Urgent need for reforms in Science and Technology Education - An Agenda for Action

8/9/2019 Urgent need for reforms in Science and Technology Education - An Agenda for Action

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Manifesto for Indias Future

The Indian system of education and research in science and technology is at a

crossroads in some ways, at a point of crisis. Expectations and aspirations of a

nation of 1.25 billion people, especially its children and youth, are rising like never

before. There is growing realisation among all sections of society that quality

education is the key that unlocks the door of opportunities for the new

generation. Yet, the countrys education system is in no position to meet thisrising tide of demand for quality education. Far too many young dreams are dying

at the bottlenecks created by a rigid and unaccountable bureaucratic leadership

that lacks vision and competence. Far too many promises are getting shattered

by a system that is unwilling to empower the large number of educationists who

have the requisite vision and competence.

Our country prides itself in having many educational and research institutions of

excellence, but their number is far too small in comparison to our nationsenormous needs, for the present and the future. Indias education system has

been described as a few pearls in a sea of mediocrity. Only a privileged few, the

Haves, are benefiting from access to quality education, including access to

expensive educational institutions abroad. The rest are forced to make do with

whatever is available, to their massive disappointment. The NATIONAL

KNOWLEDGE COMMISSION commented candidly in 2007: There is a

quiet CRISIS in higher educationin India that runs deep. There is no reason to

believe that the situation has since changed for the better.

The inability of a large section of the formal education system to meet the

expectations of Young India has created many distortions and anomalies that are

there for all to see. A few examples should suffice:

(1) With all the efforts made hitherto, we do not have a single major educational

institution comparable to the best in the world.

(2)The coaching classes for entrance to IITs are making more money than the

central governments combined budget for all IITs.

An appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India

by scientists, educationists and other concerned citizens


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(3)Over 2 lakh mostly well-to-do young Indians are seeking admission in foreign

universities and institutions, spending $5.9 billion each year, which is double

the Indian Governments budget on higher education!

(4)A staggering 50-75 percent engineering graduates and graduates from other

streams are not employable. There is evidence of poor learning outcomes,

especially in mathematics and sciences, in a majority of Indian schools.

(5)State governments are forcing the fees in most science colleges to be kept

very low for all students in the name of affordability, so much so that these

colleges do not have the money to maintain good laboratories and libraries,

essential for quality education. Yet many students spend more on mobile

phones, movies, clothes, shoes and restaurants than on college fees.

The crisis is also visible in Indias large establishment for scientific and

technological research. We are living in an age in which the world is being

decisively reshaped by the tsunamic advances in science and technology. In many

ways India too is being transformed by the power of modern science and

technology. Yet, Indias contribution to the global fund of scientific knowledge

and technological innovations is far less than our potential. Our country is not

producing enough scientific research and its relevant applications to solve the

gigantic challenges we face in all areas of socio-economic development, nationalsecurity and governance. This is primarily due to the uneven quality of science

education, compounded by the bureaucratic governance of the education and

research eco-system in the country.

The Indian science establishment was given a head-start after Independence by

the vision of our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and many others. It

has shown time and again that given adequate funding and encouragement, it can

deliver on stated goals in ways that are the envy of the world. ISROs Mangalyaan

and the GSLV III missions are two recent examples of such achievements. The time

has come now for India to aspire to a position of global leadership in science and

technology. This can only happen if we build a culture of excellence and lifelong

learning among students and teachers in schools, colleges, universities and

research institutions so as to create a world-class knowledge base in science,

technology and innovation. This is absolutely critical for fulfilment of the

governments promise of Sabka Vikas(Development of All).

There are several non-military threats to Indian security: lack of clean drinking

water, a fast degrading environment, lack of education and adequate healthcare


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for its citizens among many others, and we need science and technology to

mitigate these threats. The situation is grave. However, despair is not an option

and doing nothing is also not an option. We have therefore consulted with

hundreds of members of the academic community to bring out this Agenda for

Action, that can help rejuvenate our education system, especially in the areas ofscience and technology.

We depend on our Honourable Prime Ministerto give serious consideration to the

specific goals mentioned in this Agenda for Action. Attainment of these goals

requires a reforms agenda, backed by unwavering political will, with the following

overarching principles:

1) Maximise policy and funding support to higher education in general, and S&T

education and research in particular, with thorough-going governancereforms that eliminate political and bureaucratic interference.

2) Empower dedicated domain experts at all good educational and research

institutions, with full and genuine autonomy combined with accountability, so

that they can unleash their creativity and achieve super-ambitious goals and

targets.

3) Encourage synergy between the financial, physical and human resources of

the central/state governments, business entities and civil society

organisations to contribute to these goals.

4) Set up a review mechanism, where peers could take periodic stock of the

performance of Government funded Central/State institutions. This could also

provide an opportunity for bringing transparency and accountability

regarding the performance of such institutions at appropriate intervals.

We are sure that the Prime Minister has received, and will continue to receive,

many more valuable ideas and suggestions from other quarters. In order to

convert good ideas into an action agenda, we would like to present one concrete

action point for your urgent consideration.

We appeal to the Prime Minister to convene three Retreats on School

Education, Higher Education, and Science & Technology Research with

the participation of eminent scientists, educationists, innovators and

entrepreneurs, from India and abroad. These Retreats will give an

opportunity to make central/state government entities and other stake-


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holders aware of their respective responsibilities to place science,

technology and innovation at the top of our national priorities.

It will be great if the Prime Minister underscores the crucial

importance of science and education in the Independence Day and

Republic Day speeches.

The Honourable Prime Ministerconcluded his inspiring speech at the 102ndIndian

Science Congress in Mumbai on January 3, 2014 with the following words of

reassurance: You will have no better supporter than me. In turn, I seek your

help in transforming India.

We depend on the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narenda Modi, for the

success of this agenda.

Signed (on behalf of all conclave participants and supporters) by:

Bharat Ratna Prof C.N.R Rao, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced

Scientific Research

Prof Gautam Biswas, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Prof K.N. Ganesh, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune

Prof Arun Grover, Panjab University

Dr K. Kasturirangan, Karnataka Knowledge Commission and National

Institute for Advanced Studies

Dr F.C. Kohli, Tata Consultancy Services

Dr R.A. Mashelkar, Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research

Dr Baldev Raj, National Institute for Advanced Studies

Prof T.V. Ramakrishnan, Indian Institute of Science and Benares Hindu

University

Prof Roddam Narasimha, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific

Research

Shri Dharam Vir, Society for Promotion of Science and Technology in India

Prof Spenta Wadia, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences of the

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru

Shri Sudheendra Kulkarni, Observer Research Foundation Mumbai


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AGENDA FOR ACTION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Science provides a verifiable, self-subversive and self-renewing framework for the

creation of knowledge of our world, the understanding of the structure of

knowledge, and the use of knowledge for the betterment of mankind and its

environment. Science education is about imbibing this knowledge and its

framework from childhood. This enables an improved understanding of the world

around and beyond, of our history as a species and its societal implications, and

of our environment for the sustenance of life on earth.

The present era in human history, unlike any other, is characterised by the

revolutionary changes in all walks of life effected by the advances in scientific

knowledge and their applications in an ever widening range of technologies.

These will transform our world even more comprehensively, and at an accelerated

pace, in the future.

In order to shape, and benefit from these changes driven by science and

technology (S&T), India needs a long-term and comprehensive human

resource development strategy anchored in a reformed system of

education. Three compelling reasons necessitate reforms in S&T

education. Firstly, India can neither overcome the gigantic challenges it

faces in socio-economic development, nor convert its enviable

demographic opportunity into prosperity for all, without innovative, large-

scale and universal use of S&T resources. Secondly, a country that is set to

have the largest population in the world within the next couple of decades

must become the net producer of scientific and technological knowledge,and not remain its net importer. Thirdly, science education and scientific

temper are necessary for the refinement of the human mind and for the

evolution of the human race to a higher level, a goal exalted by Indias

hoary civilisation.

Reforms in S&T education should begin in the school system. The focus of

S&T education should shift from rote learning to joyful learning based on

learning by doing, serving and problem-solving. Gifted students, including

those from rural areas and urban slums, should be spotted and providedwith special training. Among other things, this requires at least a five-fold


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increase in the number of Navodaya Schools from 598 at present to

3,000 in the next five years.

Science and engineering education should have curricular components from the

humanities and the arts. World-class ICT infrastructure and digital learning tools

should be made available to all schools, colleges and universities. The acute

shortage of good-quality teachers in rural schools as well as in the higher and

technical education system needs to be addressed in a mission mode. Teacher

selection should be made on merit by phasing out reservations. Students from

poor and socially oppressed sections of society suffer more when teaching quality

is compromised since they cannot progress in todays competitive world.Training

of teachers on a continuous basis should be taken up on a war footing in all

subjects, but especially in sciences and mathematics. Exploitation of non-permanent teaching staff must end. Profiteering by private institutions must be

stopped. However, this should not lead to creating hurdles for good privately run

educational institutions.

Tuition fees should not be capped at unsustainably low levels since

excellence cannot be achieved without adequate funding for

infrastructure and facilities. Poor and needy students should be helped

through adequate number of scholarships, loans, etc.

In higher education and research, pursuit of excellence with equity should

become the guiding principle. India must aim to create at least 10

Universities and Institutions of Global Excellence to be ranked among the

top 100 in the world, along with 100 Universities and Institutions of

National Excellence. At least 500 top-class science colleges should be

supported to become Colleges of Excellence. 100 promising engineering

colleges should be given autonomy and the funding to transform

themselves into IIT-like institutions. Necessary measures should be takento increase the number of PhDs awarded in sciences each year from 6,000

to 30,000, and in engineering from 2,000 to 10,000 over the next 5 years.

The number of Masters degree-holders in engineering, which is only 4% of

undergraduates (as against nearly 50% in USA) must be raised to at least

20% over the next 5-10 years.

Our universities must become learning-promotion centres, instead of

being mainly examination-conducting centres. They should nurture a

strong culture of research linked to national development challenges.

There should be close collaboration between universities, research


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organisations, industry organisations, and government agencies.

Enhancing and ensuring the employability of every adult Indian through

knowledge, skills and entrepreneurship should become the guiding aim of

such linkages. The countrys infrastructure of school, college and

university education should fully support the ambitious National SkillDevelopment Mission. Indias rich and diverse heritage of grassroots

scientific knowledge and technological innovations should be revived,

mainstreamed, promoted and commercialised.

The Government should launch a Study in India Mission, on the lines of

the Make in India Mission, to make India an attractive higher and

professional education destination for foreign students. At least 10-15% of

students and faculty in our leading universities and institutions of higher

learning should be from foreign countries. To promote national

integration, up to half of the students and faculty in our universities and

institutions of higher learning in any state should be from outside the

state.

Achieving the above-mentioned and other ambitious goals necessitates

two urgent tasks. Firstly, radical reforms are needed in governance,

curricula and pedagogy. These reforms should draw from best practices

worldwide. Bureaucratic control and interference of politicians in theappointment of vice chancellors and in the functioning of universities and

colleges must end immediately. Only visionary leaders with a track record

of committed service in the field of education should be appointed as

heads of institutions. All universities, institutions of higher learning and

promising colleges should be given effective appropriate autonomy in

financial, administrative and academic matters. All regulatory bodies

should be reformed suitably to further this objective.

Secondly, India must spend a minimum of 6% of GDP on education and

research, harnessing resources from government, private and

philanthropic sources. All businesses should be incentivised to set aside an

additional 1% of their net profit for education and research.

These are some of the key action items that are discussed in detail in this

document titled Agenda for Action. A list of 35 goals have been identified

collectively by several hundred academics who were consulted for this purpose.


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AGENDA FOR ACTION

A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 10

1. Education for refinement of the mind, for citizenship and for life 10

2. The need for a long-term human resource d evelopment strategy . 11

3. Expectations from the National Policy on Education 2015 ............. 12

4. A flexible and adaptive approach to education delivery ............... 13

5. Generous fu nding support for education and r esearch ................ 14

STRENGTHENING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS 15

6. Promoting learni ng by doing and learning by serving ...................15

7. Flexibility with r egard to curri culum and pedagogy ..................... 16

8. Teacher development and empowerment .................................... 17

9. Student assessment and learning outcomes ................................ 18

10. Language teaching now and in the fu ture ............................... 19

11. St rengthening secondary education ........................................... 20

12. Special programs to identify and educate gifted childr en ........... 20

13. Inspiri ng young minds to take up car eers in science .................... 21

QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION 22

14. Dealing wit h the consequences of the affiliation system ............ 22

15. The challenges of granting autonomy to educational institutions

....................................................................................................... 23

16. Universities a re the fulcrum of excellence in education ............. 24

17. Ten Univers ities of global excellence within a d ecade ................ 25

18. 100 Universities of national excellence within 5 years ................ 26

19. 500 Colleges of excellence ......................................................... 27

GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 28

20. Good governance and efficient administration .......................... 28


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21. Ensuri ng the financial health of institutions ............................... 29

22. Reforming the regulatory system ............................................... 30

RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT OF TEACHERS 31

23. Addres sing facult y short ages in a miss ion mod e ......................... 31

24. Merit s election of faculty by phasin g out reservations ............... 31

25. Pre-service and in-service t raining of facult y ............................. 33

26. Performance evaluation a nd career advancem ent of faculty ...... 33

STRENGTHENING RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 34

27. Creating a larger, more competitiv e, research workforce .......... 35

28. Quality Masters and PhD programmes ...................................... 36

29. Industry-Academia interaction ................................................... 37

USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN

EDUCATION 38

30. World class ICT infrastructure at educational institutions .......... 38

31. Driving the i ntelligent use of ICT in ed ucation ............................ 39

SCIENCE & SOCIETY:

SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE 39

32. Promoting Sanskrit and other Indian languages in order to

reconnect with our past scientific traditions ................................... 39

33. Pr eserving a nd p romoting Indian k nowledge traditions ............. 40

34. Encouraging and empowering women in science and technology

....................................................................................................... 41

35. Ensuring pride of place for scienc e in societ y ............................ 42


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AGENDA ACTIONS AND WAYS TO ACHIEVE THEM

A STRATEGIC APPROACH T O HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Agenda for Action 1: Education for refinement of the mind, forcitizenship and for life

According to Sri Aurobindo, one of modern Indias finest philosophers and thinkers,

Integral education aims at the total and complete development of the individual

a strong supple well-formed and healthy body; a sensitive, unselfish and mature

emotional nature; a positively energetic, vital and enlightened mind; a wide ranging

and vibrant intelligence; a strong will; a balanced and pleasant personality; and the

subtler spiritual qualities that can channelise, harmonise and direct all the different

parts of an individual into a life that is beneficial to the individual and to his fellow

men". India was fortunate to have several leading lights Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar,

Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Maharshi Karve, J.

Krishnamurthi, Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Dr Zakir Husain, to name a few who brought

reform in education.

Why we need this goal: After Independence, the finest minds in the country were

called upon to articulate the policy roadmap for education. The report of the

University Education Commission of 1948 authored by philosopher, statesman andlater, India's President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, is widely considered the most

comprehensive and eloquent document on the subject. Similarly, the Education

Commission Report of 1964-66 authored by the visionary Prof D.S. Kothari, himself

an outstanding scientist, is considered a landmark document in education. The half-

hearted and weak implementation of these and subsequent reports on education is

a subject that has been much written about. It is beyond debate that the current

education system in India is poorly equipped to fulfil the lofty goals of integral

education and has consistently failed to give access to holistic and liberal educationto most students. We can continue to ignore this at our own peril. A hundred years

ago Sri Aurobindo warned of intellectual degeneration when the excessive

cultivation of mere outer knowledge happens at the expense of higher mental

faculties. "Much as we have lost as a nation, we have always preserved our

intellectual alertness, quickness and originality; but even this last gift is threatened by

our university system, and if it goes, it will be the beginning of irretrievable

degradation and final extinction."

Suggestions on how to achieve it: The first step towards reforming the education

system is according prime focus to the larger purpose of education and committing the


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best leadership and resources towards fulfilling these goals. The silo approach to

education must give way to a progressive mind-set that allows greater freedom,

creativity, experimentation, integration of knowledge streams, and innovation at the

level of institutions, to bring out the best in individuals. In the discussion that follows

various aspects of this reform agenda are elaborated. Although the focus here is on

higher education in science and technology areas, these can only be built up on quality

school education so we touch upon both.

Agenda for Action 2: The need for a long-term human resource

development strategy

India needs a long-term human resource development strategy that can bring out

the best in every citizen and also help the country meet its development goals. The

strategy should take into account the unprecedented speed, breadth and depth of

advancement in knowledge of Science and Technology (S&T) around the world.

Why we need this goal: India cannot become a global economic power without

becoming a scientific and technological power.A nation of the size, population and

civilisational antiquity such as ours would be doing grave disservice to itself if it does

not seek to become a leading producer of scientific and technological knowledge.

This will not only enhance our national pride, but is also critical for successfullytackling the challenges of sustainable development facing India and the world.

The success of each and every aspect of Indias physical, social and cultural

development be it Make in India, Digital India, Swachh BharatMission, Education

for All, Health for All, Food Security for All, Electricity for All, and all other ambitious

targets set by the governments at the Centre and in the States depends critically on

having an adequate number of skilled human resources addressing the challenges.

Therefore, the present policies of the Central and State governments, the strategiesfor development, providing solutions to some of the critical issues like water, health,

Science is one of the creative endeavours of the human mind. Science seeks universal andfundamental truths. Science plays a vital role in the advancement of human life and its study

is central to technological progress. Modern societies and nations must be built on scientific

knowledge. A scientific culture and logic must determine the choices and decisions made by

individuals, societies and nations.

- Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Honourable President of India


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environment, energy, national security etc., should be carefully analysed to provide

an estimate of the type and number of professionals and skilled workers needed for

the envisaged goals. This should then be compared with the present and projected

capabilities being produced by our education system. A gap analysis of this kind will

enable us to create a more realistic strategy that can be adopted.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: India must seek to convert the demographic

opportunity to provide trained scientific, technological and skilled manpower to the

world, and transform itself from being a net consumer of scientific and technological

knowledge into a net producer of such knowledge.

The Prime Minister should constitute a high-level committee with a mandate to create

a long-term and comprehensive human resource development strategy for India. It

should comprise visionaries and experts drawn from diverse areas and be chaired by thePM himself. The committee should assess the long-term human resource needs of the

nation in different fields with at least a 20-year perspective and also assess the gap

between supply and requirement. Based on this assessment the committee should

present an ambitious and reform-oriented strategy with clear goals and targets for

State governments, education promotion bodies, industry and other stakeholders. The

urgency of defining and implementing such a strategy in a transparent manner and of

monitoring its progress continuously cannot be overstated.

The new National Policy for Education 2015 being prepared by the Ministry of HumanResource Development (MHRD) should be guided by this strategy.

Agenda for Action 3: Expectations from the National Policy on Education

2015

The new National Policy for Education due in 2015 (NPE2015) should seek to liberalise

education, empower academics, and unleash the creative energies in the education

system.It should create a flexible and diverse system of education in which the onus

for quality is placed in the capable hands of eminent academics and educators. Itmust disempower bureaucracy in so far as it is an obstacle to experimentation and

creativity and a source of undesirable interference in academic institutions.

Why we need this goal: An abundance of young people, driven by aspirational

energy, is the most precious resource that we have in the country today. It is

imperative that we enrich and transform this resource into the currency of the 21st

Century namely, the socio-culturally and ethically developed knowledge worker.

This cannot be achieved unless governments step out of the way, desist from micro-

managing education, and allow all good institutions their managements and faculty


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to take charge of and be responsible for creating a quality educational system that

is the envy of the world.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: Policy and its implementation methodology has

lacked focus and transparency in the past. This has resulted in a rigid and progress-

hindering permissions-based regime in which many of the excellent policies laid down in

the earlier policy documents, National Policy of Education 1968 (NPE1968) and 1986

(NPE1986), have fallen by the wayside . The cornerstone of the new National Policy on

Education should be the elimination of the bureaucratic mind-set in the functioning of

all central ministries, the state governments, and other government institutions that

impact education, such as regulating agencies. It is necessary to focus on creating

nimble, enabling, frameworks for visionary academics to work with. Control and red-

tapism should be replaced by genuine empowerment of dedicated thought and action

leaders in education, at all levels.

The NPE86, modified in 1992 (NPE86-mod92), intended to establish an Indian Education

Service (IES) as an all-India service, in consultation with state governments, for the

proper management of the education system. If the NPE2015 should chose to create

such a service then this should not be another servicethat is part of the bureaucracy

of the government. The IES must consist of committed educationists alone, with a

proven track record of meritorious service. These experts alone should occupy the top

positions in the education field.Government role in education must be confined to funding, regulation, and monitoring.

Agenda for Action 4: A flexible and adaptive approach to education

delivery

The approach to education delivery must be such that it is sufficiently differentiated

to be able to serve the needs of different sections of society even as it remains

focussed on bringing out the best in each individual student.

Why we need this goal:India is a nation of immense social, cultural and occupational

diversities. Historically, all sections of our society have possessed, and contributed to,

knowledge resources of various kinds. However, the present rigidly-designed formal

education system with its uniform paradigm of what constitutes education, how it is

delivered and how it is evaluated, has condemned large sections of our society to the

derogatory category of uneducated or less educated people. This explains the

high levels of dropouts in our system. Indeed, they are not dropouts but push-outs.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:The present one-size-fits-all approach to educationmust be discarded quickly. This is only possible if every educational institution every


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school, college and university is given freedom and flexibility to experiment, explore,

and evolve their own methods and systems, within the overall regulatory framework.

For this, policy must recognise a multiplicity of educational paradigms, delivery

mechanisms and evaluation methods all resting on the common foundation of all-round

individual and national development.

Informal systems of education should be suitably recognised, encouraged and

incentivised. Learning must be based on positive outcomes and the content and

methods of teaching must build in local knowhow local language(s) flora, fauna,

aspects of culture and local requirements up to say 30-40% of curriculum. Most

importantly, teachers must be encouraged to make learning meaningful and fun for

students.

Agenda for Action 5: Generous funding support for education andresearch

India must spend a minimum of 6% of GDP on education and research in order to be

able to achieve the stated goals of providing quality education for inclusive

development and economic prosperity for all.

Why we need this goal:We must recognise the strategic value in this investment and

make it urgently, with a combination of government and non-government resources.

Many countries have spent and are spending well over 6% of their GDPs to build upand maintain their strength in science and technology. In recent decades South Korea

and Israel have spent as much as 8% of GDP for many years in order to achieve a

competitive edge. The benefits of this to their economies and to the overall progress

of these two countries are there for all to see. NPE86-mod92 (and the NPE68 before

that) had committed to stepping up the outlay, during the Eighth Five Year Plan and

onwards, to exceed 6% but this is yet to happen.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:1) The budgets of MHRD and all other ministries and

departments dealing with S&T (Health and Family Welfare, Biotechnology, S&T andEarth sciences, Water Resources, Ocean Development, Agriculture, etc.,) must be

significantly increased. 2) All other ministries must be asked to set aside at least 10% of

their budgets on S&T education, research and outreach. 3) State governments are

currently spending very little on their own on S&T education and research. Their

spending must go up substantially. 4) All industries and businesses large, medium and

small should be incentivised to set aside 1% of their net profit specifically for education

and research each year, in addition to the current policy of earmarking 2% of their net

profit for other CSR activities.


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STRENGTHENING SCIENCE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

There is a shocking observation in the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2014

by Pratham that 50% of Class V students cannot do 2-digit subtraction, meant to be a

learning outcome in Class II. The situation with regard to reading and writing is justas grim. The ASER reports of previous years have reported similar results. The focus

in recent years has been far more on getting kids into school and a lot less on ensuring

learning outcomes. Although Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is now over 93%, the

primary education system is still, to a very large extent, in a pathetic condition. The

first rung in the ladder of mathematics and science education is already very shaky

and the factors contributing to this needs to be fixed.

Agenda for Action 6: Promoting learning by doing and learning by serving

As Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has rightly exhorted, Indias education

system must stop producing robots. For this to happen it is necessary to overhaul

education delivery, particularly of science education in schools, by re-directing the

focus away from studying for exams, towards learning by doing,how to learn,

and for coping with constant change. The same principles must apply also to higher

education.

Why we need this goal:It is rightly said that a student needs about seven years ofgood schooling in order to be able to absorb higher education. Therefore, school

years must be treated as sacrosanct. The school system be it government-run

schools, government-aided or private schools forms the base of the education

pyramid which must be strengthened on a war footing to meet the rising demand for

a strong set of foundational skills upon which further learning builds. As was

underscored by Mahatma Gandhi in his far-sighted Nai Talim concept of education,

the foundation of education is built by harmoniously developing the latent potential

of 3 Hs the head, heart and hand. This entails development of the faculty ofintegrative learning which includes development of moral values and the faculty of

emotions and intuition, free thinking, exploration, asking questions and seeking

answers, and gaining experiential knowledge through learning by doing and

learning by serving.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: 1) Overhaul science curricula in schools to give

primacy to concepts over facts, and to learning and application over memorising; 2)

Make curricula reflect the new and cutting-edge developments in S&T; 3) Change

teaching methods to encourage students to ask questions, explore, search, discover,experiment, create, interact and engage in activity-based and service-based learning


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both individually and in teams; 4) Create infrastructure, facilities and tools (laboratories,

science clubs, science museums, relatively inexpensive equipment/toys/experiments/Do-

It-Yourself/Discover-It-Yourself kits, etc.,) in schools and school-clusters; 5) Improve the

current extremely poor student-teacher ratios, which make it difficult for teachers to

allow students to work with their hands.

Several innovations in science education such as the low-cost Tinkering and Maker Labs

popularised by Shri Arvind Gupta in Pune, and learning methods, tools and systems

developed by Dr Vivek Monteiros Navnirmiti in Mumbai, make learning of mathematics

and science fascinating and accessible. Such tools should be made available in every

school to help students develop interest in the sciences. Similarly, the Introduction to

Basic Technology (IBT) course designed by Vigyan Ashram at Pabal near Pune, which is

currently being conducted in 122 schools in Maharashtra, is an excellent innovation that

deserves to be adopted in many more schools across the country. In this model, students

spend one day a week engaged in hands-on activities that are aligned to their

curriculum. The innovation hubs being set up by the National Council of Science

Museums (NCSM) with their Tod Phod Jodcentres will also help build these capacities.

NCSM should be supported to establish one Science Museum, along with mobile

facilities, in every district in the country.

Agenda for Action 7: Flexibility with regard to curriculum and pedagogy

Curriculum in schools must have the space for teachers to mentor students and to

promote learning by doing and learning by serving activities. As mentioned in

NPE86-mod92, teachers should have the freedom to innovate and to devise

appropriate methods of communication and activities relevant to the needs,

capabilities and the concerns of the community.

Why we need this goal: The curriculum in schools today tends to have too much

content that is remote and unconnected to students local environment. For

example, in Odisha villages that produce world-famous pattachitra paintings, thechildren of such artists learn nothing about this great art in their schools. Similarly, in

Science education must become an integral part of school education; and ultimately some

study of science should become a part of all courses in the humanities and social sciences at

the university stage, even as the teaching of science can be enriched by the inclusion of someelements of the humanities and social sciences.

- Kothari Commission (1964-66)


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districts of Uttar Pradesh that have an amazingly rich tradition in weaving,

metalware, glassware, leatherware, etc., these arts and crafts find no place in the

curricula in local schools. There are tens of thousands of such examples across the

country. Learning outcomes are rarely specified and teachers have very little

freedom, flexibility or (often) capability to go beyond the standard curriculum.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:There needs to be a paradigm shift in which we focus

on maximising learning outcomes; reducing the quantity of inessential material being

taught while strengthening the essential conceptual content; changing the standardised

system of evaluation; and leaving a lot of freedom and flexibility in the hands of the

teachers. Primary and early secondary education must include education about basic

hygiene and health, basic financial literacy, an understanding of government and

society, democracy and citizenship etc., besides skills training. Students must be taught

indispensable life skills at the earliest so that they can stand on their own feet in the

unfortunate event of them having to drop out early. Schools must be encouraged to

introduce best practices from around the country and abroad. For example, learnings

from the successful Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme should be scaled out

with the active cooperation of the state governments.

Agenda for Action 8: Teacher development and empowerment

Teacher development in all subjects but especially in sciences, mathematics and

languages must become a continuous activity, and the priority of governments and

educational institutions.

Why we need this goal:A large number of pre-service training programs (both D.Ed

and B.Ed) in the country do not focus on practice and knowledge-oriented training of

teachers, especially in science and mathematics. In many states, the pre-service

teacher training programs suffer from little or no regulatory oversight and are even

reduced to degrees that can be purchased rather than 'earned'. In-service

professional development of teachers also leaves a lot to be desired in terms ofdeveloping subject-knowledge of teachers and know-how of different teaching-

learning practices as well as advancements in science and technology. Teacher

training today is often not in alignment with the needs of the teacher, the students

and the schools themselves.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: Given the large numbers of teachers that are

employed by state governments, the regulatory framework for pre-service teacher

training colleges (diploma as well as bachelors), should be completely overhauled. The

recent changes proposed, based on Justice Verma Commission Report and Prof Poonam

Batra Committee Report, hold promise if implemented judiciously. The suggested


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changes provide for a much-needed revamp of pre-service teacher education towards

better teacher-readiness, with extended immersions of teacher trainees in schools,

focus on collaboration, projects and interdisciplinary study and research.

The professional development needs of the teachers should be regularly assessed and

need-based training that is project- and practice-oriented should be imparted at periodic

intervals. Teachers' performance with respect to this goal must become a key criterion

for the promotion of teachers, and also for the evaluation, accreditation, and ranking of

the institution.

Communities of teacher educators as well as teachers, including Subject Teacher Forums

should be created and supported, to encourage collaboration and sharing of

information and best practices among teachers, as has been done in Karnataka with the

help of the NGO, IT for Change.

Agenda for Action 9: Student assessment and learning outcomes

Student assessment must focus on testing for critical thinking skills, do-it-yourself

skills and creativity rather than the ability to learn by rote. Students dependence

on external (and expensive) tuitions should be minimised and their learning

outcomes must become the basis for evaluation of teachers.

Why we need this goal:The current standardised evaluation system in schools, based

largely on students writing answers to questions in year-end examinations, is a verypoor way to judge learning outcomes. It puts a premium on memorising answers

rather than on understanding concepts and creative application of those concepts to

gain knowledge and to solve problems. The pressure to do well in exams has made

students dependent on expensive tuition classes, which have distorted the system

even further.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:As discussed as early as in NPE68, examination

should be aimed at helping the student improve his/her level of achievement rather than

certifying the quality of his/her performance. Similarly, the NPE86-mod92 asserts that

examination must be a valid and reliable measure of student development and a

powerful instrument for improving teaching and learning. Yet neither of these goals

have been achieved so far. Schools must be encouraged to realign their evaluation

keeping these goals in mind.

Continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE), which is a key component of the Right to

Education Act (RTE), has of late come in for a lot of criticism leading to a clamour for re-

instating year-end examinations. This would be a mistake. It is necessary to give thisinnovation the necessary time to settle down, to be experimented with and simplified


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as needed. Abolishing the traditional system of examinations for young children is a very

good move which is in alignment with similar practices the world over. Teachers can

then focus on ensuring joyful learning for school children.

Agenda for Action 10: Language teaching now and in the future

There should be a complete rethink with regard to the methods of language

teaching in the country. A new approach that incorporates knowledge of how

children learn languages should be made a part of language education as well as

science education.

Why we need this goal:It is a well-established universal principle of education that

children, in their early years of schooling, learn best when the material is taught to

them in their mother tongue. Since Indians speak many languages and dialects this isvery difficult to ensure for rural and tribal children. However, particular care can be

taken to ensure that children achieve a measure of fluency in the medium of

instruction at their respective schools, at the earliest. Otherwise it is inevitable that

primary and secondary school students will find it difficult to learn mathematics and

science.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:Indias linguistic pluralism, and the rapidly growing

demand for education in English, can both be turned into an advantage. Schools must

aim to make children completely bi-lingual or even tri-lingual. This can be done byreviewing our methods of teaching languages in schools today, and correcting the

lacunae. Some of the deficiencies that must be corrected include: 1) excessive focus on

grammar and on writing skills over the ability to speak fluently, 2) using text books that

contain highly literary language and phraseology, and 3) well trained teachers who can

teach students to be fluent in the language that is the medium of instruction, quickly.

The poor quality of text books and the paucity of reading material in non-English

languages, adds to the difficulty of teachers as well as students.

Children are able to learn to speak multiple languages quite easily, and this fact has been

used effectively by many European countries. Expertise on this topic is available both

within India as well as internationally, and must be tapped. Simultaneously, all-out

efforts should be made to improve the quality of science teaching in the Indian

languages. This requires major improvements in the quality of science text books in

schools, making attractive non-curricular books and teaching aids on various science

subjects available in non-English languages, and encouraging the non-English mass

media to popularise science among children and general population.


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Agenda for Action 11: Strengthening secondary education

Navodaya schools, which are fully residential and co-educational schools for

classes VI to XII, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have

done extremely well in their goal of reaching out to gifted students from rural India.

There should be a five-fold increase in the number of Navodaya schools in the next

five years. Similar residential schools that offer peer learning opportunities to

students can also be created for post-primary education in vocational streams.

Why we need this goal:The concept of Navodaya Vidyalayas can be leveraged not

just for gifted children, to give them a CBSE education, but also for all rural children.

Residential schools with relatively large enrolment are better placed to give students

appropriate combinations of traditional and skills based education.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:MHRD which runs the Navodaya Schools through anautonomous organisation, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), should aim to achieve

a five-fold increase in their number from 598 at present to 3,000 in the next five years.

Reputed philanthropic trusts with a good track record in education should be

encouraged to set up new schools as per the norms established by NVS. The NPE68

envisaged that, for strengthening secondary education, technical and vocational

education be suitably diversified to cover a large number of fields such as agriculture,

industry, trade and commerce, medicine and public health, and much more. This goal,

which has not yet been achieved, is best pursued by creating residential schools for the

purpose, similar to the Navodaya Vidyalayas, to leverage opportunities for peer learning

among students and to give them an environment where they can focus on their studies.

Agenda for Action 12: Special programs to identify and educate gifted

children

In order to create top-notch scientists, innovators and engineers, it is critical to run

a systematic programme to identify students who are gifted in mathematics and

science very early in schools, and to give them advanced training and opportunities

to learn from practitioners all through their education.

Why we need this goal:The concept of grooming gifted children for their fast-track

development in science, mathematics and innovation is neither elitist nor

discriminatory. All children are gifted in some way or the other. Many countries

around the world Israel, United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, to

name a few have programmes for training gifted children, which accounts for their

pre-eminent strength in basic sciences, mathematics and engineering.


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Suggestions on how to achieve it:There are several national and global initiatives that

can be considered here. The concept of Magnet schools with special curricular focus on

special themes (common themes are mathematics and science but also include the arts

or vocational career paths) prevalent in the US where gifted children can follow a more

advanced curriculum and have special teachers in science/mathematics is one such.Teachers must be trained to identify such children and work with them. Similarly,

existing initiatives in India such as the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) meant

to attract exceptionally motivated and gifted students for pursuing careers in science,

must be scaled up, rather than being wound down, by providing them with generous

funding support. The KVPY must also be supplemented with similar schemes by state

governments. Programmes such as Promoting the Development of Indias Gifted

Young (PRODIGY) anchored at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) that bring

together researchers, educators, policymakers, parents, and other stakeholders toaddress the challenge of gifted education should also be given more impetus. More

opportunities for gifted students to interact with scientists and innovators, and to

spend their summers in colleges, universities, research institutions and industries.

MHRDs newly unveiled Ishaan Vikaas programme for the benefit of talented students

from the North-East is a good idea. It should be replicated for similarly under-developed

and under-served regions in the country.

Agenda for Action 13: Inspiring young minds to take up careers in scienceYoung students need to be inspired and motivated to become scientists and

engineers. Presently we are losing them in the early years of schooling simply

because these subjects are taught poorly and become difficult for them. A related

goal is to reverse negative perceptions regarding the poor viability of careers in

science and engineering.

Why we need this goal:The inspirational power of curiosity, imagination, exploration

and discovery can hardly be underestimated. They are the building blocks of creativity

and new knowledge generation, and consequently of national progress. It is crucial

to keep young students engaged with practitioners in science and to motivate them

to become scientists and engineers working at the cutting edge of knowledge to

solve problems and to produce discoveries and innovations.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: Reforms in curricula, teaching methods and

evaluation of students will be key to achieving this goal. Inspiring young minds to take

up careers in science must be one of the stated outcomes of our education system and

considerable effort must be put into achieving it. Inspiring life stories of great scientists,innovators and engineers should be made available to young students in audio-visual


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formats in as many regional languages as possible. Programmes that promote

interaction between practising scientists and engineers, and students and their faculty

at schools and colleges are absolutely necessary. Programmes that are already running

successfully should be expanded in scope and initiated at many more locations. The

central and state governments should start a creative and sustained awarenesscampaign in the mass media to motivate bright young students to choose careers in

scientific research and technological innovation.

QUALITY HIGHER EDUCATION

Unlike the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Science Education and

Research (IISER), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), and other institutes of

education and research in science and engineering that are run by the centralgovernment, state universities and their affiliated colleges have been funded at very

modest levels and are subject to much higher levels of regulatory and bureaucratic

control. Consequently most of them are languishing and will require infusion of a

considerable amount of funds, and drastic reforms in their governance and

regulatory structure for reviving them. The successful entry of Panjab University into

the global rankings by Times Higher Education has created a ripple of interest in the

academic community that must be capitalised upon to ensure that many more Indian

universities strive towards national and international excellence.

Agenda for Action 14: Dealing with the consequences of the affiliation

system

The affiliation system is the root cause of most of the quality issues in higher

education today. It has resulted in an extremely fragmented education system in

which students have fewer opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary

education. It must therefore be phased out quickly, despite all the resistance, and

the fragmentation halted and even reversed.

Why we need this goal: India educates 26 million students in well over 37,000

colleges and 700 universities whereas China educates a comparable number in just

4000 universities! Our institutions have also not factored in the advantages that

students can get from peer learning opportunities at residential institutions. The

centralised curriculum and examinations conducted by the university on behalf of all

its affiliated colleges, has left college teachers with little or no role to play with regard

to ensuring the quality of undergraduate education. All these factors contribute to a

vastly inferior learning experience that will not be easy to reverse.


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Suggestions on how to achieve it:The affiliation system, whereby universities provide

hundreds of colleges with curriculum and examination support for a fee, has allowed

many promoters (many of them politicians) who are not educationists to start private

colleges and seek to derive profit from them, despite the non-profit status of the trusts

and societies that run these colleges. This has also brought in vested interests into theregulation of educational institutions. Strong political will and leadership will be

required to reverse the situation, something that must be done if quality is to improve

at all. That the UGCs own report on phasing out the affiliation system, prepared in 2011,

is yet to be implemented is an indication of the extent of the resistance. Well-governed

good colleges should be given autonomy at the earliest and encouraged to expand their

subject offerings and increase enrolment. Poor quality colleges must be mentored by

good colleges (and optionally also the parent university), grouped with other good

colleges into cluster universities, and be charged with the responsibility of improvingquality of education within a specified time.

Agenda for Action 15: The challenges of granting autonomy to

educational institutions

Although phasing out of the affiliation system and granting of autonomy to well

managed colleges has been recommended in many reports since Independence, it

has not been achieved due to resistance from many groups of stakeholders, not

least the state governments. As for granting autonomy to state universities, it isonce again the state governments that are unwilling to give up control.

Why we need this goal: It is only if governments will provide block grants to

universities and colleges and consent to step aside completely, leaving the running

of these institutions in the hands of capable academics with proven credentials, that

we can expect to see improvement in the quality of education. Government officers,

however well-meaning, are not educationists and ought not to be controlling

education in the name of supervising the disbursement of funds.

Higher education is, undoubtedly, an obligation of the State but State aid is not to be

confused with State control over academic policies and practices. Intellectual progress

demands the maintenance of the spirit of free inquiry.

- Radhakrishnan Commission (1948)


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Suggestions on how to achieve it:Autonomy for all good educational institutions is

the single most important instrument that can be used to improve the quality of

education in the country. The central government must persuade all the state

governments to initiate far-reaching reforms by granting complete and genuine

autonomy to universities and to colleges. The Central Advisory Board on Education(CABE) can be used to put together a coordinated effort towards this. Leadership and

direction from the Honourable Prime Minister and the PMO will be required to

dislodge entrenched positions and initiate this difficult reform in the right spirit.

Governments must provide funding in the form of block grants and create an

appropriate regulatory framework to ensure that funds are well spent, but leave

everything else to the leadership of these institutions. Academia must, in turn, step up

and take charge of these institutions and work towards ensuring academic excellence,

a task for which they must be held accountable. This move will ensure that India

develops a large army of visionary and competent academic leaders over time, capable

of leading our universities and other institutions of higher learning to global standards

of excellence. Academic leaders must be expected to undergo specially designed

training programmes in leadership and administration before taking up their

assignments.

Agenda for Action 16: Universities are the fulcrum of excellence in

education

Universities must seek to reclaim their role of thought leadership of society. For

this, eminent academics and leaders must step forward to lead these institutions,

reaffirm their commitment to meritocracy, and help re-establish their credibility.

Why we need this goal: The crisis of academic leadership in the country today is

largely due to bureaucratic control and political meddling in the functioning of the

education system. Most leadership appointments in India are either politically

motivated or based on seniority rather than on merit. Even the VCs post is often upfor sale! Barring exceptions, Governors of states, who are Chancellors of universities,

have very little expertise in higher education and make no worthwhile contribution

to the running of the university system. The governance and management structure

of universities must be revamped as needed. Neither Central/ State ministers nor

bureaucrats should have any powers in selection of vice chancellors or other

functionaries in universities.


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Suggestions on how to achieve it: Dynamic leadership, full and genuine autonomy,

adequate funding and support even for private institutions, and enabling governance

and regulatory structures can help make this goal a reality. Governments and regulators

must ensure the following changes: 1) Vice chancellors must be chosen from among the

best available academics in the country and be expected to provide vision and academicleadership to the universities. They must be held accountable for outcomes but they

must also be supported with excellent guidance from the governing boards, and be

backed up by a flexible and diligent administration; 2) The management of affiliated

colleges and examinations etc., activities that generate revenue, can be spun-off into a

profit-centre of the university and be managed by professionals thus freeing up

academics; 3) Universities must be encouraged to start undergraduate education on

campus provided they have adequate infrastructure to do so. There are many small and

sub-critical post-graduate departments that can get rejuvenated through this; 4)Universities must be given the freedom to manage their own real estate optimally. They

must be allowed to demolish some existing buildings (barring heritage structures) and

replace them with high-rises if necessary to accommodate more departments,

laboratories and students; 5) Adequate attention to research should be given through

national and international collaborations; and 6) Diversity in student and faculty bodies

must be promoted through adequate quotas for nationalisation (up to 25% students

from outside the state) and internationalisation (up to 10% students) so that entrenched

mind-sets can become a thing of the past. MHRDs recently announced programme GIAN

(Global Initiative for Academics Network), meant to attract the best foreign academicsto teach at Indian universities, is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done.

Agenda for Action 17: Ten Universities of global excellence within a

decade

India must aim to create at least 10 Universities of Global Excellence within the next

decade that can be ranked among the top 100 in the world. These should be capable

of producing world-class research that can win Nobel Prizes and other prestigious

international awards in science and technology.

Release of funds annually is leading to delay in implementation of plans and is an intrusion

in the autonomy of the institution. Block grants against a plan should become the norm

with universities being competent to expend according to their priorities.

- Yashpal Committee Report (1993)


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Why we need this goal: Such an initiative is not just a matter of national pride.

Committing to this goal can also help focus attention on merit and galvanise all

stakeholders into action towards delivering on it. The ten Universities of Global

Excellence will certainly inspire hundreds of other universities and institutions to

improve their own global and national rankings. Among other benefits, this initiativewill help India produce Nobel laureates in science. It is worth remembering that after

C.V. Raman (1930), no Indian scientist has won a Nobel Prize for scientific research

done in India.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:The Central Government must choose 20 universities

and institutions competitively from among the top central and state universities and

institutions and support them fully with a ten-year plan for all-round excellence, so that

at least ten of them find their place among the top 100 in the world. The other ten

universities and institutions will then also achieve high global rankings. Some of the best

academics in the country must be put in charge of achieving this goal, empowered with

adequate funds and the necessary autonomy, and be made accountable for the

outcomes. Their performance must be monitored directly by the Prime Ministers Office.

Agenda for Action 18: 100 Universities of national excellence within 5

years

We must also aim to create and nurture 100 Universities of National Excellence

within a 5-year time frame.

Why we need this goal:India is a nation of sub-continental size, home to an extremely

large population. In order to promote the culture of excellence in the entire

education system, promising institutions at every level should be challenged to

consistently rise higher on the quality scale. This will exert a pulleffect on other

institutions in the education system.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:State governments will have to cooperate actively

in achieving this goal since many of these 100 universities will fall within their

jurisdiction. The RUSA mission (National Higher Education Mission), aimed at providing

strategic funding to eligible state higher educational institutions provides state

Our universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation and cumbersome

procedures. They must have a higher degree of academic freedom and autonomy; and,

there should be as much emphasis on research as on teaching.

- Shri Narendra Modi, Honourable Prime Minister of India


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governments with a golden opportunity to enhance the quality of their institutions.

Once the commitment of state governments is established and funding support for the

selected institutions is secured, then only academic and governance related mentorship

needs to be organised. Fortunately, there is no dearth of premier institutions that can

provide academic mentorship to universities and colleges. Similarly, there are manyeminent intellectuals and doyens of industry with an interest in education who would

be willing to serve on governing boards of these universities.

Agenda for Action 19: 500 Colleges of excellence

As many good colleges as possible must be encouraged to become not just Colleges

of Excellence but also deemed universities. At least 500 science colleges must be

selected competitively within the next 5-10 years towards this goal. Similarly, 100

promising engineering colleges should be invited to transform themselves into IIT-like institutions, as has been done by College of Engineering Pune (CoEP). These

and other good colleges can then be incentivised to mentor many more in the

future.

Why we need this goal:The number of good institutions in science and engineering

must go up dramatically, and quickly, so that talented students do not have to be

deprived of adequate opportunities for quality higher education.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: Complete and genuine autonomy to all chosencolleges, along with the necessary financial support, are two of the most important

inputs towards achieving this goal that state governments must provide. Hand-holding

and proper mentoring by experts, in the realm of academics as well as governance and

administration, are the other necessary elements in the strategy. This has been

demonstrated well by CoEP, which has made use of its autonomous status and

mentoring from IIT Bombay to transform itself into an IIT-like institution. Their

experience can be used to design a strategy to upgrade 100 good engineering colleges

into IIT-like institutions within a period of 5-10 years. The steps taken by CoEP withregard to governance and administrative reforms are applicable to all colleges.

India has many renowned science colleges such as Ruia College and St Xaviers College in

Mumbai, Loyola College in Chennai, St. Stephen's College in Delhi, St Josephs College in

Bangalore, Presidency College in Kolkata and Fergusson College in Pune, to name just a

few. The central government should select 100 such reputed institutions and incentivise

them to assist at least five other promising science colleges each, to climb higher on the

quality scale. In time the quality of education in all colleges can be improved in this way.

The argument made by state governments against granting autonomy to good colleges,

that this will dent the image of the parent university, is completely unacceptable. It is


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an excuse, firstly, not to allow promising colleges to excel and, secondly, to perpetuate

mediocrity in the university system.

GOVERNANCE AND REGULATION OF EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTIONS

Agenda for Action 20: Good governance and efficient administration of

educational institutions

State governments have not paid adequate attention to issues of good governance

of state public universities and their affiliated colleges, despite it being well known

that good governance is critical for achieving excellence. Bureaucratic control and

interference of politicians in the functioning of universities and colleges is rampantand must end immediately.

Why we need this: Many educational institutions do not get proper guidance from

their Management Councils/ Board of Governors towards good governance practices,

efficient and careful utilisation of funds, and robust administrative processes that can

support the management, faculty and staff in their task of pursuing excellence in all

spheres.

Suggestions on how to achieve it: Leadership and governance reform will require

paying more than lip service to quality. The management boards of all educational

institutions must be chosen very carefully and government representation must be kept

to a minimum. The boards must consist of eminent people who have had exposure to

the field of education, and are committed to contributing their time towards improving

the institution.

Dr F.C. Kohli, chairman of the board of governors of the College of Engineering Pune,

pioneered the concept of board members of autonomous colleges contributing 2 hours

per week, or 100 hours per year, of their time to the college. This is an excellentbenchmark to apply to all board members, because it brings their expertise and

experience to bear on the challenges facing the institution. Board members can help

universities and colleges raise funds, improve their administrative processes, create

linkages with industry for research and entrepreneurship etc. The management boards

of private colleges are generally dominated by family members of the promoters, a

practice that must be discouraged by regulatory authorities.


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Agenda for Action 21: Ensuring the financial health of institutions

Quality education requires considerable investment towards quality infrastructure

such as laboratories, library, hostels etc. These cannot be provided unless

educational institutions have adequate funds. Every effort must be made to

generate income from multiple sources, and tuition fees should not be capped at

very low levels because it will affect quality and only serve to diminish the value of

education.

Why we need this goal: Worldwide, the sources of funding for educational

institutions come from: 1) income from fees, 2) revenue from consultancy and

research by faculty, 3) income from endowments, 4) grants and donations, and 5)

contributions by government. Unlike in Western countries, Indian institutions do not

have any incentive to generate funds from grants and donations and they do not haveendowments. Barring a few exceptions, their faculty do not bring in much income

from their research and consultancy projects either. This leaves only fees and

government funding as the two sources of income for a college or university.

How we can achieve it: The quantum of fees must therefore be fixed such that it

contributes at least 30% of annual expenditure (including faculty salaries). Subsidies can

be targeted so that poor and deserving students receive varying degrees of scholarships

depending on their financial needs. All students must have the option of getting loans

from banks on easy terms. State governments do not spend enough on education. Forexample, Maharashtra spends less than 0.2% of GSDP, far less than many subsidies given

to industry. All educational institutions must be encouraged to raise funds through

donations and grants, and be rewarded for doing so. Government must ease norms for

alumni and philanthropic support to educational institutions.

Private colleges are run by either trusts or societies, as a result of which there is

insufficient scrutiny of their financial dealings. Regulatory authorities must seek to

reform this. Capitation fees must be abolished completely.

No student should be turned away from an institution for want of funds for education.

Absence of differential fee has led to subsidisation of a segment of student body that can

afford to pay for its education. Guaranteed student loans at low interest rates for those

who can take loans and free education for those who cannot afford it at all will be necessaryto educate India.

- Yashpal Committee Report (1993)


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Agenda for Action 22: Reforming the r egulatory system

The regulatory framework of higher and technical education, which has a key role

to play in maintaining quality, requires a radical re-orientation towards more

flexibility, and adherence to the spirit of quality education, rather than to the letter.

It should also be capable of addressing the scale challenge of ensuring that all

37000+ educational institutions are accredited and rated at regular intervals.

Why we need this goal: The UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, NCTE and the professional

councils, have individually and collectively failed to ensure quality in the higher and

technical education system. Although a lot of good work has been done, there has

not been enough attention paid to issues of scale. The regulatory authorities have all

focused largely on checks at the entry level criteria for new institutions, new

courses etc., but not enough on outcomes of programmes. Since accreditation isnot compulsory many institutions have never been accredited. As a result, colleges

and universities of poor quality have flourished. The additional regulation of fees and

admissions, and many other controls on quantum of spending by the colleges and on

hiring of faculty by state governments etc., have further allowed mediocrity to thrive.

How we can achieve it:It is time now to change the paradigm of regulation by giving

good institutions the freedom to innovate, and focusing instead on weeding out poor

quality institutions through effective and transparent regulatory mechanisms that are

strictly enforced. Accreditation of programmes and rating of institutions are two keyinstruments that can help achieve this goal. Given the large number of colleges in

existence, sufficient attention must be paid to the scale problem to ensure that all

institutions are accredited and rated regularly, within a stipulated time period. This can

only be achieved if a large number of external players are allowed to accredit and rate

institutions against detailed criteria specified by the regulators. The years of experience

that NAAC and NBA already have with doing accreditation, should stand them in good

stead for specifying the norms for external players for accreditation as well as rating.

Private institutions must be monitored carefully to prevent profiteering, withoutcreating unnecessary hurdles for good institutions that are compliant. Every institution

must be evaluated and rated against pre-specified sets of parameters each year and the

outcome of these evaluations must be available in the public domain.


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RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND EMPOWERMENT OF TEACHERS

Agenda for Action 23: Addressing faculty shortages in a mission mode

The acute shortage of good-quality teachers in the higher and technical education

system needs to be addressed in a mission mode. At the same time, the exploitation

of non-permanent teaching staff, who are paid a pittance compared to the

permanent staff, must end.

Why we need this:An education system is only as good as the quality of its teachers.

India is facing a serious shortage of good teachers at all levels, which is due to many

years of neglect of the recruitment and service conditions of teaching faculty. There

is an urgent need to plan for the induction of a large number of new teachers without

compromising quality in the long term. For this, a separate short-term and long termstrategy will be needed. Many colleges appoint teaching staff on short-term

contracts for a variety of reasons. Not only do these contract teachers have no job

security and little chances of career advancement, but they are also paid shockingly

low salaries. The effect of this on the quality of education is decidedly negative.

How we can achieve it:In the short-term we must welcome experienced professionals

from industry, scientists and researchers from premier research institutes (active as well

as retired), retired teachers and academics from abroad of Indian as well as foreign

origin into adjunct and emeritus faculty positions. A provision must be made in the

CSR policy of companies such that a semester course taught by working professionals

can be counted towards the CSR contribution of their respective companies. Innovative

ideas like giving Education Credits to such professionals, which count towards their

career advancement, could be introduced.

For the longer term we must ensure that only extremely competent teachers are given

permanent jobs. This can only be done by introducing the practice of tenure-track

positions for new faculty, as is the norm in many countries, and being selective aboutgranting tenure. As far as non-permanent teaching staff is concerned, government must

mandate that their salaries be on par with that of permanent faculty and that all salaries

are comparable with the Sixth Pay Commission salaries paid by the government.

Agenda for Action 24: Merit selection of faculty by phasing out

reservations

India must commit to merit selection of faculty by phasing out reservations for

teacher recruitment and promotions within a decade at most. This is absolutely


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Agenda for Action 25: Pre-service and in-service training of faculty

Good quality pre-service and in-service training is just as important for teachers in

the higher and technical education system as it is for school teachers. Educational

institutions must be made responsible for this activity and be evaluated for it.

Why we need this goal: There is virtually no provision for pre-service training of

teachers in higher education. Neither a Masters nor a PhD degree in India prepares a

potential teacher by providing him/her with any relevant expertise. Post-graduate

students do not have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants during their

education so they have little or no teaching experience when they first step into a

classroom.

Suggestions on how to achieve it:The mandatory pre-service teacher training system

for school education system needs to be extended into the college system. New modelinstitutions for pre-service and in-service teacher training, which may be called

Navodaya Adhyapak Vidyalayas, need to be created. These can be trailblazers for

teacher training in higher education, particularly for pre-service training of candidates

before they are appointed as teachers in colleges.

The Academic Staff Colleges and the National Institutes of Technical Teachers Training

and Research (NITTTRs) are focused on in-service training but they are too few in

number. Educational institutions must therefore take the initiative to support their

faculty and to ensure that they are exposed periodically to advances in their fields of

expertise and interest as well as in teaching methodologies, through interaction with

peers and experts. Digital technologies must be pressed into service to scale such

initiatives quickly. The recently launched Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on

Teachers and Teaching must ensure that these goals are achieved.

Agenda for Action 26: Performance evaluation and career advancement

of faculty

Evaluation of college and university teachers using the academic performance

indicator (API) has become a cause of much angst among young faculty and requires

an urgent rethink. Similarly, the career advancement scheme (CAS) for

Urgent need for reforms in Science and Technology Education - An Agenda for Action

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