Higher Education and Research in India: An Overview: June 2016
Higher Education and Research in India: An Overview: June 2016
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Higher Education is a very important sector for the growth and development of human
resource which can take responsibility for social, economic and scientific development of the
country.1 While, higher education gives India an edge in the world economy as evident from
the availability of the skilled manpower, and research scholars working abroad,
unemployment, illiteracy and relative poverty continue to be the major deterrents to realize
her potential in human resources. The higher education system in India has grown in a
remarkable way, particularly in the post-independence period, to become one of the largest
system of its kind in the world. However, the system has many issues of concern at present, like
financing and management including access, equity and relevance, reorientation of
programmes by laying emphasis on health consciousness, values and ethics and quality of
higher education together with the assessment of institutions and their accreditation. These
issues are important for the country, as it is now engaged in the use of higher education as a
powerful tool to build a knowledge-based information society of the 21st Century. 2
Education in India
Education is not knowledge alone, but also the capacity to utilize it. The quality of education
depends on the ability it imparts to make proper use of the learning. In other words, acquiring
knowledge coupled with the ability for its proper application is the real education. As such, the
traits, which impart the skill of applying the acquired knowledge, are of great significance;
without the requisite skill of application, the knowledge is a mere treasure trove in a sealed
vault. Education includes all that which completes the personality of an aware and cultured
citizen….True education must, therefore, provide also the skill for application and enable
development of the traits, which nurture its future growth. The ethical component of education
is an element, which caters to this need. It is in the different ethical values of the knowledge
makers that we find the cause for the difference in their contribution, even though they are
equipped with the same level of knowledge.3
Prof. Yaspal said, “My complaint against the present education system in our country is that it
tends to be contextually disconnected. Personal observation and experience do not change
what is required to be learnt and the manner in which it is to be learnt. A defined collection of
competence and well-listed pieces of information constitute education for everyone, with little
or no room for personal variation. Not only the learner but also the teacher is bound by
contours, in expanse and in depth. The interconnections with allied areas are normally frowned
upon but when allowed they are restricted to examples that might not be relevant any more.
The testing methods ensure that diversion from the well-defined path does not take place…
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Even the pathways for excursion are defined to the extent that they too form a part of the
inorganic contour that contains the syllabus. This works reasonably well for restricted training
but not for growing minds that might wander off into unexpected but often exciting new areas.
We are not honed for creating new disciplines.”4
India has successfully created one of the biggest higher education systems in the world. Quality
of many top institutions is recognized to be comparable to the best in the world. However,
Indian education system faces problems and issues that originate from disparities and
developmental models adopted. With all the impressive development in the areas of
Information Technology, space science, nuclear technology, oil exploration, industrial
production etc., India could not solve its problems of poverty, ignorance and
underdevelopment completely and successfully due to various reasons. Nearly 25% people are
still below poverty line; one-third are illiterate and disparities amongst rich-poor, urban-rural,
educated-uneducated are high, which are creating enormous social tensions. The country has
to face challenges of globalization and pressures of liberalization while continuing its fight
against poverty, illiteracy and disadvantages. The major problems before the Indian Higher
education are 6:
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National and global competition may create problems of survival of weaker universities
and colleges.
Developmental disparities and unsolved Indian problems: Many colleges and
universities were started in India for removing regional imbalances and for supporting
education of weaker and disadvantaged classes, particularly of women. These
institutions and other developmental programs for weaker classes are still facing
resource constraints, which are further aggravated by ignorance, poverty and
disadvantages of the people they serve. This is resulting in widening divides and in
keeping many educated from weaker and disadvantages sections outside the job and
employment markets. The challenge of these marginalized and deprived to the system
of education is enormous.
Weak linkage of education with developmental processes is creating frustration
amongst graduates when they find that education is not so useful in employment and in
work situations. A challenge is to transform the system from its present model of
education to developmental education linking education to developments in society,
industry and services sectors.
High cost of higher education: The unit cost of traditional education, particularly of
professional education, is quite high and has gone out of reach of the Indian middle and
lower classes. Many private entrepreneurs have started educational institutions for
offering creamy courses with marketing approach; and have raised fees not affordable
to majority. Subsidy to the education by the state is not the right solution in the present
situation, when numbers aspiring for higher education is large and ever increasing. The
deprived are already creating pressure on the state to make education accessible; and
have raised an issue of socioeconomic equity and justice. The issue has already become
extremely volatile in some states like Maharashtra.
More of the same will not offer a way out. The major issue and challenge is to use IT and evolve
a new system of education that may enable educational institutions to develop appropriate
paradigms of development and education, and to increase coverage by serving larger numbers
so as to move towards education for all so essential for knowledge-based society.7
Based on the information from the studies conducted by UGC and other material the UGC had
put together a report akin to a road-map for higher education in the country. The UGC report
had suggested following issues to be addressed under the Eleventh plan:
Lower enrolment in higher education;
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Inter-state and inter-district disparities and rural-urban differences in the access to
higher education;
Inter-caste, inter-religion, male-female, poor-non-poor disparities in access to higher
education;
Issue of quality in higher education;
Issue of providing relevant education;
Academic reforms in Universities and Colleges; and
Regulation of private educational institutes.
It is gratifying to note that, eventually, the Eleventh Plan has addressed most of these issues,
and developed policies and programmes accordingly. Its main focus is on expansion in higher
education with inclusiveness, quality, relevance, and with academic reform.8
Much greater challenges continue to exist with respect to quality and the provision of relevant
education. Curricular reforms leading to regular revision and upgrading of curricula,
introduction of semester system, choice-based credit system, examination reforms are yet to
take place in all higher educational institutions across the country. Exceptions apart, majority
of our higher education institutions perform poorly in the area of quality on a relative global
scale. To materialize a "quantum jump" in achieving the triple objectives of access and
expansion, equity and inclusion, and quality and excellence, with an emphasis on consolidation
and optimal use of infrastructure already created during the 11th FYP, it is proposed to focus
on the following strategies during the 12th FYP 9:
1. The focus will be towards achieving higher access through expansion by consolidation
and better utilization of the existing infrastructure, upgradation of the infrastructure as
and where necessary, and creation of new institutions primarily to meet the objective of
regional equity.
2. Increasing and enhancing access through a mission mode national programme,
"Rashtriya Uchch Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)" aimed to achieve 25% national level GER
which will include (a) upgrading of Autonomous Colleges, Colleges with Potential for
Excellence, and A grade-accredited Colleges by the National Assessment and
Accreditation Council (NAAC), as university-level institutions; (b) promoting evening
universities/evening colleges; (c) introduction of undergraduate programmes in the
universities as integrated undergraduate/ postgraduate (UG/PG) programmes; (d)
enhancing the intake capacity of the existing institutions of higher education; (e)
developing the 'College Cluster Universities' regionally; and (f) establishing "Meta
University Complexes" in association with public/private sector undertakings as a part
of their corporatesocial responsibility, on an industry-academia mode.
3. The strategy for promoting equity at all levels and all branches of higher education,
from enrolment to pass-out stage, shall be through new schemes for financial support of
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socially deprived groups, minorities and women, along with significant remedial
support for such students and faculty.
4. Schemes for reducing regional/disciplinary/gender imbalances will include (a) setting
up of large number of Polytechnics (1,000); (b) completing the establishment of 374
Model Colleges in the identified Educationally Backward Areas of low GER districts; (c)
establishment of 800 Constituent Colleges in the already existing 40 Central
universities; and (d) establishment of 20 exclusive universities for women;
5. The system of financial support to girl students and students from SC/ST, Minorities
and Other Backward Category (OBC) category is proposed to be considerably enhanced
at all levels of higher education and for all branches, including professional and
technical education. Financial support will be expanded in the form of scholarships,
transport/rent allowance, book banks, and fee-plus scholarship system for professional
students.
6. In order to retain students from deprived social groups in the higher education system,
post-doctoral scholarships will be enhanced and a fast-track methodology
implemented.
7. There will be strengthening of infrastructure to provide access, and retention of women
students, differently-abled students and students from socially deprived backgrounds.
8. A major emphasis in will be the strengthening of the remedial system for students from
socially deprived backgrounds in order to enable their retention and better
performance.
9. Equal Opportunity Cells, which were initiated in the 11th FYP, will be set up in all
institutions, including institutions covered under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act. These will
monitor and oversee the implementation of policies and programmes for the weaker
sections and their progress in their respective institutions in achieving social inclusion.
10. Promotion of quality would be through a greater focus on performance, curricular
reforms, better human resource management, schemes to promote high quality
research, and technology-assisted monitoring mechanism. National science
experimentation facilities, particularly in the cutting edge areas will be set up as Inter-
University Centres and University-housed Networking Centres to provide international
quality resource support to all the researchers and PG students.
11. Faculty being the single most critical factor responsible for the overall quality and
excellence in higher education, it is a matter of grave concern that a large number of
faculty positions remain perennially vacant due to either nonavailability of suitably
qualified persons or due to procedural restrictions/fund constraints in State
universities/colleges. In order to ensure that expansion drive in higher education is
sustained, initiatives shall be taken to attract and retain the best talents as faculty
resources by creating conducive working ambience and by making teaching and
research as a lucrative career destination through continuous central assistance.
12. The capacity building and capability enhancement, keeping in tune with modern-day
requirement of the faculty resources through the Faculty Talent Promotion scheme by
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upgrading the Academic Staff Colleges (ASCs) as Faculty Development Centres (FDCs)
with redefined roles and responsibilities, would be another priority.
13. Equally important shall be the initiative for Leadership Development and Institutional
Management programmes at all levels from top to bottom, for those who may be
currently holding the leadership, management and administrative positions. For those
in the leadership tiers who need to be readied to take over such leadership positions in
colleges and universities in future, a separate Leadership Mentoring Programme is
envisaged through dedicated/competent centres.
14. Support for curricular and academic reforms to improve student choices, technology
assisted participatory teaching-learning processes and increasing the provision of
relevant education, with an emphasis on feed-back-based holistic
examination/evaluation system. A fine balance between the market oriented
professional and liberal higher education shall be the hallmark of such initiatives.
15. Minimizing the affiliating burden of the existing universities by implementing the
"Affiliation Reforms Package" developed by the UGC during the 11th FYP in a
multipronged approach would be another added dimension of promoting access with
quality and relevance.
16. For promoting private sector participation in higher education, newer models based on
quality shall be explored, supported and incentivized by well-defined policies, norms,
and monitoring mechanisms. The initiative would also include maximizing the potential
of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in higher education not only for setting up new
universities and colleges but also for creating/sharing quality infrastructure and
physical facilities in the existing colleges and universities.
17. For promoting skill-based education and to improve competence, a fresh impetus to
vocational education shall be given with due regards to National Vocational Education
Qualification Framework (NVEQF) and the initiative is to be supported and incentivized
through well-defined policies and monitoring mechanisms.
18. Reforming the financing system of higher educational institutions by the UGC such as to
promote the culture of accountability, improved performance and better resource use
efficiency and at the same time respecting the academic autonomy. A norm-based
funding mechanism based on the justified requirements submitted by the universities
and colleges with due approval of their decision making bodies, (Academic Council and
Executive Council) and moderated by the availability of resources with the UGC shall
replace the existing conventional approach.
19. For better coordination and speedy implementation of the 12th FYP priorities, the UGC,
as an organisation, shall have to be restructured and modernised, and rejuvenated as a
vibrant academic, administrative and fund providing/monitoring body by the
introduction of new management system of good governance which is a layer above e-
governance, with transparency and accountability on the one hand and by roping in
eminent academics on full-time basis as advisers on the other, besides lateral
entry/deputation- mediated administrative talent infusion. This shall enable the UGC to
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design the schemes better, execute them effectively and monitor the outcomes/outputs
in a time-bound manner.
20. State Councils of Higher Education have so far been established only in a few states as
an interface bodies between the state governments, the universities of the State and the
national bodies/councils like the UGC/All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE), etc. In order to facilitate national level coordination of the higher education
schemes/policies and their speedy implementation, all states shall be encouraged and
incentivized to establish and activate these Councils. Similarly, the College Development
Councils (CDCs) of the universities will be made more effective in channelizing the UGC
schemes to Colleges through the CDCs, supported appropriately by the UGC.
21. Universities and Colleges being the end-users of the public funds, provided by either the
central or the state governments, shall have to be made accountable for the funds,
provided by introducing a New Educational Management System whereby their
accountability would be assessed more in terms of their performance and outcomes and
less in terms of insistence on adherence to elaborate processes and procedures. Such
initiatives shall have to go beyond e-governance, management information system and
enterprise-wide resource planning. They must seek to bring about changes in the
systems, processes, culture, and structure of the university Act/Statutes.
22. State Universities and Colleges affiliated thereto account for an overwhelmingly large
number of enrolments in higher education and it is this sector that has been least
attended to in terms of resource support and subjected to external influences and
pressures in the name of accountability. Enhanced resource support to this sector based
on the commitment of the state governments to provide these institutions greater
autonomy and operational flexibility shall be a priority during 12th FYP.
23. A large number of new Central Universities and Model Colleges that were established
during the 11th FYP would require continued and accelerated support because during
this Plan they are likely to fast pace their development and operational work and any
resource constraints at this juncture would be detrimental to their growth and
development.
In the 12th FYP document provides the details of the present trends, prevailing issues and
challenges, projected goals and the planned strategies for the 12th FYP with schemes and
programmes under the three major heads of Access, Equity and Quality with interlaced
components of relevance, value-education and creativity. The overall budget requirement
projected to achieve the proposed initiatives is $ 1,84,740 crore.10
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inadequate infrastructure and facilities, large vacancies in faculty positions, low student
enrolment rate etc. are the manifested consequences. The unwieldy affiliating system, inflexible
academic structure, uneven capacity across various subjects, eroding autonomy of academic
institutions, the accreditation system that has low coverage and no consequences. The
following lines bring forward the brief note of the crisis of higher education and research in
Indian context.
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With the shortage of adequate funding to meet the demands of various novel innovative
programmes has affected in developing a meaningful and purposeful inter-face between the
universities, National Research Laboratories, industries, government, NGOs and society, etc.
ICT in higher education policy may not be able to completely overcome all these challenges
though it may play a role in information and resource sharing.
It is clear from the above that we need to recognize the prevailing crisis in higher education in
India which runs deep. The need of the hour is to address this crisis in a systematic, forthright
manner. We must emphasize the urgency of the situation, because our future depends on it. We
are convinced that it is important to act here and now. At the same time, we believe that there
is an opportunity in this crisis. Given the demographic reality of a young India, expansion,
inclusion and excellence in higher education can drive economic development and social
progress. Indeed, what we do in the sphere of higher education now can transform economy
and society in India by 2025.13
In view of the above, we are baffled by various questions i.e. Do the educational institutions
produce people who can deal with life as a whole? Have the institutions of higher learning been
able to meet the increasing needs of the society? Do we teachers prepare our students to play
the expected role? What are the factors that adversely affect teaching and research and in turn
the quality of higher education? Are the pertinent questions relating to transparency and
accountability of higher education institutions is addressed? Do these institutions prepare the
students to face the highly competitive world? These are some of the pertinent questions that
this seminar will look into and would try to find answers through intellectual deliberations
from the diversified group.14
The higher education needs to be expanded without diluting quality and in fact by raising the
standard of education imparted and making higher education more relevant to the needs and
opportunities of a knowledge society. The higher education system must provide for
accountability to society and create accountability within. An expansion of higher education
which provides students with choices and creates competition between institutions is going to
be vital in enhancing accountability. The recommendations of the seminar will require action at
all levels i.e. reforms within existing systems, changes in policies, and amendments in, or the
introduction of, new statutes or legislation.15
UNESCO on Higher Education
1. A first point to remember is that, side by side with universities, there are other types of
higher education institutions in many countries. Some cream off the most able students
while others were set up to provide specifically targeted, high-quality vocational
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training, lasting between two and four years. Such diversification undeniably meets the
needs of society and the economy as manifested both at the national and at the regional
levels.
2. Increasingly stringent selection in order to ease the pressures brought about by mass
higher education in the wealthiest countries is neither politically nor socially
acceptable. One of the main drawbacks of such an approach is that many young people
are shut out from the educational process before they have been able to obtain a
recognized diploma; they are therefore in the desperate predicament of having
obtained neither a formal qualification nor a training appropriate for the job market.
3. The evolution of enrolments therefore needs to be managed, but it can be kept within
limits as a result of secondary education reform, along the broad lines proposed by the
Commission.
4. Universities would contribute to this process by diversifying what they offer: (a) as
scientific establishments and centres of learning, from where students go on to
theoretical or applied research or teaching; (b) as establishments offering occupational
qualifications, combining high-level knowledge and skills, with courses and content
continually tailored to the needs of the economy; (c) as some of the main meeting-
places for learning throughout life, opening their doors to adults who wish either to
resume their studies or to adapt and develop their knowledge or to satisfy their taste
for learning in all areas of cultural life.
5. Education: as leading partners in international co-operation, facilitating exchanges of
teachers and students and ensuring that the best teaching is made widely available
through international professorships.
In this way, universities would transcend what is wrongly held to be the conflict between the
logic of public service and the logic of the job market. They would also reclaim their intellectual
and social vocation as, in a sense, guarantors of universal values and the cultural heritage. The
Commission sees these as cogent reasons for urging greater university autonomy.16
Educational opportunities and traditions that Indian Universities have built up, since
independence have been able to produce graduates, capable only of pursuing limited careers,
but, in the new globally competitive environment that is emerging in the country, the Indian
student is now required to develop a multifaceted personality to cope up with the rapid
changes in the world at large. This calls for the development of body, mind and spirit, through
the educational processes in the institutions of higher education.
Health consciousness and physical fitness for a healthy body should be an essential part of the
University culture. But, a healthy body alone cannot be attained and maintained without a
healthy mind. Therefore value education becomes a desirable moral necessity for meeting the
challenges of the contemporary World. Professional competence is of little value if professional
ethics are forgotten. Similarly, brilliance is of no use if it is employed for anti social activities. In
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order to achieve all these ends effectively one has to see that the processes of education are
properly regulated in terms of assessment and evaluation of learning. A close interaction
between the teachers and the students in the evaluation of the progress of learning is desirable,
so that teaching-learning process is not superficial.17
The rapid developments in science and technology and the challenges of globalization are
posing additional challenges to the education system in the country. This is also the time when
parental care to the children is on the wane. The adverse effects of the media on the mental
development and moral values of the younger generation are being felt increasingly in all
spheres of life. Gross consumerism has distorted the outlook of persons into one of equating
possessions with richness. Exploitation of natural resources is proceeding without reference to
sustainability. The hiatus between the rich and the poor is getting wider. While the education
system needs to keep pace with the scientific and technological developments in terms of
building the skills and knowledge, it also needs to address the more fundamental issues of the
social and moral consequences of such unregulated activities. In this context, there is now a
growing demand to lay greater emphasis on education to inculcate, nurture and develop values,
particularly among the youth of the country. Major recommendations of this seminar are given
below 18:
There is an urgent need to rethink the evolving yet central role of teachers at all levels of
education. This not only implies issues relative to teacher training and professional
development, but also broader questions related to the evolving social role and status of
teachers and other learning professionals.19 We in India are fond of miracles. We tend to look
for extraordinary solutions for routine things. The field of higher education has been no
exception. The problem is that the universities have failed to perform signalling functions on
account of steep decline in standards; we have delinked our degrees completely from entry into
professional and the job market. Our crisis is organically linked to increasing irrelevance of our
process of certification leading to alienation of participants within and disenchantment of
public outside. What is needed is the restoration of this signalling function of the university
linking it to the needs of the community. We need a new engagement with the community. We
need to reassure it that our certification is both reliable and relevant, that our pupils have
necessary competence for which our degrees stand, that these young men and women can be
trusted for different jobs and skills.20
A reaffirmation of the signalling alone will redeem our public image and provide us protection
against political and bureaucratic interference. This becomes all the more necessary in the
present context of expanding economy. Even graduates of social sciences and humanities will
be in much greater demand because service sector is expanding at an enormous pace in our
society. This sector will need people with decent degrees, who can write, compose and analyse
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in terms of national and international trends. It is only with the restoration of the first rate
teaching and learning experience linked to skills required by the market that the universities
will acquire a new dignity and find a new place for themselves in the life of the community.21
Conclusion:
Education not only makes a man a perfect gentleman, it also arms him to meet all the situations
in life. An educated man can always face difficulties in a better way than an uneducated person.
He knows how to face the difficulties in a calm and quiet way. Instead of getting worried on the
onslaught of difficulties, he will welcome them. This is the only chance in the life of a man to
bring to the fore the latent powers which lie hidden in a man, till they are put to use. So long as
the man is in a comfortable position, he need not exploit this hidden treasure. However, once
he is in straitened circumstance, he is compelled to use every bit of energy to fight out the
adverse circumstances. This can be done only by an educated man, who is not frightened at the
sight of the difficulties, because he does not allow them to get on to his nerves. It is said that it
is not ease but effort, not facility but difficulty that makes a man. Thus, the education helps a
man to develop a balanced personality.22
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12. “Information Boucher” of National Seminar on Contemporary Educational Crisis:
Integrated Approaches to Higher Education and Research organised by Department of
Social Work and Department of Philosophy, Assam University, Silchar, Assam (India) to
be held on November 20-22, 2014.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Learning: the Treasure Within: Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on
Education for the Twenty-first Century, UNESCO Publishing,1996, pp.25-26.
17. Higher Education in India: Issues, Concerns and New Directions, UGC, New Delhi,
December 2003, p.iii.
18. Ibid, p.30.
19. Rethinking Education in a Changing World United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, Meeting of the Senior Experts’ Group, Paris, 12-14 February
2013, Report prepared by the UNESCO Secretariat, UNESCO Education Research and
Foresight, p.18.
20. Prof. V. R. Mehta, The Killing Of Higher Education, Golden Jubilee Lecture Series, UGC,
December 2003, p.17.
21. Ibid
22. Justice Mohd. Shamim, Importance of Value – Based Education, UGC Golden Jubilee
Lecture Series, UGC, December 2003, p.03.
Contact:
Dr. Desh Raj Sirswal. Assistant Professor (Philosophy), P.G.Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11.
Chandigarh, E-mail: [email protected], Mobile No.8288883993.
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