Where Higher Education Falls Short in India?

Abstract

A sound higher education sector assumes an imperative role in economic development and advancement of a country. Higher education, regarding its pertinence and significance, enjoys a significant position in the instruction framework as it outfits individuals with learning and aptitudes to be productively utilized. In the connection of the present demographic structure of India where the dominant part of populace is underneath the age of 25 years, higher education had a significant role to play in serving to realize the broad social changes fundamental for sustainable development. The growing problems relating to education at all its stages demand more of research, the problems of universalisation of elementary education vocationalization of education, delinking degrees from of jobs, autonomy of educational institutions, and the open university system etc., pose a big challenge to educational research. The present paper gives an overview regarding the current status of higher education in India. Further, this paper throws light on the crisis prevailing in the higher education sector in terms of lower budgetary allocation, inequalities in access and equity, privatization of higher education, lack of autonomy, bureaucratic control, quality and accreditation of higher educational institutions etc. The study revealed that there is an urgent need to revise the existing education policy with comprehensive and broad new education policy to meet the needs of present situation in effective manner. In the end, this paper provides suggestions to undertake various reforms in higher education sector including implementing total quality management in higher education sector, devising new cost recovery measures, aligning higher education with the job markets, finding visionary heads of varsities, emphasis on vocational courses and establishment of new futuristic institutions by replacing University Grants Commission (UGC) etc.