Higher Education in India

India’s higher education system is overcrowded. The numbers of aspiring students far exceed the institutions and the infrastructure available for such education. So the institutions have become degree churning bodies with the word ‘for profit’ applicable for many privately funded institutions where the education is treated as a business. The quality of the degree obtained has become questionable. Even famous institutions like IITs & IIMs get meritorious students at undergraduate level to be rolled out either for higher studies or research in a developed country or to become top executives in industry. But these institutions also do not excel in world class research, which is one of the key parameters of higher education.

If employment could be ensured after a student completes his/her school education with some vocational training in specific skills which suit the industry needs, the crowding of higher education could be avoided. But because of availability and to reduce screening efforts, minimum qualification for a job is sometimes set as a graduate where school leaving certificate is enough and a student has to go for a graduation course often against his interest. A chicken and egg situation prevails. What is needed is not many private engineering/medical colleges or management institutes but more training centers with focus on numerous field skills required by industrial & commercial establishments. Let the universities concentrate and excel on the research and quality higher education with true international character and reputation.