1.2 Governance
It has been observed that policy framework is carefully planned at the level of the Planning Commission, Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission. However, the policies are not fully implemented mostly because of faulty management of the institutions of higher education. The administrative structure of the Universities, which was devised in the pre-independence period seems to be still continuing. The new challenges facing the system of higher education in the country cannot be met without a total overhaul of the structure of management of higher education institutions. This has become all the more necessary because of globalization, which requires talent, competence, drive, initiative and innovation at several levels. This cannot be achieved without overhauling the administrative set up of Universities/Institutions. Therefore Governance of Higher Education was deliberated at length at this Seminar, the main recommendations of which are summarized below.
1.2.1 Recommendations
1. The Governmental control in the Universities must be reduced, so that the University autonomy and accountability are strengthened and academic decisions are taken on merit.
2. New methods and procedures of financial regulations should be devised and direct interference of the finance department in the financial management of Universities, which is counter productive should be stopped.
3. As the Colleges are the feeding sources of the Universities, a better coordination in their working and activities is very much required. The participation of the teaching faculty in through a democratic process should be ensured.
4. Complete transparency should be maintained in the working of Executive/ Academic Bodies and other Governing Councils of the Universities. There is an urgency to review the University Acts in different States and revise the same in the light of the new requirements and the challenges being faced by the Universities.. New technologies of information and communication should be utilized for obtaining administrative efficiency.
5. Higher Education should be developed as an infrastructure for social and economic growth of the Country.
6. Students involvement in the area of University/College governance should be encouraged. 7. Political interference in the appointment of University teachers and administrators should be totally stopped..
1.3 Access and Equity
Today the world economy is experiencing an unprecedented change. New developments in science and technology, media revaluation and internationalization of education and the ever expanding competitive environment are revolutionizing the education scene. A paradigm shift has been noticed in higher education now a days, from ‘national education‘ to ‘global education’, from ‘one time education for a few’ to ‘life long education for all’, from ‘teacher- centric education’ to ‘learner centric education’. These changes make new demands and pose fresh challenges to the established education systems and practices in the country. Because of interdependence and integration of world economy in recent years, the Indian higher education system has a new role and a challenge to provide to the nation and the world at large, skilled human power at all levels, having breadth of knowledge and confidence to effectively confront the social and economic realities. It is worth noting that while India has the second largest system of higher education, next only to USA, the total number of students hardly represent 6 percent of the relevant age group, i.e., 18 - 23, which is much below the average of developed countries, which is about 47%. Thus, access, equity, accountability and quality should form the four guiding principles, while planning for higher education development in India in the twenty-first century. It is true that enhancing social access to higher education is still important in the country. But, the major challenge before the Indian higher education system is to bring equity in quality of education across the length and breadth of the country. This is more close to the heart of students in rural, semi urban and urban areas, because they also wish to be able to participate in the new economic revolution. Several social, economic and political reasons seem to act as constraints to access and equity in higher education in India. Poverty leads to high drop- out rates even at primary, middle and secondary school levels. Lower status of women, lack of easy access, lack of implementation of existing programmes, inadequate utilization of resources, absence of political will and inadequacies in coordinated actions across all equity fronts within institutions seem to be the other reason. Financial constrains also often form a significant factor in advancing equity. These and related issues in Equity and Access of Higher Education formed the subject matter of this Seminar, whose major recommendations are as follows:
1.3.1 Recommendations
1. Strategies for higher education should be set within an educational chain extending from early childhood to post- graduate education to career advancement. Improving the interrelationship of all stages and levels of education should be a long - term policy goal.
2. Rural, urban and gender disparities must be kept in mind by policy makers in planning and implementing the higher education system.
3. While quantity is important, say achieving, double digit percentage for higher education, quality is paramount. Higher education should continue to be subsidized by the Government in an adequate manner. For improving the quality in education the role of public sector should be enhanced.
4. While the Western models of higher education should be suitably adopted, the education planners/implementers and the institutions should devise and develop indigenous ones.
5. A liberal milieu in the Indian Universities must be reconstructed. Diversity of opinion and critique of society and its processes need to be encouraged.
6. The appointment of bureaucrats, police officers/generals as Vice Chancellors and Registrars must be avoided as far as possible
7. Policies of higher education should be designed to strengthen indigenous research agenda.
8. One reform that is urgently needed is the right to information in the institutions of higher learning. Transparency in the functioning at all levels is required so that those committing wrong are deterred.
9. It is recommended that the method of selection of Vice Chancellors must be changed urgently, to make them accountable to the academic community and not to the political or bureaucratic bosses.
10. Policies of our country based on simplicity and sharing of facilities within and across institutions must be established and encouraged.
11. The WTO pushing the trade in services will have far reaching consequences in India, particularly for the remote areas and poorer sections of the Society. Therefore, the World Bank, WTO and GATT policies on higher education need serious consideration, National interests must be safe guarded. And, the opportunities for the deprived and under privileged people and regions must be ensured
12. There have been significant changes recently in the policies on financing of Universities in India affecting the pattern of financing and expenditure in the Universities. Given the increasing importance of higher education, it is important that the State continues to take major responsibility of financing the Universities. All other sources of income , including fees should be viewed only as peripheral. It is to be noted that reliance on students’ fees has its own limitation.
13. Increasing reliance on the generation of internal revenues through consultancy and interaction with industry may produce imbalances in the Universities across various disciplines of study. So, efforts for the mobilization of resources have to be made extremely cautiously. Keeping in view our concerns of equity, efficiency and excellence in University education. Hence, the best method of financing of the Universities may still be by the State.
14. Universities have to attempt seriously to improve the pattern of allocation of resources between various activities and items of expenditure. Core academic activities should obviously receive top priority.
15. At the Universities, students’ welfare, particularly scholarships, stipends etc., should be given due importance. Expenditure on administration and other miscellaneous activities needs to be rationalized.
16. New models for higher education including the following aspects need to be created and adopted in the country:
(a) extended traditional Universities
(b) technology based Universities, and
(c) corporate Universities..
1.4 Policy Planning for Export
Increasing economic integration across the World over the past decade has cast tumultuous impact on all the areas supporting human life in the developing countries, which constitutes about 80% of the work force. The so-called structural adjustments in national policies and the new international economic order have brought about severe stresses never perceived before. There are exhortations to the policy planners of higher education emanating from GATT regulations made under WTO formulation e.g. withdrawal of subsidies, reduced control of the State, larger privatization and access to corporate players, designing of courses to meet the human resource needs of the markets in the changed scenario, and reliance on self-financing type management. There are also obligations to allow free import of higher education as a service commodity from developed nations in the form of cross-border supply, consumption abroad etc. The cumulative effect of all these factors and the prevailing competitive environment have hustled the morale, confidence and commitment of the University community in general, even inducing trepidation. Improving the low level of enrollment 6% in the 18-23 age group) ratio, ensuring better equity, access, sound and realistic man-power planning, faster growth of skilled human resource for a self-reliant course of economic development and universalization of basic education are the other major challenges. In such a skewed and gruelling perspective, the University academics and administrators, are confronted with so many challenges calling for knee-jerk response and pro-active approaches to management of institutions of higher education with a high level of professionalism, competence and quality assurance. They are duty bound to tide over the challenges facing the institutions and deliver quality goods and services to the customers and users without any opacity, obsession or prejudice. Outline of the strategies, the imperative scope of expansion, dimensions of diversification, potentials for both shortand long-term planning and modalities of placid administrative processes warranted in the contemporary ambience, but in the changed context, have been discussed by experts and researchers. There was a consensus that without compromising the national ethos of equity and access to higher education to all the intending learners at reasonable cost and to the socially disadvantaged ones at subsidized levels, higher education institutions in India must boost their activities to provide diversified academic products and services of high quality and with a strong market orientation. These issues and concerns were the focus of attention at these two Seminars, whose main recommendations are outlined below.
1.4.1. Recommendations
1. Most of the areas identified for export of higher education are directly concerned with industries. Therefore, Central and State Governments should introduce a range of programmes and incentives designed specially to improve the links between Universities and Industry.
2. The Universities and National Institutes of higher Learning should design their courses in collaboration with industry and such courses be updated regularly, e.g., every year, according to need.
3. There should be uniformity, as far as possible, in the standards of the courses, academic calendar and the examination system of Universities.
4. To provide a broad choice of courses, credit system should be introduced in the Universities.
5. Libraries should be fully equipped with the latest books, journals and periodicals
6. Laboratories should be updated and obsolescence in equipment/facilities should be removed on a regular basis.
7. Working facilities and workload of teachers should be as per the international norms
8. Teachers should be encouraged to attend various Conventions, Conferences, Seminars, Workshops in their disciplines to update their subject know how.
9. Other desirable initiatives for export of higher education include:
• Developing educational products of new models based on flexibility and learner's choice; • Preparing students for the knowledge society;
• Providing methods and styles of working for life-long learning;
• Arranging facilities for E-learning and distance learning;
• Ensuring total quality management in the higher education system;
• Catering to the changing market demands and churn out adaptable work force, instead of providing them scope for narrow specialization.
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