The Number game
With the 11th five-year plan set for implementation next month, the nation realises the necessity for an overhaul in higher education, which should amount to nothing less than the green revolution or the IT revolution. The need for such a massive expansion and qualitative upgrade in this sector has been evident for quite some time.
Low on numbers
Today, India has 350 universities. In order to achieve the targeted gross enrolment of 15% by 2015, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) proposes to set up 1,150 more universities, and an additional 50 national universities. Yet, there are two opinions within the NKC itself; the other recommends 3,000 universities with an intake capacity of over 10,000 per university.
Says V N Rajasekharan Pillai, vice-chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), "At the present rate of growth in higher education, even the current 7% enrolment is not sustainable. We desperately need an integration of all forms of higher education, supported by massive investment in infrastructure and quality improvement for manifold expansion."
High on problems
What is completely overseen is the fact that the system will remain inaccessible to the other 85% of eligible
candidates.
According to Saumen Chattopadh-yay, associate professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), "Both our policy makers and experts are aiming for a minimum 8% increase in enrolment over the next eight years. However, since the government is not in a position to meet the subsequent demands there will be massive chaos, aggravated further by wide scale proliferation of private institutes."
The enormity of the task at hand is clear enough. To quote the NKC, "The system of higher education in India obviously faces serious challenges. A systematic overhaul is imperative, in order to educate the significantly large numbers without diluting academic standards."
Says Nandan Nilekani, managing director, Infosys, "Indian requisites in higher education can be met only through large-scale reforms. Our incapacity is evident in the fact that every year over 1,40,000 Indian students travel abroad for education, which is the highest figure across the globe."
Low on quality
If numbers do not meet our needs, neither does quality. Experts believe that the crisis runs deep as is apparent from the widening qualitative gap between Indian universities and those abroad. In spite of the various pockets of excellence, none of the Indian universities ranks among the top 50 worldwide.
"Immediate academic and administrative reforms through an institutional mechanism are needed to ensure even the slightest upgrade in quality. We stand to face a severe paucity in manpower for basic research over the next five years, and might just end up losing our core competencies," feels Rakesh Mohan Joshi, a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
Take Care...
With the 11th five-year plan set for implementation next month, the nation realises the necessity for an overhaul in higher education, which should amount to nothing less than the green revolution or the IT revolution. The need for such a massive expansion and qualitative upgrade in this sector has been evident for quite some time.
Low on numbers
Today, India has 350 universities. In order to achieve the targeted gross enrolment of 15% by 2015, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) proposes to set up 1,150 more universities, and an additional 50 national universities. Yet, there are two opinions within the NKC itself; the other recommends 3,000 universities with an intake capacity of over 10,000 per university.
Says V N Rajasekharan Pillai, vice-chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), "At the present rate of growth in higher education, even the current 7% enrolment is not sustainable. We desperately need an integration of all forms of higher education, supported by massive investment in infrastructure and quality improvement for manifold expansion."
High on problems
What is completely overseen is the fact that the system will remain inaccessible to the other 85% of eligible
candidates.
According to Saumen Chattopadh-yay, associate professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), "Both our policy makers and experts are aiming for a minimum 8% increase in enrolment over the next eight years. However, since the government is not in a position to meet the subsequent demands there will be massive chaos, aggravated further by wide scale proliferation of private institutes."
The enormity of the task at hand is clear enough. To quote the NKC, "The system of higher education in India obviously faces serious challenges. A systematic overhaul is imperative, in order to educate the significantly large numbers without diluting academic standards."
Says Nandan Nilekani, managing director, Infosys, "Indian requisites in higher education can be met only through large-scale reforms. Our incapacity is evident in the fact that every year over 1,40,000 Indian students travel abroad for education, which is the highest figure across the globe."
Low on quality
If numbers do not meet our needs, neither does quality. Experts believe that the crisis runs deep as is apparent from the widening qualitative gap between Indian universities and those abroad. In spite of the various pockets of excellence, none of the Indian universities ranks among the top 50 worldwide.
"Immediate academic and administrative reforms through an institutional mechanism are needed to ensure even the slightest upgrade in quality. We stand to face a severe paucity in manpower for basic research over the next five years, and might just end up losing our core competencies," feels Rakesh Mohan Joshi, a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT).
Take Care...