In addition to enabling access to higher education, quality of the education must also be guaranteed.
 |
| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/h0SCuYQc1NY) |
The draft National Education Policy of India stipulates that the Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education should be increased by at least 50 per cent by 2035. The current GER is at 26.3%, and if it is to double in the next 15 years, it needs some thorough ambitious planning, improvement and consistent implementation.
In this context, the criticality of the All India Higher Education Survey report released in 2018 is significant. This report put forwards the actual ground reality of higher education. So, in order to achieve the target of 2035, it is very likely and important that we need awareness and attention to the areas of higher education.
Gender Equality
In the 2018-19 academic year, the total number of students enrolled for higher education was 37.4 million, of which 18.2 million were women. This accounts more than 48% of the total admissions, which is definitely higher than previous year. In the 2010-2011 academic year, the enrolment figure was mere 1.2 million. While there has certainly been a substantial increase in this number, however it is to note there that not all areas of higher education increasing proportionately. 80% of admissions enrollmet for higher education are at degree level. The gender divide witnesses five major academic disciplines of Arts, Science, Commerce, Engineering and Technology, Medical Science and Law paints a very small picture.
 |
| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/lpyHSTHO7LM) |
Although the number of girls enrolled in arts and science courses is more than half, the enrollment in engineering is only 29%. This is very important because the branches of engineering - electronics, computer, mechanical and information technology - are very lucrative in terms of jobs. Similarly, the number of girls in management and law is 40% of the total number. In contrast, the proportion of girls enrolled in medical science is only 60%. These priorities in education help determine the gender impact of labor market and wage structure.
Many factors need to be worked on to increase diversity and equal participation gender in engineering and other technical fields. For 2018 IIT-JEE (one of the most important entrance exams in India required for engineering), the admission of girls is less than 30% . Only 12% of the students managed to top the list of 25,000 students. If these figures are to be increased, the widespread discrimination in the education system must first be eliminated. To materialise, it is crucial and necessary to work upon on the misconceptions or stereotypes that have been spread about engineering or related fields, starting from the school level.
In addition, there should have equal opportunity to get quality guidance for the entrance exam, environment and facilities in the university or college should also be taken into account. The organisations or employers also need to upgrade their recruitment approach and be more inclusive towards women workers for technical jobs. All these parameters are interconnected and have an indirect effect on admission registration. It is imperative to know the scope and extent before finding solutions to above mentioned challanges.
HEI Focus Issues -
These six Indian states - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Karnataka - 54% of the total students enrolled for higher education. More than 32% admissions are guaranteed in 39,931 colleges in 50 districts (out of 731) across the country. As a result, the college density in the country as a whole (behind one lakh eligible population) is 28, but in places like Bihar it is 7 and in Karnataka it is 53. This inequality at the local level is a major hurdle to increase GER.
The underdeveloped sections of the society find the cost of higher education (travel, hostel, fees, etc.) unaffordable, and this makes it difficult for them to get the higher education. This decision is also very important, whether to choose or leave a reputed educational institution for higher education. As market forces play a critical role in the field of higher education, thus geographical equality has also remained a distant dream.
Strategic intervention is needed to facilitate access to inclusive higher education institutions in order to meet the high expectations of the society and increase GER, as urban higher education institutions are playing a good role in terms of access to higher education.
Low number of Foreign Students
The enrolment of international students is a reliable indicator and parameter considered to identify the quality and strength of higher education. In the 2018-19 academic year, the number of foreign students admitted to higher education in India was only 47,427. In a country with 950 universities, the number of foreign students is very rare. There are more than 400,000 international students in China, 300,000 in Germany and 75,000 in Singapore. The number of foreign students coming to India for higher education is less than 1 per cent.
 |
| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/KrfID_ZQxWs) |
When foreign students are admitted for higher education, they are admitted considering the international ranking of the country in the field of education and the cost of living and education in that country. Unfortunately any institution from India didn't managed to make it in the list of top 100 best universities in the world. The number of students going abroad for education from India is 15% more than the number of students coming to India from abroad. This makes it very clear that there is a need to create more quality higher education institutions in all disciplines across India.
Although the Ministry of Manpower Development has launched a new campaign in 2018 called "Study in India", scholarships and grants cannot be a substitute for the quality of education to increase the number of foreign students. Currently, 8% of foreign students come to study in neighboring countries of India as well as in African countries like Sudan and Nigeria.
Improving the quality of higher education institutions can be a very slow and cumbersome process. However, with the admission to students from African countries and their willingness for higher education in India, may contribute to speed-up the process and results may been seen much sooner than expectation. These include the visa process, the establishment of a sustainable and effective grievance redressal forum for living in a culturally sensitive nation.
PhD puzzle
Only 0.5% of students seeking admission to higher education are currently pursuing a PhD. One of the reasons behind such a low number is the insufficient job opportunities for PhD holders. Despite higher education, there are very few job opportunities for PhD holders in the non-engineering field. However, the quality of PhDs in India is more of a concern than quantity. Because of the reliance on higher education institutions, it is highly unlikely that graduates will have taken the hard work required for a PhD.
 |
| Photo (https://unsplash.com/photos/OvXht_wi5Ew) |
Currently, however, Indian higher education systems is plagued by the fraudulent publications and frequent plagiarism. Questions have been raised about the sincerity of their research in the case of highly respected individuals in many prestigious positions. When corporate companies offer jobs to PhD holders, it tends to spread this kind of misconception, thus amplify and worsen the problem even when there are basically few job opportunities for PhD holders.
In May 2019, the UGC had decided to review the status of PhD dissertations published by Indian universities over the last ten years . If this is well implemented, the best quality research institutes and their importance will be understood and weed out the fake as well as low quality research.
The image of research that has been created in the higher education system has had to be borne by PhD researchers. Going even further, there is a need to redefine the direction and vision of the problem-solving skills in the entrepreneurial sector, as much as the focus should be on improving the situation of PhDs.
In addition to all the points mentioned above, AISHE's next survey report will be based on the quality of higher education. Many employers in India are constantly chanting 'ineligible graduates' . Even though new employees have the required degree, they are not "ready for work", so many businesses spend most of their time and resources teaching them the skills they need for the job. Therefore, these reports should also try to show the link between higher education institutions and skill development institutions (public and private).
In terms of schooling, India's GER has reached around 100, however the question of quality is still remains unanswered. Higher education should not fall into the same trap. In addition to doubling enrollment over the next decade, guaranteeing quality higher education is also a priority.
Post a Comment