Teachers to debate globalisation of higher education

India has the second largest college education system. But, in the relevant age group of 17-23, only 7 per cent are in higher education. Of this, 7 per cent, only 10 per cent are in the professional education. However, over the last few years, professional education has been gaining ground and general education losing.

If this is one angle of the issue in the country's higher education sector, the other hard-hitting fact is that higher education is being turned upside down to make it a billion dollar industry.

Certain Supreme Court orders like in the TMA Pai case and Maharashtra College case have made it easy for business take precedence over education in this sector.

Many an unscrupulous operator has stepped in and more are making their entry, said Mysore University Private College Teachers' Association president K P Vasudevan on Wednesday.

Elaborating on the present educational scenario and the impact of globalisation on the sector at a press meet, he said the government does not have the political will to take on the capitation fee lobby. Caste and political factors are part of the powerful lobby.

Karnataka has the dubious distinction of allowing its professional education set up to be hijacked by the capitation lobby, he said.

These factors have compromised equity and excellence in higher education today. The vexed question of equity has generated a heated debate in recent years.

The two issues of equity and excellence will be the focus of a two-day national level seminar organised at the St Philomena's College, Mysore, on April 7 and 8, 2006.

Issues like 'sustainable development and higher education', 'inequality in higher education - the Indian schema', 'internationalisation of higher education', 'the onslaught of professional education' and 'building excellence in higher education - challenges for stakeholders' will some of the topics to be discussed at the seminar.

Truly pan-Indian in nature, the seminar will have around 350 teacher-from about 250 institutions and 320 teacher-organisations from across the country.