Quality Higher Education- Missing Roles

Few disagree today, that the next big fortune lies with India - atleast   several World Institutions, top foreign consultancy firms and a number of Economists and Management expert accept this.  The bright, hardworking human capital of the country is going to change the history of World. With Indian managers and consultants holding higher position in  investment banks,  the abundance of Indian computer scientists sighted in Silicon Valley , IIT-trained engineers working all over the world,  and Obama’s  warning to American students  that soon Indians will  dethrone  US from its present position and that US is facing stiff competition from Beijing to Banglore,   there seems to be good reason  to  accept the  superiority  of Indian  talents and therefore  to acclaim our higher education system   As many as 12% scientists, 38% doctors, 36% engineers and 40% employees  in NASA in U.S. are Indian. 34% in Microsoft, 28% in IBM, 17% in INTEL and 13%  employees in ZEROX company are  Indians. These figures prove our capability in professional areas for which our higher education sector needs to be appreciated.   On the one hand, India's higher education system is widely acclaimed on the other most of the intellectuals  criticize our higher education system. .  The observations made by  the scientist CNR Rao, the sociologist Andre Beteille and, , Mr Narayana Murthy of Infosys, who is also chairman of the board of directors of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, expressing serious concern   about India's faltering higher education system,  and our own experience  compel  to   accept the poor quality of  education  in the country in general.1. There are pockets-  island of quality in vast ocean of  mediocrity & sub standard institutions.  Most  of our higher  educational institutions failing miserably in one of their principal goals i.e., helping students in understanding what is learnt , relating it to the world outside the classroom and to thinking critically.
Despite all our hype of a knowledge superpower, we lag behind all global majors in practically every key area of scientific and technical education. We rank 56th in the world in terms of patents granted per million capita, 91st in the world in terms of gross tertiary enrolment, 27th in the world in terms of research spending, 55th in the world in terms of quality of math and science education,  According to  Times Higher Education World University rankings  2007,  not a single Indian institutions featured in the top 200 of the 26 Asian  Universities in the list. Japan had 11  and Chjina 6. Hong Kong with less than half the population of Mumbai had 4 Universities in the top 200.  A recent evaluation of universities and research institutes all over the world, conducted by a Shanghai university, has not a single Indian university in the world's top 300 - China has six.  The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, comes in somewhere in the top 400 and IIT 2.
Various bodies and Missions are trying to say that  along with 8% growth of the economy can generate employment opportunities for about 30 million people whereas skill development facilities are meagre. Every year 12.8 million people are being added to our work force however skill development and vocational training capacities are woefully low. 8% of unemployed are degree holders.  The resultant labour productivity at less than $6 per hour per person, in our country is awfully low. In Mexico this figure is $20.  Moreover we must remember we need something more than skill development since skill development Is not an end in itself but a means to the capability to earn. 

Director, Bansal MBA College, Bhopal.
 About 7% to 8% of the youth who finish the 10+2 stage (pre-university) enter the 17,963 colleges of India and claim to have achieved higher education. However, higher education does not mean simply obtaining a post graduate degree or so, it must  result in some contribution to society. Every body talks of scientific approach and recommends for science education   however  our contribution in the area is insignificant both in quality and quantity  particularly  when compared with  other countries and particularly China whose achievements are notable during the same period.  Recently it has been highlighted that only 5% of engineers are employable.
WHY THIS What To Do
Who are responsible for this pitiable state of affairs?   The answer is obvious – perhaps all stakeholders are to be held responsible for this since none performed his role in the desired spirit.
1.    Higher Education System: The State Planning apparatus of China has developed higher education impressively and  China is capable of bringing radical  and sometimes unpredictable policy shifts whereas India  has constantly busy in debating new directions,  conceptualizing  idealistic  changes without having clarity  of  modus operandi, practicability and feasibility. The result is half baked distorted policies are introduced on the name of reforms causing more harm than cure to problems. With the change of Minister in charge, policies are changed based on the superficial ideas of the person. The Committees are appointed but the report is hardly implemented in the spirit. The fate of Yashpal Committee is a good example of this.  India did not take advantage of its past and rich indigenous intellectual  and academic achievements. Everybody is praising and trying to clone the western system without realizing  the  ground realities and its impact on society.
Although immediately after independence our political masters realized the importance of expansion, broader access and quality  of higher education , the focus was shifted from quality to quantity, academics to politics, and knowledge to degree. The country adopted the British system of education prevailing in India where Universities are acting mainly as examining bodies rather than imparting quality education. Today more than 90% teaching takes place in  affiliated colleges which are controlled and regulated by the Universities. The colleges have little autonomy even so called Autonomous colleges are not autonomous in any sense. The top down approach although criticized often yet practiced widely without change.  It is argued that the rigidity of Indian academic institutions are to be blamed for the deterioration of standards. The increasingly bureaucratic nature of universities which on their turn are also governed by the regulation of bodies like UGC/AICTE and Ministry of Education of both Centre and State., is largely responsible for erosion of quality.
2.    Society & its ideology: Whatever we may claim that Indian values are of very high order and material wealth has been un important  however now everyone is after money. For the same reason There's a strong bias towards commerce and science or professional degrees among Indians since there is quick money. . Social Sciences are seen as absolutely the last choice, with parents literally forcing children away from say a degree in Literature.. After all society needs good journalists, social workers, psychologists, social science teachers, economists  not just engineers, managers and lawyers. In their race towards practical and commercial achievement, the higher education system as a whole does not promote "pure" research as much as it should. This is definitely a loss as Indians have critical minds and a strong intellectual tradition.  We must remember that  we could not come out an alternative to Dunkel Draft  and we had to accept those proposals  of WTO which are unfavourable to us. There should be some parity between various disciplines in terms of  monetary and non monetary rewards. Growth of private institutions is taking place in a big way within a rigid framework of regulations and controls resulting into corruption, non responsiveness to market signals, profiteering, inadequate competition, and a raw deal to the students.  The quality of education has suffered to a greater extent. There should be constant change in education since non functional theories are to be trashed and new data and information is used for new theories.  Kiran Karnik 3. observed that education is about questions, not just answers, about enquiry and not dogma.  To become a global knowledge power for India, it requires a world class education system to make youth a educated asset. Research is to be promoted and encouraged  through real talented person having attitude for it , forgetting the equality etc .

Our   higher education is caught in the vicious circle of ideological commitment oscillating between half-baked socialism and half-baked capitalism, with the benefits of neither. Higher education policy is being driven, less by a clear ideological vision or class interest than by the state’s own interest (or perhaps its own ideological whims). Indeed, the surprising constancy in education policy and expenditures across time periods reinforces that it is not responsive to an overtly demand-driven calculus. Much of what goes in the name of education policy is a product of the one overriding commitment of the education bureaucracy.  Officially there is an enormous reluctance to see education as an industry or business. Private institutions exceptionally may be established as philanthropy whereas others must be allowed to operate   as a business and a regulatory body like TRAI  should be constituted.
3.    Planning  & Regulatory Bodies: There are a number of sectors  e.g.,  Real Estate, Aviation,  advertising,  BPO,  Media, etc. which are facing shortage of  qualified  persons , particularly of  civil and mechanical engineers,  architects, designers,  analytics,  middle level managers, financial experts, chartered accountants,  business intelligence  personnel,  etc.,. There are two problems , first, there is paucity of certain category of  professionals. In absence of manpower planning at higher level, educational institutions are providing stereotype courses over the years  and the regulatory bodies like AICTE neither provide guidance nor allow to open any novel programme. Since economy is moving fast and new types and categories of qualified personnel are required . This results in un and under employment of even qualified persons since they do not  match with the requirements of the sector. Secondly, because of dearth of qualified teachers, lack of proper infrastructure and absence of vision, the quality of education suffers. If private institutions are allowed to operate and  compete with each other, they should be given freedom to introduce any course which they deem fit. There is no reason to  allow plethora of institutions in one type of course ( resulting into wastage of national resources because of  under utilization of capacity ) and restricting nature and type of courses.
As has been recommended by Yashpal Committeethe UGC and AICTE should be wound immediately and a new body be created whose role should be providing support and guidance for quality. It should conduct and make public the rating of every institution every year.  The institutions furnishing wrong information be punished severely. It must be remember that private institutions are not running now as philanthropy but it is a business for profit. A reasonable profit should be allowed but they must ensure  of running institution as a real business. Profit will work as motivation for providing quality education.
There should be differential treatment of institutions with regard to grants, support and other issues. Most countries are switching over to the system of special salaries and research budgets for “star” researchers and professors identified through an objective criteria.. US, UK and China and many others have adopted this system.
4.    Midset: Since “Life long jobs have been converted in to yearly contracts there is still possibility of even short duration jobs. Our education system should deliver such education and training so that professionals can adjust themselves as per market expectations. It has underlined the need for reforms in the educational system with particular reference to the wider utilization of information technology, giving productivity dimension to education and emphasis on its research and development activities.
5.    Political Considerations:  All students are not endowed with same intellect, aptitude and liking for the subject and learning. We need to break away from the mindset of having one uniform standard for all.  Everyone is to be provided equal opportunity but not treated equally. Instead of equality we should try for equity. In absence of this our policy is to treat all institutions equal in terms of rules, procedure and support resulting into making them of an average mediocrity level. Even bright students are turned into a mediocre and quality is sacrificed. Most of the developed countries including China have adopted “star system” where finance, salary, facilities, and support etc. are matching with productivity. Amartys Sen suggested the government to allow pockets of excellence to emerge and promote research.
The concept of  mass education ,Alvin Toffler 4.. observes , has  been built   on the  factory model of Industrial Age to teach basic reading, writing and arithmetic, a bit of history and other subjects  as a part of  overt curriculum  whereas  the covertly it  teaches three things- punctuality, obedience and repetitive work - to produce reliable, productive factory  workers. To a greater extent it appears true but today these capabilities are not adequate.
6.    Parents and Students: Illiteracy, ignorance, misguidance and absence of ambition among large number of parents as well as students are leading to adoption of short cuts  like face certificates, bunking classes, copying and other malpractices resulting into total casualty to  quality of education . A massive awareness program is to be launched on the lines of Sarva Shikha Abhiyan.
7.    Teachers & Publishers: Guides, notes etc. are equally responsible for poor quality of education since teachers also use then instead of developing their knowledge and skill. Teaching must be accepted as a service to nation and publishers should kept restraint on their profiteering.
The routine staff development programmes should be abandoned and  rigorous education and training be provided to make teachers qualified for the quality education. The syllabus, teaching method, teachers qualifications, teaching material , etc. should have flexibility and need to be changed as per needs and changing environment. 
The problem is multi dimensional and therefore solution too, however some of the issues need immediate attention .In the era of globalisation, India  can become a world’s  competitive education centre, for which a few selected Universities be built.  Even charging a high fee in terms of Re. a foreign student will find it cheaper from other developed countries. The building of such excellence centre of education as the essential infrastructure ,  is the urgent need of the country and investment in it will be rewarding in all respects.  We need  more and even better  quality education of Nalandas and Takshilas., however the present scenario suggest that it is still a distant and ambitious goal.
8.    References
1.    Various News columns in The Economic Times on different dates.
2.    http://www.epfl.ch/soc/etudes/pdf/world-rankings 08
3.    The Economic Times, 4.6.2009 Delhi.
4.    Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave 1980