Written by: Prof?Ashok Verghese and Prof A. Sherine Joy
India is known for its rich socio-economic and cultural diversity. Higher Education Institutions have diversity in terms of their funding, recruitments, student population,?examinations and many other aspects. Higher education has played a vital role in reaching large number of students despite its social hierarchies and monetary constraints. ?Unity in Diversity? has been a distinctive feature of Indian culture. Higher and Technical Education is critical to the building of knowledge economies. India currently produces a solid core of knowledge workers in the field of scientific and technical education but it needs to do more to create a large cadre of educated, agile workers who can adapt and apply their knowledge. Good education in India is seen as a stepping stone to a high flying career.?Indian professionals are considered among the best in the world and are in great demand.
The?Ministry of Human Resource Development?(MHRD) is the regulatory body responsible for the development of?human resources. The ministry is divided into two departments: the?Department of School Education and Literacy, which deals with?primary education?and?literacy?and?the?Department of Higher Education, which deals with?secondary?and?tertiary education.??The regulating organizations under MHRD are the Department of Higher Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA).There are 12 professional Councils, which forms the part of the main players in the Indian Higher Education. .?As of 2011, India has 42?central universities, 275?state universities, 130?deemed universities, 90?private universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, 18,000 colleges and 33?Institutes of National Importance. (Source:?Wikipedia)
The educational structure in India is generally referred to as the Ten + Two + Three (10+2+3) pattern. The first ten years provide undifferentiated general education for all students. The +2 stage, also known as the higher secondary or senior secondary, provides for differentiation into academic and vocational streams and marks the end of school education. In +3 stage, which involves college education, the student attends the college in his chosen field of subject. The higher education also offers 4 years Engineering courses and Medicine. Professional courses in other disciplines like Architecture are offered for five years.???With the growing size and diversity of the higher education sector particularly in terms of courses, management and geographical coverage, it has become necessary to evolve a pragmatic approach on higher education. Since the privatization of the education sector the training programs at the Undergraduate level has been streamlined. 60-80% of graduates are employed by the Industry and the success story is clearly evident in the shift from the past economy to the progressive economy in India.
Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is a statistical measure used by the United Nations to measure education index of a nation. In the context of higher education, it measures the total population of all ages enrolled in different education programs to the total population of the country in the age group of 18-23. The current level of GER in India stands at a figure of 12.4% and is very low compared to world average of 23.2%, 36.5% for developing countries and 45% for developed countries. The Government has set a target of increasing the GER from the present level of 12% to 15% by the end of XI Five Year Plan and to 30% by the year 2020. Various new projects have been taken during XI Five Year Plan to increase the GER. Reliable and comprehensive data-base is an immediate requirement to measure the actual GER and efforts have been taken to improve the GER.
Though India has advanced its position in the global knowledge economy there is a crisis plaguing the Indian Higher Education System. While, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) set up by the Prime Minister calls it a ?quiet crisis?, the Human Resource Minister calls higher education ?a sick child?. Industries routinely point towards huge skill shortages and are of the opinion that growth momentum may not be sustained unless the problem of skill shortages is addressed. There appears to be endless issues with the Indian higher education system.
Global ratings of Institutions are primarily based on their intellectual capacity (patents, innovative projects, design concepts, research paper and caliber of faculty). The Higher Education System has to cater to the basic graduate level education. The demand for graduates is huge and in turn they will become the primary workforce of the nation. Over the past 3 decades most of the private institutions were focused on generating this manpower. The transition from the Under Graduate training programs into Post Graduation has parallely evolved only over the past decade or so. There was a severe shortage of faculty and researchers primarily due to this reason. Currently the shortage is being gradually met or it is in the process of being achieved. The focus on research and the quality of these programs will take shape over the next decade or so and will be on par with universities across the world. This process will enable the enrichment of the intellectual capacity of the Nation. When this process is achieved India will rise as one of the global academic super powers of the world.
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Faculty Shortage
India has a large higher education sector and is ranked the third largest in the world in student population after China and United States. India educates approximately 10 percent of its young people in higher education compared with more than half in the major industrialized countries.?India?s higher education sector is working with half the teacher strength it actually needs. The first major government assessment of faculty shortage in colleges and universities across the country has thrown up a shocking result of 54 per cent. (The Tribune, August 9, 2011)
The Task Force appointed by the Ministry of HRD and UGC submitted a report on the issue of faculty shortage. The findings of the task force say that at present, there is a shortage of 383,868 faculty in the system. The fall is also expected to increase by 100,000 every year. The findings also prove that the lecture-to-student ratio in the country is 1:20.9 against 1: 13.5 recommended by the UGC (1: 12 for Postgraduate students and 1:15 for Undergraduates)
The government recently allowed institutes to hire expatriate Indians to make up for the shortage in faculty. ?To tide over the faculty shortage, the IITs can appoint NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) and PIOs (Persons of Indian origin) to permanent faculty position. However, foreign nationals can be appointed on contract basis for a fixed tenure of not exceeding five years?, MHRD informed the Parliament. The report by UGC, notes administrative hindrances and delays as major impediments in creating a healthy faculty ratio. It suggests hiring visiting faculty and has proposed measures to reduce the bureaucratic red tape that accompanies appointments, setting up independent faculty recruitment and development cells in every higher education institution. ?The task force has proposed a novel scheme of inducting young men and women in the academic profession while they are pursuing their academic career?, the Ministry said. The task force also recommended that academics involved in research be given additional financial compensation, along with recognizing outstanding faculty and rewarding them. Industry bodies such as the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are lobbying for the government to allow faculty to be recruited from industry. While industry experts may not have PhDs, they have experience in areas such as business, engineering and technology; industry groups argue.
Hindustan University, just like other established private Universities has issues with experienced and senior faculty shortages in core disciplines such as Computing Sciences, Aeronautical, Aerospace, Marine, Architecture, Automobile & Electronics only.??Other Departments do not have any shortages. These select areas are the ones, which have been neglected in some way or the other by the authorities.
Faculty Enrolment Process (FEP) has been initiated by the authorities to solve the issue. Over the next ten years the target of the required staff will be met. The critical mass of the Post Graduates has to be available for the Institutions to recruit for the faculty positions. The Government has stipulated that only those who have completed Post Graduation should teach. Only the Private institutions can provide such quantities of faculty and in such short span.
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The present state of Higher Education Policy ? Pros and Cons
- Education Bills
Mr. Pranab Mukherjee,?Finance minister, presented the Union Budget for the year 2012-13 on Friday, 16th?March 2012 with reference to the state of the global economy and its impact on India. The Budget seems positive for the education sector, with good amounts allocated to higher education and school education exempted from service tax. B Muthuraman, President, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in his response to the Budget for the education sector, said, ?We are not too unhappy with the Budget. It is a positive Budget in terms of the focus and allocations made to higher education and the skill development programme.??Dilip Chenoy, CEO and MD, National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), too feels the Budget has come out positive for the education sector.?It is a rather positive budget as enhanced allocations have been made to the higher education, skills and vocational training. Besides it is a welcome move that school education has been exempted from service tax. Besides, the focus given on specific points such as the mid-day meals and the RTE makes it seem rather good,? he added.?(Times Of India, March 17, 2012).
It is sad to note that there is a setback in the Government with regard to Passing of Education Bills. As many as 14 Education Bills were stalled in Parliament House, India. Union Minister, Kapil Sibal is desperate and keen to push through some of his promised education reforms. ?National Commission of Higher Education and Research?(NCHER) Bill is one among the 14 bills stalled in the Parliament. (Mail Today, March 26, 2012).?Accreditation Agencies should be disconnected from the Government (the reason for pending bills in the House of Parliament).?Driven by productivity enhancement and infrastructure development, India is expected to outpace Asian dragon China and become the fastest growing economy in the next four years, ICICI Bank said in a report. India is expected to grow at an average of 9.4 per cent in this decade and will outpace China by 2015, becoming the fastest growing economy,? ICICI Bank said in a report titled The India Book: Growth Opportunities and Challenges.
- Brain Drain
In a recently concluded 1st?World Summit on Accreditation held at New Delhi a senior official of MHRD announced that students graduating from prestigious institutions such as IIT?s and IIM?s of our nation have resulted in an enormous loss to the Nation as there is a brain drain and their students are lost forever.??The economic revolution witnessed today in India is primarily the contribution of the private institutions spread across our country. The foot soldiers employed in all the IT companies are from these private institutions and the nation should be thankful for their contribution.
How to stop Brain Drain?
Since a large number of students go abroad for their higher education, it is sensible to allow foreign universities to set up their campuses here, in India. This would help in arresting the outflow of monetary and human capital. Further, foreign higher educational institutes would create competition with the local institutes making them internationally competitive. Also FDI in education would create new institutes and infrastructure and generate employment.
The Government should allow foreign universities to invest in the education sector but under strict regulations. It should shortlist the preferred universities for investment and then invite them to set campus in India. Low grade universities should not be allowed entry in the country. Moreover the government should provide incentives to foreign universities to establish institutes in areas of research and academics, which is much needed in the Country.
Proposals for the future of Indian Higher Education
- NCHER- The role of accreditation agencies can play very significant role for supporting the cause of global economy. The Washington Accord was signed in 1989 and it is an international agreement among bodies? responsible accrediting engineering degree programs. Over the years the number of signatories increased to 14 with inclusion of Turkey in 2011. NBA ? India which is a provisional member of Washington Accord, should get the status of full signatory.
- Converting 500 existing colleges into Universities
- The Government must provide funds to the private institutions for research and development.
- Relaxing the norms for restrictions on the cap on Tuition fees to be collected by the recognized and reputed private institutions.
- The government needs to act with strictness and discretion in development of higher education by penalising universities that do not meet the stipulated standards & are involved in dilution of standards, unethical practices and excessive commercialization of education.
- A thorough audit of all Government Institutions by international agencies should be executed immediately. Government Institutions are not subject to independent agency scrutiny & evaluations as of now.
- Flexible grading credit based education with the option to transfer between institutions and/or opt for more than a course at a time and multiple specializations across the branches depending on the intellectual capacity.
- Vocational education, Industrial Training Institute (ITI) is a total failure in India resulting in severe shortage of trained manpower in various trades.
- Special incentives such as tax rebates to individuals, organizations corporates that contribute to the growth of the educational institution.
- Shifting teaching methodology in institutions from Teaching-Centric to Learning-Centric.
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Conclusion:
India being a vast country with a population above 1 billion, the quantitative expansion of education is of paramount importance. Along with the necessary and inevitable expansion of higher education, it is equally important to improve its? quality. Institutions of higher education would find it difficult to meet the challenges of globalization if it fails to deliver and maintain excellent educational and infrastructural standards.
Emphasis on quality parameters becomes necessary with the opening up of the Indian economy. The Government is laying much importance on Accreditation in Institutions and it has sent the right and positive signals to all the stakeholders.
The postcolonial educational system in our country has still not matured as much as the developed countries. Corruption rules the roost in almost every area and it has to be uprooted from the entire education system, if India needs to compete at global level. The bitter truth is that, none of the Indian Universities, features in the world?s top 300 universities and research institutes in the recent surveys is a testimony of the corruption in the education system and the failure to address the lacunae.
There is a intrinsic issue which has to be addressed & creation of more Government Institutions is not going to solve these burning issues.
The impetus provided by the private educational sector has beyond doubt established India as one amongst the developing nations and will propel India into a Developed one very soon. This can be achieved sooner with the proactive participation of the Government rather than a reactive one. The Higher Education Sector will play a crucial role in developing Indiainto a manufacturing hub capable of competing with?the global giants and with products worthy of the highest qualities.
India had the most world famous Nalanda University, the cradle for higher education many decades ago, today all that remains are ruins but India is on a path which will recreate the lost glory of Nalanda, not in a single state but throughout the entire Nation.
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Ashok Verghese????? A. Sherine Joy
Director??????????????????? Asst. Prof. English
Hindustan University
About Hindustan University
Hindustan Group of Institutions (HGI) was founded in 1968 by the?Founder Chairman, Late Dr. K.C.G. Verghese with a vision,
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?To Make Every Man a Success and No Man a Failure?.
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The institution is steered forward upholding the lofty ideals, vision and mission of the Founder by Dr. Elizabeth Verghese, Chancellor of the Group. Today Hindustan includes several institutions imparting quality education in the field of Engineering Aviation, Applied Sciences, Management and more.??Hindustan University is one of the prestigious institutions of the HGI and was founded in the year 1985. It has completed 25 years of academic excellence and strives forward to etch an indelible mark at the global level.Hindustan University has been ranked one of the top institutions in India by the MHRD.
More than 50 specialized Professional Degree and research programs are offered in its vast & beautiful Bay Range campus. The teaching fraternity is highly qualified and experienced in respective fields. The University has entered into MoU?s with leading institutions such as Cranfield Defence Academy (U.K.), Dongguk University (South Korea), Marine Institute of Technology (Canada) for various exchange and research programs. The prestigious B School Leadership Award was bestowed to Hindustan University by Star News in recognition of the innovative, modern & industry curriculum in Marketing, Advertising and Communications.
Students of Aerospace Engineering have been invited by the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) & the NASA Planetary Society, USA for their achievements. Hindustan is one among the eight institutions from India selected at the International Forum for Design and Development of the Formula (FSAE) car to participate in the Formula competition (Italy & U.K.).
The achievements of the faculty and students are par excellence and speak volumes of the quality and innovative capabilities of our youth.
Today the Hindustan Group of Institution has more than 15,000 students from all over the world and more than 2000 faculty and support staff.
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