Jandhyala B G Tilak, vice-chancellor (in-charge) of the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, tells Aditi Phadnis what has changed in the higher education space in India, the pros and cons of students going abroad for higher studies and the implications of the Budget proposals focusing on education
In the wake of student unrest at the Hyderabad Central University, the University of Allahabad, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University, has a review of the role and powers of the vice-chancellor become necessary?
Given my limited knowledge of these specific cases but for media reports, let me concentrate on the issue rather than on the cases. It is always a challenge to administer university campuses for they are different from corporate houses or manufacturing units.
There has been an explosion in education since it became a statutory right. What is the government doing about funding new and innovative education?
There has been a rapid expansion of higher education in the last quarter century. Today we have 25 million students pursuing higher education - a figure higher than the population of some countries. But the increase in the number of students is not matched by a proportionate increase in public funds, number of qualified teachers, provision of infrastructure facilities, etc. As a result, the quality of education is suffering. These trends are neither new nor specific to India; many developing countries and even some of the advanced societies are experiencing the same. Countries are experimenting with various alternatives, which are, of course, limited.
India is responding to the rising demand for higher education, but not adequately enough. New universities and colleges are being set up, measures to improve the quality of education are being searched for. But we are yet to find ways to reduce the shortage of teachers and improve their quality. The Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission On Teachers And Teaching has been launched by the government to comprehensively address these two issues. Some initiatives are being made; many more are required. Of late, excellence in higher education has been getting serious attention. But there is still a long way to go.
Management schools and the IITs attract the cream of students. But interference in their administration is causing problems. How can this be set right?
Let's consider the issue at a general level. It is indeed a complex issue being faced by higher education institutes in many countries. Higher education being an important social responsibility, as accepted the world over, one would expect the state to play a significant role. But at the same time we expect universities and other institutions of higher education to enjoy a fair degree of autonomy for them to flourish. The limits of either cannot be clearly defined. The relationship between the state and the universities depends on the level of development of the latter, the level of enlightenment of their leaders as well as the development of societies and the maturity of the political system. The relationships are continually evolving. When the state withdraws in favour of market and other forces, there will be chaos in higher education; when the state intervenes too much there will be distortions in university development. No one would appreciate it if the state abdicates its responsibility in higher education.
What do you think of the allocations for education in the 2016-17 Union Budget?
The increases in financial allocations for education in this Budget over those of last year are somewhat modest: about Rs 1,300 crore for school education and Rs 3,400 crore for higher education.
There are a couple of important proposals. The government proposes setting up 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas. Though some argue that Navodaya Vidyalayas are elitist, it is important to recognise that in the context of the prevailing socio-economic and educational inequalities, including in rural and urban education, such schools offer rural children a chance to get access to quality schools. These schools are based on the principle that quality education is not for urban children only. There is a need to set up such public schools on a larger scale. A large-scale expansion of such a system of quality public schools would serve as a strong antidote to the rapidly growing menace of private schools, particularly in rural areas.
Other important Budget proposals include the setting up of a Higher Education Financial Agency to fund higher education institutions, and creating a new regulatory architecture that would facilitate universities and institutions of higher education to excel. Such an architecture - at present, conceived to focus on the initial years of a small number of universities - will cover the entire or at least a very large network of universities and other institutions of higher education.
Structural reform, particularly in higher education, has led several foreign universities to open shop in India. But they haven't set up campuses here and children are still travelling to Australia and the US to get a basic degree, largely because of local competition. What is the way out?
Student mobility or the migration of students to other countries from places such as India, known as internationalisation, is not a new phenomenon. It has been in practice for centuries. Universities welcome foreign students as it promotes diversity on campuses. But nowadays, it has assumed different dimensions. Several universities, particularly those in advanced countries, look at foreign students as a source of additional resources. What's new are the motives and modalities of internationalisation, according to which higher education is seen more as a tradable commodity. We may have to selectively and cautiously open up our higher education sector, allowing only the best and the genuine universities to come to India.
Internationalisation has to be envisaged for enriching education, not for facilitating trade or narrow economic gains. Independent of all this, we have to develop our universities into high-quality vibrant places of learning. This will also help attract more foreign students and also prevent some of our bright students from going abroad for higher studies.
How did missionary and charity institutions provide such a high quality of education and why were government schools not able to replicate that model?
There are some good public institutions of higher education. A few private institutions, which were primarily set up on philanthropic considerations, are also doing an excellent job. Their main consideration is education. The problem is with the other kind of private institution that views higher education as a business to make quick profits - de facto, though not de jure. Educational considerations are only secondary at such institutions. Some public universities do well, because for many in those universities, teaching is a passion and quality research a commitment. Lack of high-quality and motivated teachers is, inter alia, an important factor for the low standards of education prevailing in a large number of universities in India.
In the wake of student unrest at the Hyderabad Central University, the University of Allahabad, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University, has a review of the role and powers of the vice-chancellor become necessary?
Given my limited knowledge of these specific cases but for media reports, let me concentrate on the issue rather than on the cases. It is always a challenge to administer university campuses for they are different from corporate houses or manufacturing units.
More From This Section
Universities are institutions with multiple objectives; they perform various functions and produce valuable and different kinds of output, mostly intangible. The output of varying quality is direct and also indirect in terms of an immense magnitude of externalities. Universities are complex institutions, with students and faculty drawn from various socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds. It would be easy to administer them were they homogenous in character, composition and functions, but that would go against the very idea of a "university". Diversity is a long cherished feature of universities, but it poses a challenge in their administration. The challenge is becoming more formidable because of the increasing diversity on university campuses in recent years, with a larger proportion of students being first-generation learners requiring different levels of attention and necessitating various kinds of initiatives. Their aspirations could be high and demanding. In fact, the aspirations of all sections of society are rapidly changing. I do not say that these aspects pose a trouble to the administration, but they certainly make the job challenging and demanding.
There has been an explosion in education since it became a statutory right. What is the government doing about funding new and innovative education?
There has been a rapid expansion of higher education in the last quarter century. Today we have 25 million students pursuing higher education - a figure higher than the population of some countries. But the increase in the number of students is not matched by a proportionate increase in public funds, number of qualified teachers, provision of infrastructure facilities, etc. As a result, the quality of education is suffering. These trends are neither new nor specific to India; many developing countries and even some of the advanced societies are experiencing the same. Countries are experimenting with various alternatives, which are, of course, limited.
India is responding to the rising demand for higher education, but not adequately enough. New universities and colleges are being set up, measures to improve the quality of education are being searched for. But we are yet to find ways to reduce the shortage of teachers and improve their quality. The Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya National Mission On Teachers And Teaching has been launched by the government to comprehensively address these two issues. Some initiatives are being made; many more are required. Of late, excellence in higher education has been getting serious attention. But there is still a long way to go.
Management schools and the IITs attract the cream of students. But interference in their administration is causing problems. How can this be set right?
Let's consider the issue at a general level. It is indeed a complex issue being faced by higher education institutes in many countries. Higher education being an important social responsibility, as accepted the world over, one would expect the state to play a significant role. But at the same time we expect universities and other institutions of higher education to enjoy a fair degree of autonomy for them to flourish. The limits of either cannot be clearly defined. The relationship between the state and the universities depends on the level of development of the latter, the level of enlightenment of their leaders as well as the development of societies and the maturity of the political system. The relationships are continually evolving. When the state withdraws in favour of market and other forces, there will be chaos in higher education; when the state intervenes too much there will be distortions in university development. No one would appreciate it if the state abdicates its responsibility in higher education.
What do you think of the allocations for education in the 2016-17 Union Budget?
The increases in financial allocations for education in this Budget over those of last year are somewhat modest: about Rs 1,300 crore for school education and Rs 3,400 crore for higher education.
There are a couple of important proposals. The government proposes setting up 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas. Though some argue that Navodaya Vidyalayas are elitist, it is important to recognise that in the context of the prevailing socio-economic and educational inequalities, including in rural and urban education, such schools offer rural children a chance to get access to quality schools. These schools are based on the principle that quality education is not for urban children only. There is a need to set up such public schools on a larger scale. A large-scale expansion of such a system of quality public schools would serve as a strong antidote to the rapidly growing menace of private schools, particularly in rural areas.
Other important Budget proposals include the setting up of a Higher Education Financial Agency to fund higher education institutions, and creating a new regulatory architecture that would facilitate universities and institutions of higher education to excel. Such an architecture - at present, conceived to focus on the initial years of a small number of universities - will cover the entire or at least a very large network of universities and other institutions of higher education.
Structural reform, particularly in higher education, has led several foreign universities to open shop in India. But they haven't set up campuses here and children are still travelling to Australia and the US to get a basic degree, largely because of local competition. What is the way out?
Student mobility or the migration of students to other countries from places such as India, known as internationalisation, is not a new phenomenon. It has been in practice for centuries. Universities welcome foreign students as it promotes diversity on campuses. But nowadays, it has assumed different dimensions. Several universities, particularly those in advanced countries, look at foreign students as a source of additional resources. What's new are the motives and modalities of internationalisation, according to which higher education is seen more as a tradable commodity. We may have to selectively and cautiously open up our higher education sector, allowing only the best and the genuine universities to come to India.
Internationalisation has to be envisaged for enriching education, not for facilitating trade or narrow economic gains. Independent of all this, we have to develop our universities into high-quality vibrant places of learning. This will also help attract more foreign students and also prevent some of our bright students from going abroad for higher studies.
How did missionary and charity institutions provide such a high quality of education and why were government schools not able to replicate that model?
There are some good public institutions of higher education. A few private institutions, which were primarily set up on philanthropic considerations, are also doing an excellent job. Their main consideration is education. The problem is with the other kind of private institution that views higher education as a business to make quick profits - de facto, though not de jure. Educational considerations are only secondary at such institutions. Some public universities do well, because for many in those universities, teaching is a passion and quality research a commitment. Lack of high-quality and motivated teachers is, inter alia, an important factor for the low standards of education prevailing in a large number of universities in India.