Relevance: GS Paper II
Since Independence, the challenges of building a mass higher education system with inadequate government funding has meant poor quality, increasing privatization and politicization. Excellence is possible, as the IITs and IIMs show, although it is limited to a tiny segment of a system that enrolls 35 million students. In the past several years, there are indications that things are changing, at least at the Central government level and at the top of the higher education system. Towards innovation
The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)
- The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), implemented in 2016, is India’s first government-supported ranking of colleges and universities.
- It may in the future guide government financial support for higher education.
- It also provides the basis for differentiating among colleges and universities, and forces participating institutions to submit data on critical areas, permitting government to make key decisions.
Institutions of Eminence (IoE) project and the Graded Autonomy project
- Two additional initiatives build on the idea of creating elite, globally competitive world-class universities in India are: the Institutions of Eminence (IoE) project and the Graded Autonomy project.
- The IoE project will recognize 20 universities, 10 public and 10 private, and provide significant government funds to the public institutions (no extra money to the privates) and give enhanced autonomy for them. It is similar to many of the “excellence initiatives” common worldwide in providing extra funding in return for innovative ideas to the winners. The Graded
- Autonomy program provides considerable freedom for academic, financial and administrative innovation to the colleges and universities participating. Given the often stifling bureaucracy of higher education, it will be a significant stimulus for innovation. Both public and private institutions are involved.
- The Graded Autonomy program makes it easier to hire international faculty, traditionally very difficult to do.
The new Study in India initiative
- The new Study in India initiative seeks to attract international students mainly from a group of African and Asian countries, and is aimed at doubling India’s tiny share of global student mobility from 1% to 2%.
- India is moving towards signing a pact on mutual recognition of academic qualifications with 30 countries.
Challenges
- Upgrading 20 or more Indian universities to world-class quality will be complex.
- It will also take time and consistent funding, probably at a scale beyond what is envisaged in current plans.
- Further, greatly increased autonomy will be needed — and freedom from the bureaucratic shackles of government is not easy to attain.
- India has shown academic innovations over the years, but on a limited scale and never in the comprehensive universities.
- Internationalization is central to academic success in the 21st century — and India has been notably weak. The inability in recent years to pass legislation relating to foreign branch campuses and other relationships with overseas universities is an indication of the problem.
Way forward
- Just as important as autonomy are innovative ideas from the top universities themselves, of which there has been little evidence. Releasing the imagination of Indian professors is necessary. Ensuring that universities have imaginative leadership is also a key necessity.
- Carefully studying what has worked abroad may also provide useful ideas.
- The national ranking initiative needs to be extended throughout the higher education system and requires simplification.
- Overly complex arrangements must not get in the way of practical solutions.
- The Study in India initiative and proposals relating to relationships between Indian and foreign institutions are useful beginnings. But more thinking must go into these ideas. For example, it is not enough to focus on Asia and Africa and full degree programs. Students and post-docs from Western countries for shorter-term study are necessary to provide new ideas.
Conclusion
India has the advantage of using English as the main language of higher education. Are Indian universities finally awakening to the challenges of the 21st century? At least several innovative programs, backed by government, are in the works. Implementing them effectively remains the key challenge.
