The status of Higher Education in India is not something that we can be proud of. Apart from a handful of Institutions (IITs,IIMs,IISc) which have some equity, our other Universities, in the Central, State and Private sectors are pretty poor. And these top institutions cater to under 1% of the enrolled students all over India.
We have 803 Universities, 39000 plus colleges and some stand alone institutions. We have about 34 million students enrolled in these HE institutes. We have about 28 colleges for every lakh of eligible (18-23 yrs) population. Our PTR (Pupil to Teacher Ratio) is 21- which in itself is not bad-till we find that more than 67% of our HE faculty is in the category of Lecturer/Asst. Professor. So what? Some States give Asst. Professor status to teachers with just 1 year experience. Hence, it is apparent that the teaching experience of our faculty would be low.
We are pretty poor in all indices in the education system when compared to Asian countries such as China, HK, Singapore, Korea or with BRICS Countries. To give an example:
GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) is a measure of the number of young, in the age between 18-23 years, who are enrolled in HE institutes. India's GER is at ~24.5% - meaning that about 33 million youth are enrolled in HE from the total population of 134 million young between the ages 18-23 years. i am not going to give the GER of other countries for fear of depressing BHPians, but shall mention two facts:
- Most 'Developed' Countries boast of a GER upwards of 80%.
- China's GER was half of India's in 1960. It is now double of India. Absolutely depressing.
There are international ranking agencies which rank institutes of HE (Universities) such as Times Higher Education tanking or the Shanghai Jio Tong ranking (Also called the Academic Ranking of World Universities). Webometrics of Spain and QS are other agencies. India has recently (last year) launched NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework).
The world's top 10 is as under:
Source: Times Rankings
Asia's top 10 is as under:
- National university of Singapore
- Peking University
- Tsinghua University, China
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- University of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- University of Tokyo
- Korea advanced institute of Science and Technology
- Seoul National University
- Pohang University of Science and Technology, South korea.
Source: Times Rankings
Not even one Indian Institute figures in the top 10 of Asia! In fact, we don't come in the top 25 too! IISc comes at #27 and IIT, Mumbai at #42. (I must clarify here that these ranks are for Universities and stand alone institutions which do not award a degree, are not considered (Hence IIMs are out).
Source: Times Ranking
In the World rankings, IISc comes between 201-250 rank; IIT-Mumbai at between 351-400 rank with IIT-Delhi at 401-500 rank. Horrors!
So what ails our higher education system? Why is that Institutions such as IISc, BHU, AMU, JNU, IITs, AIIMSs which were conceptualised with great vision and created with committed people have not come to the World Class status that HE Institutions in other countries have been able to achieve? On the contrary, they seem to be slipping in stature.
GER is one indicator that has been shown. It is estimated that if we have to improve our GER to 40%, we would require to double the number of education institutions that we have at present. And the allocation for Education in our Budget is a pittance! If we don't get our act together, we shall miss the Bus. If India has to grow to become a world power, albeit modest, then education of our sizeable mass of youth is mandatory. No question about it.
But along with Quantity, we must also have Quality. It is estimated that at present only 24% of our fresh graduates have 'employability' skills. And these are charitable figures. Employability skills are defined as Communication skills, Teamwork, Analytical & problem solving skills, Personal management, Inter personnel skills, computer/technical literacy, leadership/management skills, and above all Strong work values including personal integrity.
And India was once the focal point of Education with likes of Takshila University and Nalanda University- where students and scholars came from many countries to study! What has happened?
Well, there are various reasons and there are many who have written about this - desperately trying to make the powers-that-be sit up and take notice about the sorry state of affairs - and more importantly do something about it. While i see a lot of discussion and short term measures, what we require is sustainable, long term policies along with a drastic restructuring of the entire system.
Obviously, Government policy and regulation plays a vital role. We actually have too many regulators each vying for his or her space and encroaching upon others. UGC, AICTE, DCE, Central professional councils (15 of them), State councils, Department of HE, State Education departments..
All of us are stake holders in this business. Some of us are Parents, Students, Employers, Administrating officers and staff, Faculty, Instructors, Suppliers such as High schools & Colleges, Donors, Communities, ranking agencies, JV Partners, Sponsors of research, chairs, education services (Kota!!) and ofcourse Government, regulators and Society at large. Including International.
I am sure we would have representation from all these categories of stake holders in Team-BHP.
So folks;
What ails the Higher Education sector in India?
Could you share your thoughts, experiences, views? No political references please. (We all know their capability
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