Post on 18-Dec-2015
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Higher Education in India: Issues and Concerns
By Poonam Bhushan School of Education IGNOU, Maidan Garhi New Delhi-68
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Table : Number of InstitutionsC: Higher Education Institutions
Type of Institutions Numbers
I. Universities
1. Central Universities 18
2. State Universities 275
3. Institutions established under States Legislature Act
5
4. Institution deemed to be University 96
5. Institutions of National Importance 13
6. Research Institutes 136
Total 543
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Typology of Higher Education Institutions (2004-2005)
Type Ownership Financing No. of Institutions
No. of students
Univ. under the Govt. Public Public 239 1,00,000
Private Universities Private Private 11 10,000
Deemed Universities (aided)
Private or Public
Public 38 40,000
Deemed Universities (unaided)
Private Private 72 60,000
Colleges under the Government
Public Public 4225 2,750,000
Private Colleges (aided) Private Public 5750 3,450,000
2750000Private Colleges (unaided)
Private Private 7650 3,150,000
Foreign Institutions Private Private 150 8,000
Total 18123 10,468,000
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Table 5: Public Expenditures on Higher Education
Year Expenditure on Edn. as % of GDP
Expenditure on Higher Edn.as % of Expenditure on Edn
Expenditure on Higher Edn as % of GDP
1981-1990 3.59 15.6 0.34
1991-2000 3.77 19.3 0.72
2001-02 3.82 17.9 0.69
2002-03 3.80 18.5 0.70
2003-04 3.50 17.8 0.62
2004-05 (RE) 3.68 18.0 0.66
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Students Enrolment by Academic Discipline (2002-2003)S. No.
Faculty Enrolment %age of Total
1. Arts 41,58,606 45.07
2. Science 18,34,493 19.88
3. Commerce/Management 16,60,238 17.99
4. Education 1,32,572 1.43
5. Engineering/Technology 6,92,087 7.50
6. Medicine 3,00,669 3.25
7. Agriculture 55,367 0.60
8. Veterinary Science 14,765 0.16
9. Law 2,98,291 3.23
10. Others 80,745 0.88
Total 92,27,833 100.00
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Table 1 : Enrolment Rate 2004-05Rural, Urban – 2004-05
Total 10.84
Rural 6.74
Urban 19.88
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10.846.74
19.88
0
10
20
Total Rural Urban
ER for Graduate and above 2004-05 (Rural & Urban)
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Enrolment Rate – Male, Female - 2004-05
Male 12.42Female 9.11
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12.42
9.11
0
5
10
15
Male Female
ER- Male, Female - 2004-05
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ER-Social Groups – 2004-05
Social Groups Total
ST 6.57
SC 6.52
OBC 8.77
Others 17.22
Total 10.84
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6.57 6.528.77
17.22
10.84
0
5
10
15
20
ST SC OBC Others Total
ER- Social Groups - 2004-05
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Table : GER by Income Level – 2004-05
Income Level Total
Less than 359.1 1.46
359.11 to 461.14 3.37
461.17 to 587.33 4.88
587.38 to 830.44 9.81
More than 830.5 27.43
Total 10.84
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1.47 3.374.88
9.81
27.43
10.84
0
10
20
30
> 359.1 359.11-461.14
461.1 -587.33
587.38 -830.44
< 830.5 Total
GER for Graduate and above by by Income Level - 2004-05
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University Grants Commission (UGC) The UGC Act, 1956, Ministry of HRD
www.ugc.ac.in
Statutory Mandate
Coordination and determination of standards in higher education and research in the country
Primary Function
Release of grants to universities and colleges
Other Functions
Recognition of Universities and colleges (including eligibility for central grants) specification of degrees; Minimum standards of instruction, common pay scales, common facilities and institutional accreditation through NAAC
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Distance Education Council (DEC) Sec. 25 of IGNOU Act, 1985, Ministry of HRD
www.ignou.ac.in/dec/
Statutory Mandate
Promotion, coordination and determination of standards of the open universities and distance education systems in the country.
Primary Function
Release of grants to open universities and correspondence course institutes
Other Functions
Initiated assessment and accreditation activities
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All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) AICTE Act, 1987, Ministry of HRD,
www.aicte.ernet.in
Statutory Mandate
Planning and coordinated development of technical education in the country
Primary Function
Approval of degree and diploma programs in engineering, architecture, pharmacy and hotel management
Other Functions
Funding for institutional and faculty development, pay scales and qualifications of teachers accreditation through NAAC
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Medical Council of India (MCI) MCI Act, 1953, Ministry of Health,
www.mciindia.org
Statutory Mandate
To establish standards in medical education and to define medical qualifications in India and abroad
Primary Function
Registration of medical practioners and recognition of medical institutions
Other Functions
Eligibility criteria for admissions; exam. for recognition of foreign qualifications for practice in India.
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The Council of Architecture (COA) The Architects Act, 1972,
Ministry of Urban Development, www.coa-india.org
Statutory Mandate
Regulate profession and practice of architects and town planners in India
Primary Function
Registration of architects, maintaining standards of education, recognized qualifications and standards of practice
Other Functions
Maintaining the register of architects and make recommendations with regard to recognition and de-recognition of a qualification.
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Indian Nursing Council (INC) The INC Act, 1947,
Ministry of Health, www.mohfw.nic.in
Statutory Mandate
Uniform standards of training for Nurses
Primary Function
Accepts qualifications awarded by universities within and outside India
Other Functions
Collection and compilation of data relating to nurses, midwives, health visitors.
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Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) RCI Act, 1992,
Ministry of Social Justice, www.rehacouncil.nic.in
Statutory Mandate
Standardize and regulate the training of personnel and professions in the field of rehabilitation and special education.
Primary Function
Recognition of institutions for physiotherapy and related fields.
Other Functions
Registration of professionals, assessment and accreditations; promotion of barrier free environment.
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National Council For Teacher Education (NCTE) NCTE Act, 1993,
www.ncte-in.org
Statutory Mandate
Planned and Coordinated development of the teacher education in the country.
Primary Function
Recognition of teacher education institutions.
Other Functions
Lay down norms and standards
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Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) Not a statutory body, Ministry of
Agriculture, www.icar.org.in
Statutory Mandate
Coordinate agricultural research and education
Primary Function
Coordinate and fund agricultural education and research in 30 state and 1 central and several deemed universities for agriculture.
Other Functions
Accredit agriculture universities, hold joint admission tests.
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Bar Council of India (BCI) The Advocates Act, 1962, Ministry of Law
www.barcouncilofindia.nic.in
Statutory Mandate
Lay down standards of professional conduct and standards of legal education.
Primary Function
Lay down standards of professional conduct and standards of legal education.
Other Functions
Listing of members of bar; listing of foreign universities whose qualifications are approved in India.
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Quality and Quality Assessment
In order to evaluate performance of an institution and bring about a measure of accountability a mechanism of accreditation has been developed by UGC. This is an autonomous council under UGC called National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) with a purpose to carry out periodic assessment of universities and colleges. NAAC has evolved a methodology of assessment which involves self-appraisal by each university/college and an assessment of the performance by an expert committee.
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Contd.
Similarly, for technical education, AICTE has established its own accreditation mechanism for its institutions through the National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
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NAAC
• NAAC has identified the following seven criteria to serve as the basis of assessment procedures: Curricular Aspects Teaching-learning and Evaluation Research, Consultancy and Extension Infrastructure and Learning Resources Student Support and Progression Governance and Leadership Innovative practice
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Higher Education : Some Concerns
• India has significant advantages in the 21st century knowledge race: It has a large higher education sector — the
third largest in the world in student numbers, after China and the United States.
It uses English as a primary language of higher education and research.
It has a long academic tradition. Academic freedom is respected.
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Contd.
• There are a small number of high quality institutions, departments, and centres that can form the basis of quality sector in higher education.
• The fact that the States, rather than the Central Government, exercise major responsibility for higher education creates a rather cumbersome structure, but the system allows for a variety of policies and approaches.
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Large under-funded Institutions
• Large, under-funded, ungovernable institutions
• Politics has intruded into campus life, influencing academic appointments and decisions across levels.
• Under-investment in libraries, information technology, laboratories, and classrooms difficult to provide top-quality instruction or engage in cutting-edge research.
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Faculty Concerns
• Freeze on new appointments• Affects morale in the academic profession. • Lack of accountability means that teaching
and research performance is seldom measured.
• Few incentives to perform. • Bureaucratic inertia hampers change.
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Influence of English
• For an elite section, a stream of English medium schools are run followed by an elite set of colleges.
• Indian languages to be used as medium of instructions have failed to undertake translations on a large scale.
• Sciences, Technology and selective institutions remain firmly anchored to English.
• Society remains divided between the upper classes with takes advantage of English and the lower classes or rural people who have to do with regional language.
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Research and Creativity
• Weak research base• A chain of laboratories outside the university
system has developed causing a diversion of human and material resources to the system of laboratories and institutes.
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Science and Technology
• Institutions like IITs are criticized because : Industry has not tended to profit from the
technological institutions; Their graduates often prefer foreign
employment since the developed countries have a demand for their services and Indian industry has not picked up high technology areas of operation;
The industry itself has relied much more on foreign and imported technology than indigenous efforts to correct its weaknesses.
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Content of education
• Two themes are important : Indigenousness and Relevance.
• The tradition of subservience and inactivity in the methods in institutional discipline as well as in the learning processes are criticized.
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Methods of Teaching
• Large sized classes resulting from expansion, inadequately backed by resources and an external examination system which is easy to negotiate with small amounts of unimaginative work perpetuate in teaching and learning.
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Public Policies and Practices
• The most recent initiative for making Higher Education more inclusive:
• An Act of Parliament which came into force in early January 2007.
Reserves an additional quota of 27% of intake in institutions of higher education maintained by the federal government to marginalized social groups listed in the Constitution as “Backward Castes”.
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Public Policies and Practices
• An Act of Parliament which came into force in early January 2007.
• Decline in Public Budgets• Non-recruitment of Teachers• Cost Recovery
Fees Loans
• Privatisation
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• Decline in Philanthropy• Virtual halt of State-aided private sector• Rapid growth in Self-financing private
sector, leading to diminution of public sector
• Growth in self-financing courses in public universities/colleges.