ARE WE BUILDING THE UNIVERSITIES INDIA NEEDS?

ith eight Indian universities in the top 100 and a total of 16 in the top 200 South Asian universities list, India has seen its best ever performance in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2016. However, the reality is that we, as a country, still have a long way to go when it comes to quality higher education.

India has the highest number of higher education institutes in the world. There are 26.7 million students enrolled in higher education institutes across the country. The government has a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) target of 30 per cent by 2020. Our student enrolment number is likely to go to 40 million by 2020. This requires our higher education capacity to expand 1.5 times in five years. Clearly, we have a challenge of numbers. We have an even bigger challenge of quality.

The issue of quantity has largely been met by the private sector. As a result, the private sector accounts for 62 per cent students in higher education and its role is likely to increase. Though the private sector’s reputation on quality is suspect, yet, there is a strong case for private investment in higher education. If executed in the right manner, private sector investment has the potential to transform India’s higher education landscape. However, some key aspects need to be looked at if India has to build universities for the future.

The first key aspect is that of governance. The issue of governance firstly applies to the way higher education is regulated, where we need high standards for accreditation rather than high barriers to entry.

WNInstitutions need greater autonomy to design their own courses and recruit faculty. The issue of governance also applies to the way institutions govern themselves. Most universities in India are either controlled by the government or by family-run trusts. While the former governance structure has been steeped in bureaucracy, the latter has had a reputation for profiteering and often compromised on meritocracy. It may be worthwhile to explore how some of the top universities in the US got created. Stanford University was created by a generous grant from former California governor Leland Stanford in memory of his son, Leland Jr., who died at a young age of 15. Harvard University received a generous grant from John Harvard very early in 1638, two years after its establishment in 1636. The same is true for a lot of US universities, which came up on private philanthropy and had independent broad-based governance structures. These structures created private independent universities which were acting for public good. Also, a model of shared governance brings in more accountability and helps foster a culture of innovation and excellence. Shared governance and collective philanthropy also helps build trust with academics.

What does this model hold for India? In a situation where we need many high quality universities, can collective philanthropy create institutions of excellence? The answer is yes. It is a difficult model to pursue but a model that India cannot ignore. The CSR Act is a shot in the arm for such a model.

The second key driver to building universities that India needs is high quality faculty. Top faculty are more likely to join initiatives which promise autonomy and focus on excellence. Also, critical to nurturing excellence is institutional independence. Institutions not only need to offer the right rewards and incentives for recruiting top faculty but also need to develop student feedback mechanisms and peer review to measure faculty performance. Greater emphasis needs to be given to faculty development and training. The good news is that a significant number of younger faculty graduating from top institutions from around the world are now willing to look at Indian private universities if they feel that they will get the right environment at such institutions.

The third key aspect to building top quality universities is curriculum and pedagogy. Institutional autonomy helps top faculty bring in innovative curriculum and pedagogy. Universities need to offer curriculum which encourages multi-disciplinary learning and helps develop skills of communication, critical thinking and problem solving. The curriculum needs to move away from rote learning to a pedagogy that encourages debate and discussion. Assessments need to change from pure examinations to being more activity based and experiential. And finally, technology has to play a greater role THE STUDENT ENROLMENT NUMBER IS LIKELY TO GO TO 40 MILLION BY 2020. THIS REQUIRES OUR HIGHER EDUCATION CAPACITY TO EXPAND 1.5 TIMES IN FIVE YEARS