Higher

Higher Education:
Education: A
A
Case
Case for
for Status
Status Quo
Quo
Dr. Tejinder Sharma
Department of Commerce
K.U., Kurukshetra 136119
[email protected]
 Agenda
• Present Status of H.E.
• Challenges before H.E.
• Proposed Reforms
• Inadequacy of reforms
• Status quo to active inertia
 Present Status of H.E.
• Evolution
• Constitutional Status
• Structure of H.E.
• Regulatory Institutions in H.E.
• Funding of H.E.
Evolution of H.E. in India
• Origin dates to Mountstuart
Elphinstone's minutes of 1823
– stressed on the need for establishing
schools for teaching English and the
European sciences
• Lord Macaulay, in his minutes of 1835
– efforts to make natives of the country
thoroughly good English scholars
Evolution of H.E. in India
• Sir Charles Wood's Dispatch of 1854
– recommended creating a properly
articulated scheme of education from
the primary school to the university. It
sought to encourage indigenous
education and planned the formulation
of a coherent policy of education
Earlier Institutional Set-up
• Early Universities
– University of Calcutta (1857)
– University ofBombay (1857)
– University of Madras (1887)
• Regulatory Institutions
– The Inter-University Board (later Association
of Indian Universities set up in 1925)
– University Grants Committee (1945)
– the University Grants Commission (1953)
 UGC’s Mandate
• Promoting and coordinating university education.
• Determining and maintaining standards of teaching,
examination and research in universities.
• Framing regulations on minimum standards of education.
• Monitoring developments in the field of collegiate and
university education; disbursing grants to the universities
and colleges.
• Serving as a vital link between the Union and state
governments and institutions of higher learning.
• Advising the Central and State governments on the
measures necessary for improvement of university
education.
 Constitutional Status
• Originally a state list subject (Entry
11)
Education including universities subject to the provisions of entire
63,64,65 and 66 of List I and 25 of List III

– Education was exclusively a responsibility of the States

– Central Government being concerned directly with
certain areas like coordination, determination of
standards in technical and higher education etc
 Constitutional Status
• Shifted to Concurrent List in 1976 (Entry 25)
Education, including technical education, medical education and universities,
subject to the provisions of entries 63,64,65 and 66 of List I; vocational
and technical training of labour

– Empowers Central Govt. to legislate on education

– Maintenance of Central Universities and institutions of
national importance
– institutions for professional, vocational or technical training or
for promotion of special studies or research
– coordination and determination of standards in institutions of
higher education or research and scientific and technical
institutions (Entries 63,64,65 and 66 of List I)
 Structure of H.E.
• Managed by Department of Higher
Education under Ministry of Human
Resource Development
• Bureaux under D.H.E.
– University & Higher Education, Minorities Education
– Technical Education
– Distance Education & Scholarships,
– Planning, Administration, Languages, and Coordination,
– UNESCO, International Cooperation, Policy, Statistics,
Book Promotion &
– Integrated Finance Division.
 Institutions of higher
learning
• Colleges (Traditional, Technical)
• Universities (Centrally funded, State
funded, private, open, foreign,
deemed, etc.)
• Research Institutes
• IITs, IIMs
Regulatory Institutions in H.E.
(Statutory Professional Councils)
1. All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE)
2. Medical Council of India (MCI)
3. Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
4. National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
5. Dental Council of India (DCI)
6. Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
7. Indian Nursing Council (INC)
8. Bar Council of India (BCI)
9. Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)
10. Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM)
11. Council of Architecture
12. Distance Education Council
13. Rehabilitation Council
14. State Councils of Higher Education
 Funding of H.E.
(Source: Analysis of Budgeted Report on Education by Ministry of HRD, 2008)
 Sector-wise Allocation to
Education
(Source: Analysis of Budgeted Report on Education by Ministry of HRD, 2008)
Other Institutions funding
H.E.
(Source: Analysis of Budgeted Report on Education by Ministry of HRD, 2008)
 Funding of H.E.
(Source: Analysis of Budgeted Report on Education by Ministry of
HRD, 2008)
Budgeted Expenditure
 Budgeted Expenditure
• Implications:
– Centre incurs about 85-90% of the
planned expenditure
– States incur 10-15% of planned
expenditure
Comparative Expenditure
 Challenges before H.E.
• Strategic Issues
• Regulatory Issues
• Operational Issues
 Strategic Issues
• Knowledge creation & dissemination
• Promoting excellence
• Bridging disconnects
 Knowledge creation &
dissemination
Expected Standards Delivered Results

Create new knowledge •Dismal contribution to research

publications
•Teaching-research dilemma
•Apathy to recognition and rewards
Dissemination of •Curriculum lag overlooking new
knowledge knowledge
•Compromised pedagogy (teacher
training, accountability)
•Technological inputs
 Promoting Excellence
Expected Standards Delivered Results

Promoting excellence •Compromised resources, including

unfair distribution
•Unmanageable numbers
•Allocating resources to non-academic
non-research projects.
•Bureaucratic hurdles
•Populism over-rides drive to
excellence
•Excellence needs to be nurtured &
safeguarded
 Bridging Disconnects
Expected Standards Delivered Results

Fragmenting Academic Disconnect

educational entities •Brahminical effect of IITs and IIMs,
into cubicles • Research Institutes and Universities
Social Disconnect
•Harnessing local knowledge
•Solving local problems
•Populist inclusiveness
 Regulatory Issues
• Multiplicity of regulation (UGC-
AICTE dilemma-ruining the careers)
• Excessive regulation
• Piece-meal approach
• “Inspection Committee Raj”
 Operational Issues
• Financial governance
• Administrative governance
 Financial governance
• 10% contribution 100% interference
• FCs make the service and administrative
rules
• Procedural delays in allocation and
utilisation of the funds
• Inadequacy of funds
• Non-prioritization of expenditure
• No provision for revenue expenditure
 Administrative
governance
• Subversion from within (absolute lack of
strategic vision)
• No administrative reforms in the support
services
• Bureaucratic delays
• Lack of accountability
• Sub-optimal use of ICT and e-governance
• Malpractices in public and private sector
institutions
 Proposed reforms

• The academic functions of all the

professional bodies (regulatory councils),
be subsumed under an apex body for
Higher Education, to be called The
National Commission for Higher Education
and Research (NCHER).
• Restructuring Universities
(Source: Report of ‘The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher
Education, headed by Prof. Yashpal)
 Objectives of NCHER
• Responsible for comprehensive, holistic evolution
of HE sector;
• Strategize and Steer the expansion of higher
education;
• Ensure autonomy of the universities and shield
them from interference by external agencies;
• Acts as a catalyst and also as a conduit to
encourage joint/crossdisciplinary programs
between and amongst Universities and Institutes
• Spearhead continuous reforms and renovation in
the area of higher education;
 Inadequacies of NCHER
Proposal Inadequacy

Dichotomy of •H.E. is in concurrent list

command •Multiplicity of authorities
•Dismal performance of state
universities
•Include H.E. in Union List
Rationale •Does not address to the
specialised needs of disciplines
•Synergies on existing bodies
can be achieved by defining
their purviews
 Inadequacies of NCHER
Proposal Inadequacy

Structure •Top heavy and excessively powerful

•Appointments shall be political and
delayed
•Too big to manage the entire higher
education structure of the country
Autonomy •Possible confusion by delinking
financial autonomy and
administrative autonomy
 Inadequacies of NCHER
Proposal Inadequacy
Funding •No proposal on unified funding of
H.E. institutions

Autonomy to •Colleges need to be trained on

colleges administration of academic matters
and examination system before
being given full autonomy.
 Inadequacies of NCHER
Proposal Inadequacy
National level •Acute disparity among the nation
entry test cannot be unified into one single
entrance test.
•Unique requirements of the
disciplines are not addressed to.
Accreditation •Provision for multiple accreditation
agencies, including non-government
bodies (something like ISO)
Proposals for Restructuring
Universities
• Be freed from control of both government and ‘for-profit’
private agencies in matters of not just academics but also
finance and administration;

• Collectively frame for themselves a transparent set of rules

to guide their regular functioning and submit themselves to
an internationally recognized process of evaluation;

• Foster a culture of independent assertion of ideas, guarding

of institutional prerogatives from external interference,
transparency and accountability for decisions taken.
 UG Classes in campuses
• While the advantages of UG classes in the
campus are well acknowledged, in the
present system, it dilutes the focus on
PG/M.Phil and research.
• Empowering colleges is a better solution
• UG teaching in India cannot be compared
with the UG teaching abroad
 Status quo to active
inertia…..
• All proposals for restructuring
universities are an excellent road-
map
• Can be incorporated within the
existing systems as well, which will
create a change at a much lesser
social and financial cost.
 Status quo to active
inertia…..
• If possible, all universities be made the
central universities to create
homogeneity in the functioning. Local
aspirations can be addressed within their
ambit as well.
• This will reduce political interference and
create a congenial academic atmosphere.
 Status quo to active
inertia…..
• Existing academic bodies (AC, BOS)
within the university can be made
more responsive to the emerging
needs.
• University’s role be redefined from
routine academic administration be
reduced to academic leadership
 To sum up
• Universities and colleges are the
institutions to bring about a change in the
H.E. Hence, they should be the focus of
attention
• Include H.E. in the Union List and unify all
the funding and administration
• Nurture and sustain excellence instead of
diluting them
Lets all ponder about the issue
concerning all of us……..