Foreword By Professor Philip G. Altbach
PAWAN Agarwal has done a significant service to the international
higher education community by writing an informative, up-to-date and
analytical book about Indian higher education. Internationally, little
is known about Indian higher education—and what is known is not
particularly favourable. Indian Higher Education: Envisioning the Future
will also be immensely useful for Indians—policymakers, the academic
community and the public—because it provides an overview of the
complexity of the academic system and analysis of the problems facing
higher education.
It is surprising that India has no major higher education research
centre and no group of researchers focusing on this key subject. Higher
education as an academic subject is not taught in Indian universities, and
the large cadre of administrators in India’s sprawling higher education
system have no training about how universities function, their role in
society, or the finances or academe. This is in sharp contrast to China,
which has an extensive network of higher education training programmes
attached to universities, several excellent higher education research
centres, and a general understanding that policy and management of
higher education is a matter of considerable national importance.
Pawan Agarwal’s book is important because it provides the beginning
of a dialog about higher education that can inform policy discussions.
It discusses most of the central issues facing India’s higher education
establishment—the immense challenge of funding the massive system
in ways that can provide quality and access, regulation and quality assurance,
workforce development, the role of research, and others.
The fact is that India’s higher education system is well below the
standard of the countries with which it is competing globally. India
has no universities anywhere near the top in any of the international
rankings. Only the IITs, which of course are not universities but are
small technologically focused institutions, show up in the rankings.
Only one or two of the universities are anywhere near the quality of
competitors in China, Korea, Singapore and other rapidly developing
countries. Some argue that while India graduates large numbers of
engineers and other technologically oriented people, many do not have
the skills needed for the global economy. Many bright Indians choose
to study abroad in part because they cannot get the quality that they
want at home—and a large majority does not return home.
India has several competitive advantages. The widespread use of
English, some innovative high tech and other companies that can
absorb well-trained graduates and a large population of bright and
energetic students, all contribute to India’s potential. Yet, without
careful attention to improving the universities, providing more adequate
funding, expanding the top-quality sector of the system, eliminating
corruption and ensuring that students who get access to higher education
can successfully complete their studies, India’s academic potential, and
eventually its economic success, will be put in jeopardy.
Philip G. Altbach
Monan University Professor
Director, Center for International Higher Education
Boston College |
