic Groups

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Gross Enrolment Ratio in Higher Education2003-04
()
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Adult Population with Higher Education (),
1995-96
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of Population (7) with Higher Education, by
Social Groups, 1999-2000
  Rural Rural Rural Urban Urban Urban
  Male Female All Male Female All
Scheduled Tribes 1.2 0.2 0.7 9.1 4.7 7.0
Scheduled Castes 1.3 0.3 0.8 4.1 2.0 3.1
Other Backward Castes 2.1 0.6 1.4 1.1 3.7 5.5
Others 4.4 1.4 3.0 18.2 12.7 15.6
All 2.6 0.8 1.7 12.7 8.2 10.5
Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round Source NSS 55th Round
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Adult Population with Higher Education ()
1995-96
Inequities by Economic levels
Household Expenditure Groups
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Recent Trends in Higher Education Policies and
Practices
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Public Policies and Practices

• Decline in Public Budgets
• Non-Recruitment of Teachers
• Cost Recovery
• Fees
• Loans
• Privatisation

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Public Expenditure on Higher Education ( of GNP)
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Declining Per Student Real Expenditure on Higher
Education
Index
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Scholarships as of Expenditure on Higher
Education (Union Government)
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Decline in Scholarships (Union Government
Education Department)

• Million (current prices)
• 1989-90 Rs.62.3
• 1990-91 Rs.20.9
• 1994-95 Rs.27.5
• 2003-04 Rs. 7.6
• General Education

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UGC Grants Research Fellowships ( of Total
Non-Plan Grants)

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Steep Increases in Fees

• Recommendation 20 cost recovery rate
• Introduction of different types of fees
• Foreign/NRI students, management quota, merit
  (free) and payment seats, normal
• Fees for different items
• Application, registration, lab, exams, marks
  statement, fees for authentication of
  certificates ..
• Erratic and uncontrolled Increases in fees
• Introduction of Self financing courses

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Cost Recovery in Universities

• No. of Universities with rates of cost recovery
  (Total Sample 36) (latest year mid/late 1990s)
• 50 Six universities
• 30-50 Four
• 20-30 Nine
• 10-20 Seven
• lt 10 Ten

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Student Loans

• Revitalization of Student Loan Programmes
• Government operated loan scheme replaced by Bank
  operated Loans
• Increasing reliance on loans
• Loans preferred over scholarships (by the
  government)

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Student Loans

• Problems with Bank operated Loans
• Limited in number
• Not Equity Oriented
• Not Excellence Oriented
• Accentuation of commercialisation of higher
  education
• Further Increase in fees
• Restricting access and Increase in inequities
• Shifting of responsibility to the individual
  domain

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Teacher Recruitment

• Stagnation/Non-Recruitment for several years in
  many universities and colleges
• Fiscal
• New policies
• Recruitment of para teachers
• Under qualified
• Under paid
• Unfair service conditions

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Privatisation of Higher Education Trends

• ?Decline in Philanthropy
• Virtual halt of State-aided private sector
• ?Rapid growth in Self-financing private sector,
  leading to diminution of public sector
• ? Growth in Self financing courses in public
  universities/colleges

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Growth of Private Sector in Higher Education
(Andhra Pradesh)
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Fees in Public and Private Institutions

• Fees (Absolute Amounts)
• Private gt Public
• Fees in Private /Public Institutions
• India (50-80) Developed Countries (3-8)
• Fees/cost Ratio (Cost Recovery Rate)
• Private (100) Public (20)

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Access and Privatisation

• gt50 higher education institutions are in private
  sector in 18 countries
• Only in 4 counties (Brazil, Chile, Philippines
  and Japan) 50 (or more) enrolments are in
  private institutions

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Paradoxes in Size of Private Higher Education

• of
• Universities Enrolment
• (university)
• Uruguay 89 12
• USA 75 35
• Mexico 73 42
• Kenya 70 19
• Thailand 49 17
• Malaysia 42 8

Higher share in Universities, less share in
enrolments
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Higher Education in USA Shares

• Institutions Enrolment
• Public 19.6 57.3
• Private not for profit 65.3 38.1
• Private for Profit 15.0 4.7
• Note Based on a sample of universities
• Source XI Plan Working Group on Higher
  Education, 2006 (based on 10 states in USA)

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Sum up on Policies

• Reduced Levels of Public Financing
• Increased levels of Cost Recovery
• Non-Recruitment of Teachers
• Rapid Privatisation
• All adversely effect equitable access to quality
  higher education

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Financing for Widening Access What needs to be
done?

• Government commitment to funding higher education
  
• 6 of GDP to education
• 1.5 of GDP to Higher Education
• Focus on quality and equity
• Operation blackboard like programme

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What needs to be done? Desired Level of Funding

• Government Commitment to funding higher education
  is crucial.
• Elementary education 3.0 of GNP
• Secondary education 1.5
• Higher General education 1.0
• Higher Technical education 0.5
• Total 6.0

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What needs to be done?

• At least a minimum assured level of proportion of
  the budgets for scholarships
• To promote excellence (merit scholarships)
• To promote equity (merit-cum-means scholarships)
• At least a minimum proportion for research
• Ceiling on fees
• Less reliance on Private sector and foreign
  institutions

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What needs to be done?

• Investment in Infrastructure development
• Operation blackboard-like programme in colleges
  and universities (focusing on library/laboratories
  /play grounds etc.)
• Recruitment of faculty
• A long term perspective plan
• Balanced development of all layers of education

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The 3 Quadrants of the Education Pyramid

• Higher
• Primary Secondary

All the three are inter-dependent