Higher Education

Introduction

India has a huge pool of potential young population as compared to other countries of the world but still on a sad demise its been a fact that only every seventh children went to college.Also nation has both crippling quality as well as quantity in terms of higher education.

For instance :

• In QS World University Ranking 2013, Indian university is not able to make its place in top most 200 colleges / universities of the world.
• India is at second position in terms of enrollment in higher education institutions (25 million in 2011-12)but still  has poor Gross Enrollment Ratio(GER) .In 2011-12 it is just 17.9 % as compared to average 30% across the world.US,Russia,Australia to name a few has GER as high as 85%.Highest being the Finland having around 95%.For this India’s Human Resources and Development Ministry has set a target to achieve GER to 30% by 2020.

Classification of HE

1. Form of presence (Universities,colleges,diploma granting institutions).
2. Field of study (General courses , Professional Courses)
3. Mode of Delivery (Classroom edu , Distance Learning).
4. Level of Study (UG ,PG , PhD , Diploma)

Challenge

• Expansion :
  • India has around 144 million population in the age group of 15-24.Of this around 25.9 enrolled in 2011-12 which is around 17.9 % GER.For achieving target of 30% enrollment should be around 45 million.
  • For today to accommodate around 25.9 million students there are in total 659 universities having 28% contribution of private institutions.Around 33 thousand colleges having 60% contribution by private players.
  • For achieving the target we need around 508 universities , 25 thousand colleges/institutions .
• Excellence : 
  • Faculty shortage
  • Less Accredited Institutions
• Equity 
  • There is wide disparity in the GER of higher education across states and the GER in urban and rural areas, and gender- and community-wise.

Cause of Deterioration condition

• Lack of private participation and lack of interest shown from government side is the root cause of this problem.
• Only 3% increase in percentage of pvt institutions in India between  2007-2012.

Achievements

• The private sector has played an instrumental role in this growth, with private institutions now accounting for 64% of the total
  number of institutions and 59% of enrollment in the country, as compared to 43% and 33%, respectively, a decade ago.
• The Government has planned expenditure of INR 1,107 billion on higher education during the Twelfth Five
  Year plan, 1.3 times higher than the planned expenditure in Eleventh plan.

Achievements in 11th Five Year Plan

In the Eleventh Plan, the planned expenditure on higher education was pegged at INR849.43 billion, a nine- fold increase over the Tenth Plan outlay of INR96 billion. However, actual expenditure on higher education was 45.6% (INR396.47 billion) of the planned expenditure

Access

1. Increase in GER
2. Increase in number of institutions
3. Increase in pvt institution

Equity :

1. Additional opportunities for minorities / low-income families
2. Support for backward areas

Quality

1. Overcoming some faculty shortages
2. Infrastructure development
3. Strengthening research and development activity.

Bills :

1. Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011 : The Bill aims to consolidate multiple regulations and improve transparency by the creation of a single super regulator, the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, in the place of existing regulators such as the UGC and AICTE.
2. The National Academic Depository Bill, 2011:The Bill seeks to establish a national database of academic awards in electronic format through an identified and registered depository.
3. The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 : The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill aims to make accreditation and rating of all higher education institutions mandatory in India.
4. The Educational Tribunal Bill, 2010 : The Educational Tribunal Bill aims to expedite and enable more effective litigation involving students, teachers, employees and the management of institutions.
5. Foreign Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 : The Foreign Education Institutions Bill aims to regulate the entry and operation of foreign institutes in India. The Bill is a key legislation to encourage private sector participation in India, given the absence of any regulatory framework for FEIs.
   

12th Year Plans 

Excellence :

1. The Twelfth Plan emphasizes on leveraging technology for inter-institutional collaboration,innovation and faculty development to address challenges relating to infrastructure and faculty in India’s higher education system
2. A dynamic and international approach will be adopted by redesigning curricula, focusing on technical knowledge, initiating employability programmes, and aligning Indian education with international standards
3. Promotion and enhancement of research and innovation is a key focus area of the Twelfth Plan, to align research with the national development agenda and better serve the needs of industry and society.

Expansion : 

1. Government’s initiatives will focus on strengthening the infrastructure of Central and state institutions and on establishing research-based institutions.
2.  Private sector participation in the higher education system will be encouraged to provide greater financial flexibility through the relaxation/introduction of laws and regulations. Furthermore, there would be a focus on expanding the realm of higher education through ODL and skill-based programmes

Equity :

1. The Twelfth Plan proposes schemes and initiatives targeted at disadvantaged groups to address equality-related issues. The Plan has a flexible approach to embrace diversity and learning in Indian languages.

Governance :

1. Institutional differentiation, greater autonomy to institutions, decentralization of responsibility, and enhanced transparency in higher education are the key tenets of governance in the Twelfth Five Year Plan

Financing ,Implementing and Monitoring

1. The Plan provides for more public funding, sustainable levels of tuition fees and a more conducive environment for institutes to tap alternative sources of revenue and endowments.
2. Evaluation and monitoring systems will be strengthened by the creation of new institutional mechanisms and national databases.