A Double-Edged Sword—Thoughts on the Massification of Higher Education in India

Abstract

The late APJ Abdul Kalam, eleventh president of India wanted to see the success of India on the educational front and encouraged the young minds of the country to think and dream in a world where many of India’s children are statistically impoverished. Yet, thinking and dreaming in a country without adequate facilities for all children to make these dreams a reality makes for a difficult task. There has been a definite push for education to be the vehicle by which to make such dreams a reality. A focus on education at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary can be viewed as a long-term solution to bridge the chasm between the rich and poor within the country as well as leveraging India as a more competitive player in the global marketplace. This chapter will focus on the massification of the tertiary education system in India, touching briefly on the educational pipeline leading to enrolment in an institution of higher education, and the trials and tribulations of massification in the Indian higher education context. As presented by Hawkins and Neubauer in the introduction, “the process of massification itself is highly complex and differentiated” but is generally thought of as increasing access which in turn can lead to greater equity and equality. In the case of India, I refer to massification as a double-edged sword because in fact a case for both hypotheses presented by Hawkins and Neubauer can be made in the context of India depending on through which lens you choose to view the issue. With a HE system as vast as found in India, there are numerous arguments that support both hypothesis 1 that massification actually or eventually increases inequality (in India this inequality now just spreads to a larger group of players) and the somewhat contradiction posited in hypothesis 2 that over time massification in HE increases long-term equity and equality even with all the trials, tribulations and intermediary inequality that have to be overcome.

My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

—APJ Abdul Kalam

Appendix

• 12th Five-Year Plan Key Points

• 1. The focus will be towards achieving higher access through expansion by consolidation and better utilization of the existing infrastructure, upgradation of the infrastructure as and where necessary, and creation of new institutions primarily to meet the objective of regional equity.

• 2. Increasing and enhancing access through a mission mode national programme, “Rashtriya Uchch Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)” aimed to achieve 25% national-level GER which will include (a) upgrading of Autonomous Colleges, Colleges with Potential for Excellence, and A grade-accredited Colleges by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), as university-level institutions; (b) promoting evening universities/evening colleges; (c) introduction of undergraduate programmes in the universities as integrated undergraduate/postgraduate (UG/PG) programmes; (d) enhancing the intake capacity of the existing institutions of higher education; (e) developing the ‘College Cluster Universities’ regionally; and (f) establishing “Meta University Complexes” in association with public/private sector undertakings as a part of their corporate social responsibility, on an industry-academia mode. Inclusive and Qualitative Expansion of Higher Education 3.

• 3. The strategy for promoting equity at all levels and all branches of higher education, from enrolment to pass-out stage, shall be through new schemes for financial support of socially deprived groups, minorities and women, along with significant remedial support for such students and faculty.

• 4. Schemes for reducing regional/disciplinary/gender imbalances will include (a) setting up of a large number of Polytechnics (1000); (b) completing the establishment of 374 Model Colleges in the identified Educationally Backward Areas of low GER districts; (c) establishment of 800 Constituent Colleges in the already existing 40 Central universities and (d) establishment of 20 exclusive universities for women.

• 5. The system of financial support to girl students and students from SC/ST, Minorities and the Other Backward Category (OBC) category is proposed to be considerably enhanced at all levels of higher education and for all branches, including professional and technical education. Financial support will be expanded in the form of scholarships, transport/rent allowance, book banks and a fee-plus scholarship system for professional students.

• 6. In order to retain students from deprived social groups in the higher education system, postdoctoral scholarships will be enhanced and a fast-track methodology implemented.

• 7. There will be strengthening of infrastructure to provide access and retention of women students, differently abled students and students from socially deprived backgrounds.

• 8. A major emphasis will be the strengthening of the remedial system for students from socially deprived backgrounds in order to enable their retention and better performance.

• 9. Equal Opportunity Cells, which were initiated in the 11th FYP, will be set up in all institutions, including institutions covered under section 2(f) of the UGC 4 Inclusive and Qualitative Expansion of Higher Education Act. These will monitor and oversee the implementation of policies and programmes for the weaker sections and their progress in their respective institutions in achieving social inclusion.

• 10. Promotion of quality would be through a greater focus on performance, curricular reforms, better human resource management, schemes to promote high-quality research and a technology-assisted monitoring mechanism. National science experimentation facilities, particularly in the cutting-edge areas will be set up as Inter-University Centres and University-housed Networking Centres to provide international-quality resource support to all the researchers and PG students.

• 11. Faculty being the single most critical factor responsible for the overall quality and excellence in higher education, it is a matter of grave concern that a large number of faculty positions remain perennially vacant due to either non-availability of suitably qualified persons or due to procedural restrictions/fund constraints in State universities/colleges. In order to ensure that the expansion drive in higher education is sustained, initiatives shall be taken to attract and retain the best talents as faculty resources by creating a conducive working atmosphere and by making teaching and research a lucrative career destination through continuous central assistance.

• 12. The capacity building and capability enhancement, keeping in tune with the modern-day requirements of the faculty resources through the Faculty Talent Promotion scheme by upgrading the Academic Staff Colleges (ASCs) as Faculty Development Centres (FDCs) with redefined roles and responsibilities, would be another priority.

• 13. Equally important shall be the initiative for Leadership Development and Institutional Management programmes at all levels from top to bottom, for those who may be currently holding the five leadership, management and administrative Inclusive and Qualitative Expansion of Higher Education positions. For those in the leadership tiers who need to be readied to take over such leadership positions in colleges and universities in the future, a separate Leadership Mentoring Programme is envisaged through dedicated/competent centres.

• 14. Support for curricular and academic reforms to improve student choices, technology-assisted participatory teaching–learning processes and increasing the provision of relevant education, with an emphasis on a feedback-based holistic examination/evaluation system. A fine balance between the market-oriented professional and liberal higher education shall be the hallmark of such initiatives.

• 15. Minimizing the affiliating burden of the existing universities by implementing the “Affiliation Reforms Package” developed by the UGC during the 11th FYP under a multipronged approach would be another added dimension of promoting access with quality and relevance.

• 16. To promote private sector participation in higher education, newer models based on quality shall be explored, supported and incentivized by well-defined policies, norms, and monitoring mechanisms. The initiative would also include maximizing the potential of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in higher education not only for setting up new universities and colleges but also for creating/sharing quality infrastructure and physical facilities in the existing colleges and universities.

• 17. To promote skill-based education and to improve competence, a fresh impetus to vocational education shall be given with due regard to the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF) and the initiative is to be supported and incentivized through well-defined policies and monitoring mechanisms.

• 18. Reforming the financing system of higher educational institutions by the UGC 6 Inclusive and Qualitative Expansion of Higher Education such as to promote the culture of accountability, improved performance and better resource use efficiency and at the same time respecting academic autonomy. A norm-based funding mechanism based on the justified requirements submitted by the universities and colleges with due approval of their decision-making bodies, (Academic Council and Executive Council) and moderated by the availability of resources with the UGC shall replace the existing conventional approach.

• 19. For better coordination and speedy implementation of the 12th FYP priorities, the UGC, as an organization, shall have to be restructured and modernized, and rejuvenated as a vibrant academic, administrative and fund providing/monitoring body by the introduction of a new management system of good governance which is a layer above e-governance, with transparency and accountability on the one hand and by roping in eminent academics on a full-time basis as advisers on the other, besides lateral entry/deputation-mediated administrative talent infusion. This shall enable the UGC to design the schemes better, execute them effectively and monitor the outcomes/outputs in a time-bound manner.

• 20. State Councils of Higher Education have so far been established only in a few states as interface bodies between the state governments, the universities of the State and the national bodies/councils like the UGC/All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), etc. In order to facilitate national-level coordination of the higher education schemes/policies and their speedy implementation, all states shall be encouraged and incentivized to establish and activate these councils. Similarly, the College Development Councils (CDCs) of the universities will be made more effective in channelling the UGC schemes to Colleges through the CDCs, supported appropriately by the UGC.

• 21. Universities and Colleges being the end users of the public funds, provided by either the central or the state governments, shall have to be made accountable for the funds, provided by introducing a New Educational Management System Inclusive and Qualitative Expansion of Higher Education 7, whereby their accountability would be assessed more in terms of their performance and outcomes and less in terms of insistence on adherence to elaborate processes and procedures. Such initiatives shall have to go beyond e-governance, management information systems and enterprise-wide resource planning. They must seek to bring about changes in the systems, processes, culture, and structure of the university Act/Statutes.

• 22. State Universities and Colleges affiliated thereto account for an overwhelmingly large number of enrolments in higher education and it is this sector that has been least attended to in terms of resource support and subjected to external influences and pressures in the name of accountability. Enhanced resource support to this sector based on the commitment of the state governments to provide these institutions greater autonomy and operational flexibility shall be a priority during the 12th FYP.

• 23. A large number of new Central Universities and Model Colleges that were established during the 11th FYP would require continued and accelerated support because during this Plan they are likely to fast pace their development and operational work and any resource constraints at this juncture would be detrimental to their growth and development.