Dr A K Srivastava, Director, NDRI talks about higher education sector and its challenges
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
Our vision is to be the centre of excellence in education and research in the area of milk production, processing and management so as to serve as a valuable resource for dairy industry and society. Our mission is to generate new knowledge by engaging in cutting-edge research and to promote academic growth by offering state-of-the-art undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes; to integrate, synthesize, and
apply scientific and technical knowledge related to the production, processing and marketing of milk and milk products to societal problems, and their dissemination to serve the dairy industry, farming community and the nation.
In terms of regulation of the higher education sector, what are the key challenges and prospects in reforming the landscape of higher education?
The key challenges facing the higher education system in the country include poor funding (less than 1 percent of GNP) and poor governance leading to poor infrastructure, chronic shortage of faculty (30-40 percent vacant faculty positions) and thereby low quality of teaching and
learning. The quality of education is also adversely affected due to outdated & rigid curricula, the absence of employer engagement in course content and skills development, and very few opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. The prevalent pedagogies and assessment system
emphasizes only on rote learning giving students very little opportunity to develop a wider range of transversal skills, including critical thinking, analytical reasoning problem-solved and collaborative working. The present education system has been highly politicised wherein politicians acquire a great vested interest in the affairs of universities interfering in recruitment process and overall functioning of the university.
What are your views on RUSA: Will it be a game-changer in higher education and how?
RUSA seems to be one of the greatest reforms in the governance and funding of state universities giving way to a completely new approach towards funding, regulation and governance of higher education in state universities based on key principles of performance-based funding, incentivizing well performing institutions and decision-making through clearly defined norms. However, the scheme involves funding of universities by central and state governments in given ratio. There is an apprehension that it is often difficult to obtain the share of state funding. Moreover, the request for the fund is to be routed through the State Higher Education Councils (SHEC), there may be a delay in getting the funds. However, I feel that, if implemented honestly and successfully, it will bring in a new era of quality assurance and accountability in state universities and colleges in India and can change the horizon of higher education of the country. We can only hope that this policy too does not become another scheme on papers and demonstrate poor execution due to various bureaucratic hurdles and inefficiencies.
With foreign collaborations being the key focus of educational institutes, what are the current and future plans your university in furthering these collaborations?
International collaboration gives students the benefits of shared experience and co-construction of knowledge with peers from diverse perspectives through interaction. NDRI Deemed University has international collaborations with Ridet Institute, Palmerstone North, New Zealand; Erasmus Mundas Programme, Brussels, Belgium and DAAD, Germany.
Do you think industry-academia partnership is important to provide employable skills for students and how?
There is currently limited collaboration of academic institution with industry. There is a strong need to merge the discoverydriven culture of the university with the innovation-driven environment of the industry. But to make the chemistry work, each side must overcome the cultural and communications divide that tends to impair industry-university partnerships and weaken their potential.
Prof (Dr) S K Kaushal, Vice Chancellor, Arni University
Prof S K Kaushal, Vice Chancellor-cum-Chairman, Arni University talks about the policies that can be a game-changer in higher education
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
Arni University is a vibrant, equitable and sustainable university, committed to teaching and research excellence at the service of its students, scholars and wider community. The mission of the University is to provide high quality education contributing to the advancement of knowledge
that is socially relevant, and applying that knowledge to the scientific, technological and social-economic development of our nation and the wider world. Our principles are to commit ourselves to the pursuit of truth, intellectual honesty, openness to ideas and excellence through the attainment of the highest professional and ethical standards in teaching, learning, research and service to the community in vicinity.
In terms of regulation of the higher education sector, what are the key challenges and prospects in reforming the landscape of higher education?
Our imperfect world is advancing relent-lessly towards uncertain future scenarios, and we must try to redirect it towards sustainability, that is, towards a new way of doing things in order to improve our environment while at the same time, achieving justice, social equality and economic
stability. However, change is impossible without learning, just as learning is impossible without change. In the text that follows, I will analyze the need for a new form of education in today’s society and identify the specific challenges that higher education faces.
1. Changes in Universities as institutions and at the level of internal organization. These changes should aim to improve the management of resources (human, economics, etc.) and be restructured to improve internal democracy. Universities must continue their mission to educate, train and carry out research through an approach characterized by ethics, autonomy, responsibility and anticipation.
2. Changes aimed at tapping the potential of information and communication technologies in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. The goal of such changes is to create what Prensky (2009) calls digital wisdom.
What are your views on RUSA: Will it be the game-changer in higher education and how?
RUSA is a good step. It will improve the overall quality of institutions and create an enabling atmosphere in the higher educational institutions where people will devote themselves to research and innovations.
Do you think industry-academia partnership is important to provide employable skills to students and how?
Industry-academia research partnerships have become an important part of good university and corporate R&D. Several basic trends and needs of the academia and industries have fueled these alliances. They include the decrease in government funding of academic research, an explosion in technology, a robust economy, and greater competition within industries. The results of these partnerships are mainly positive for all parties involved. Industry gets needed research, Universities get funding, and society gets new products and technology.
It’s a balancing act of mutual cooperation in which everyone has a shot at winning. To remain competitive in the global economy,
it is imperative that corporate sector accelerate their innovation process. The industry gains expertise in areas they need the most. And they have a hand in producing graduates who are better equipped to enter the business world. We cannot deny that industry has benefited immensely from these partnerships by fueling research in academic centers.
Prof (Dr) Devendra Pathak, Vice Chancellor, APG Shimla University talks about the importance of industry-academia partnership in providing employable skills to students
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
The mission and vision of the promoters of APG Shimla University, is to create leaders who inspire a vision, winners who set positive paradigm of action and achievers who have the will and strength to make the difference.
In terms of regulation of the higher education sector, what are the key challenges and prospects in reforming the landscape of higher education?
In Himachal, we had Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, which has since been struck down by High Court of Himachal Pradesh. However, state government is the regulator through its department of higher education. The government only decides about the number of intake of students, types of courses to be run, tuition fee and hostel charges without any value addition to curricula, assistance to training and development and employability. These are the real bottlenecks in ensuring viability in bringing changes in the higher education landscape.
What are your views on RUSA: Will it be the game-changer in higher education and how?
RUSA is really a revolutionary step aimed at galvanizing the present educational delivery, its pedagogy and methodology hitherto practised. Option for choicebased credit system opens creative avenues for the students to pursue their choice-based subjects adding passion to hobbies and studies.
With foreign collaborations being the key focus of educational institutes, what are the current and future plans of your university in the same?
APG Shimla University already has tieups with more than half a dozen foreign universities and at present, some 60 students from different countries are studying here. The number is likely to go up to 200+ during academic session 2014-15.
Do you think industry-academia partnership is important to provide employable skills to students and how?
Mismatch between the expectations of industry and delivery of academia has been the main stumbling block for employability of the graduating students. We have been trying to bridge the gap by continuous interface with the industry and get our curriculum vetted by
them.
What are your views on the use of ICTs in education? How does the university keep up with the rapid technological changes?
We have given utmost importance to introduction of technology and its convergence has been ensured in all streams, be it management, engineering or any other course.
What role do you think private universities play in the education sector in India?
With three million students seeking to pursue higher education in various streams, the central, state and deemed universities cannot cope up with their existing infrastructure and capacity of intake. Therefore, intervention of private universities is warranted to take care of the increasing demand for higher education.
How can India’s higher education system be made more robust? How has your university been able to provide the necessary knowledge for effective employability of students?
Higher education in India can be robust if faculty is well qualified for dissemination of knowledge, emphasis is laid on original research resulting into productive development, adequate compensation, congenial environment, motivation and support are in place. Close rapport with industry and academia in tune with their expectation, course curricula matching to the needs of corporate and industries with proper infrastructure and lab facilities, etc. will help boost quality and standard of higher education raising the employability quotient of the students.
Prof ORS Rao, Vice Chancellor, ICFAI University, Jharkhand talks about the role of ICTs in Education and more.
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
The ICFAI group has pioneered higher education in India, with pan-India presence, with 11 Universities (seven out of them being in East and North Eastern part of India) and 5 Premier Business Schools across India so that quality higher education is accessible to every Indian, wherever he is, only on the basis of merit. The group’s motto is ‘Meritum Ethicus’, meaning Merit with Ethics. The ICFAI University, Jharkhand is one of the 11 Universities set up by the ICFAI group. The University’s mission is to groom its students into ‘competent professionals, with values’. It also strives to create an intellectually stimulating environment for research, particularly into areas, bearing socio-economic and cultural development of Jharkhand and the nation, as a whole.
Do you think Industry-Academia partnership is important to provide employable skills for students and how?
While Industry is the vehicle to drive the economy of India, Academia provides fuel (skilled manpower) to the industry. However, the paradox is: while only a small percentage of graduating students are employable, the industry currently spends a lot of money not just to recruit people, but to retrain them so that they are made productive. In this scenario, there needs to be a symbiotic partnership between Industry and Academia, for mutual benefit. It should cover the entire academic life cycle of curriculum formulation, academic delivery, guest lectures, internships/projects, placements, etc. Industry also needs help from academia in terms of executive development programmes for its employees (to enhance their capabilities) and consultancy and research & development (for new product development and solving customer problems).
What are your views on the use of ICTs in Education? How does the university keep up with the rapidly changing technological changes?
ICT is an important enabler to ensure effective teaching-learning processes so that requisite knowledge and skills are imparted to the students as per their interests and convenience. In the current scenario, wherein there is scarcity of competent teachers, ICT can complement classroom teaching, by way of video lecturers, video walk-throughs of manufacturing plants, animation films, etc. Besides, virtual labs and simulators can be used by students to conduct experiments where equipment is very expensive or calls for a hazardous environment. Video Conferencing facility can be used for bringing together remotely located teachers with learners (for lectures, seminars, etc) and employers and graduating students (for placement interviews).
How has your university been able to provide the necessary knowledge for effective employability to students?
Our University analyses, on an ongoing basis, the trends in technology and job markets and the changing knowledge and skills requirements of the industry and updates curriculum every year. For instance, we have recently introduced courses in emerging technology areas like IT Infrastructure Management, Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing, Smart devices programming, etc in our curriculum for BCA and B Tech (Computer Sciences). Internships / Projects in industry for durations, ranging from two months (for MBA) to 7 months (for B Tech) are part of our curriculum so as to impart hands-on skills to the students. In recognition of the importance of ‘character building’ for professional and personal success, we introduced ‘Values and Ethics’ in all of our programmes, in collaboration with Rama Krishna Mission Ashrama, Ranchi. In all, we ensure that all graduating students are imparted requisite knowledge and skills so as to make them not only employable but also happy in their lives.
Dr Surekha Thacker, Vice Chancellor, Dr CV Raman University
Dr Surekha Thacker, Vice Chancellor, Dr CV Raman University talks about the role of foreign collaborations in the education sector in India
How are you planning to stay afloat in such a cut throat competition among other Universities/ institutes?
We are working in the tribal block. We try to create awareness about need of education amongst rural/tribal folks and provide best facilities to students within their reach.
What is so unique about your University?
Which is the most preferred course among students here? CVRU is the premier university in Chhattisgarh and one of the first to implement semester system even in their UG courses. Our focus is on tribal students. We provide best education to them to bring them up to the level of urban students, expose them to newer techniques and make them employable and work-ready by the time they complete their education.
About 57 percent students in our university are poor and backward and they are offered scholarships either by state government or by the university. We are proud to have 27 percent tribal girl students in Dr CV Raman University. CVRU Teachers are motivated by the university to pursue further higher education and research and the cost is borne by university. Most preferred course among our students is engineering.
How important are corporate tie-ups for private universities in improving the student placements? Industry-University interface and corporate tie-ups are very important for creating employment and employable students. Interface helps us to know what industry expects from education and guides us to impart ‘product specific’ and ‘process specific’ skills to our engineering, management or other students.
What kind of global collaboration that you have at your University?
Why do you think it is necessary? We are in the process of global collaborations to widen our horizons and offer global exposure to our students. We are in discussion with few foreign universities for exchange of teachers/students and technical knowhow. It is necessary because the world is now a ‘global village’ and thinking in isolation will stunt our growth.
What are some of the advantages that you have over government universities?
The university offers pace, resources, talent and intent. The pace of implementation of ideas, new curricula and new technologies are some of the advantages that we have over the government universities. Private universities have good resource management, pool of good talent, creative freedom and zeal to march ahead.
Quality is a serious problemno Indian university, with the exception of IITs and few others, ever features in any global ranking of the top 100 or top 200 global universities. What are your views on it?
We lack sincere professionalism. We abstain from sharing and try to cocoon our talent. Talent sharing, creative freedom for idea implementation, sound financial health, Research oriented approach and global exposure are needed for excelling. Also a right focus on India’s ancient science, rich heritage, herbal medicinesayurveda and other legacies plus the awareness of modern ideas about intellectual property-patents can give us the unique lead in global competition.
What are your expectations from the government?
The government should grant more freedom to good universities. Lessen discussions and focus on work. Follow global footprints and make a mark.
Rajendra Kumar Pandey, President, NIIT University talks about the role private universities play in the education sector in India
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
NIIT University’s vision is to be the leading center of innovation and learning in emerging areas of the knowledge society. Our mission is to foster research, discovery and sustainability, deliver distinctive education through the pioneering use of technology, develop talent for the sustainable growth of Industry and society and nurture a culture of seamlessness in all facets of life.
Do you think industry-academia partnership is important to provide employable skills to students and how?
The rapid pace of growth of knowledge and more specifically knowledge in the domain of science and technology demands innovative approaches in higher education. The response time to understand, meet and face these changes and challenges has to be fast. We believe the only way to be able to respond in a far more effective way to these changes is to go hand in hand partnering with the industry.
Exposing students to the corporate world by the way of frequent industry visits, internships, live projects and interaction with senior management from leading organizations makes for a tremendous difference in the understanding of required skills for industry and corporate culture.
What role do you think private universities play in the education sector in India?
The twenty first century has ushered in profound changes in the way society perceives and demands higher education from universities. The rapid pace with which technologies are changing has also put pressures on the academia to constantly adjust to these changes in a dynamic way. Private universities are uniquely positioned in responding to these challenges. The cultural divide between private university and the corporate world is also narrower, which helps in fostering stronger bonding. The benefits of the bond obviously go to the students in terms of job opportunities. These universities also offer better campus facilities, IT infrastructure and freedom from red tape. These are some of the reasons behind the success of private universities in India.
How has your university been able to provide the necessary knowledge for effective employability of students? Our strong linkages with industries, technology-based education, worldclass infrastructure, research-driven culture and seamless ideology make us unique. The academic programmes at NIIT University have been designed to ensure that students get exposure to the corporate culture by way of industry practice, internship, corporate mentorship and foreign immersion. We also ensure sufficient exposure to R&D. Many of our students have thus been able to participate in national and international conferences in India as well as abroad and won awards. We are indeed very proud to share that our students have received sponsored research project from DRDO. The University takes pride in providing 100 percent placement to all the students.
How can India’s higher education system be made more robust?
As we are aware, the number of academic institutions in India is just not enough to meet the targeted gross enrolment of 30 percent by 2020. The existing universities have been unable to compete globally in research or knowledge creation. We, therefore, feel the nation needs to encourage the increase in number of institutions for higher education. To compete and to be acknowledged globally, we should also encourage foreign university collaborations and foreign immersion programmes. The industry should also be involved, so as to understand their social responsibility and come forth with their contribution.
Prof VPS Arora, Vice Chancellor,Supertech University
Prof VPS Arora, Vice Chancellor, Supertech University talks about importance of foreign university collaborations
What is your vision of Supertech University?
Supertech University is being created to provide opportunity to the people of Uttarakhand and adjoining states to get quality education in domain of relevance at affordable cost. The University offers array of courses in different areas of knowledge including emerging innovative areas like public policy, infrastructure management, health care management, liberal arts and actuarial science. The University intends to give balanced focus on capacity building, consultancy, innovations, research, skill development, teaching-learning and Indian values and culture. The vision statement of the University is creation of an edifice of excellence aligned with global bests, imparting true education based on pillars of research, innovation, intellectual curiosity and freedom to pursue the same
What are the special changes brought about by your university in pedagogy for making sure that the students are industry employable? Industry-Academia interaction is not going to be a mere bullet point or a box ticking exercise in Supertech University. These meetings will be taken religiously and seriously to glean out the expectations of the industry which will be factored while formulating the curriculum.
There is a dedicated Directorate of Placement and Counseling in Supertech University which will on one hand ensure fixing of accountability on human resource responsible, and on the other constitute a driving force galvanizing and coordinating participation of all stakeholders in the process of placement and counseling of Supertech graduates.
When there is involvement of all stakeholders there is bound to be positive impact. There are many organizations wherein responsibility of placement has been entrusted to faculties, who in turn take it as an additional burden thereby adopting a very lackadaisical approach to the entire exercise. To avoid this pitfall, in Supertech University, a dedicated Directorate has been conceived so that the issue of placement gets the priority and focus it merits.
A major drawback commonly noticed amongst students is lack of communication skill. It is intended to address this issue from day one. There would be dedicated classes to impart training on communication skills, which will have a credit associated with it. Similarly, study of behavioral science and ethics will be a compulsory credit to impart attributes of tehzeeb and sanskar.
Students have to be made conscious that the employer is going to test their worthiness before giving them the offer letter. Once the students realize this awareness, they would be prepared for the acid test. Usually when a student joins university after 10 + 2, for some time there is a feeling of having joined a Masti ki Paathshala. Surely, “Masti”, they must have, yet they should not lose the focus for which they have joined Supertech University.
Do you think foreign university collaborations add value to the education provided in the private university and if yes, how?
We are living in a world which is ‘flat’, to borrow from Thomas Friedman. In an interactive and interoperable world, knowledge creation, preservation and dissemination cannot remain confined to geographic limits. To that extent collaboration with foreign universities has obvious advantages. However, to derive full dividend, it is important to consider what kind of MOU/ MOA exists with foreign universities, what is their standing in the respective domain and what is more significant and critical is that who is at the driver’s seat ensuring that the institutional arrangements are given a meaningful orientation and impetus, they fructify realizing their full potential.
It is a known fact that Indian Universities do not figure anywhere in university rankings. If Ivy League universities are ranked amongst the best year after year, there must be something substantial they may be engaged in so as to retain their pre-eminence in the field association with them is bound to reflect some glory on us.
Dr Mithilesh Dixit, Vice Chancellor, Career Point University
Dr Mithilesh Dixit, Vice Chancellor, Career Point University talks about challenges in reforming landscape of higher education.
What has been your mission while promoting the cause of education?
We started with a very simple vision to impart knowledge. Our vision of imparting knowledge did not end up in books, syllabus and curriculum or just making students job worthy. We went ahead to develop life skills for a lifetime and enable children and youth to be able to face challenges of life in all aspects of a good and a great living. We have envisioned a new dimension in learning. We have created paradigms to connect the individual to the institutional, national and even global transformation process. We focus on knowledge creation. We believe to follow excellence, strive for perfection and all else will naturally fall in place. We will play a major role in positive change and development of both individuals and the society. It will also be a sustaining force.
In terms of regulation of the higher education sector, what are the key challenges and prospects in reforming the landscape of higher education?
Higher education is extremely diverse and the challenges and issues faced by higher education are just as diverse. We are required to meet global demand for skills with appropriate supply of skilled employable youth. The process of education is not merely digesting books. It is also about doing several co-curricular and extracurricular activities that give a broader meaning to life in general and learning in particular. I believe that opportunities for such holistic development are not enough.
We are in a phase of higher education where we need to review our fundamental structure, re-examine our programmes, pedagogy, delivery and student support methods. Learning and the advancement of knowledge is yet to become the focus of our research efforts, underpinning a system-level capacity for sustained expansion and for consistent growth of our learning outcomes.
With foreign collaborations being the key focus of educational institutes, what are the current and future plans of your university in the same?
We do not look at foreign collaborations as brand enhancement venture but as an investment in knowledge base. That is why we look for both institutional tie-ups wells as specific course-related tie-ups or just for exchange of knowledge. We are not bringing foreign names, but global knowledge. It will empower our alumni to serve the national interests internationally and will project our culture and values.
We have already signed MOUs for exchange of knowledge and certification in some popular mainstream courses and would continue to do so in future. We will continue to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with globally-ranked and respected institutions overseas. This will entail staff development, intensive use of resources, increased use of innovative forms of delivery, changes to programme structures and increased delivery of programmes. It will also include global mobility of our staff and students.
What role do you think private universities play in the education sector in India?
Private universities have a role to play in social and economic regeneration. We need to distinguish by the quality and quantity of our alumni, the innovation across the spectrum of economic, social, civic and cultural arenas. We also need to deepen the quality and intensity of relationship with enterprise and adjust our strategy regularly in response to global change. Critical thinking, adaptability and creativity will be key characteristics required of graduates in the future job market.
Dr Amir Ullah Khan, Vice Chancellor, Glocal University
Our higher education model must recognise that India’s demographic dividend impacts nearly 250 million youth that make up 21 percent of India. They all are looking for jobs. We need to design our educational pattern keeping the same in mind, says Dr Amir Ullah Khan, Vice Chancellor, Glocal University.
More than 60 years ago, India decided to follow the model of higher education that was followed in the UK. The University Grants Commission Act was passed in 1956 and this statutory body came in to being that would regulate standards in Indian universities and give grants to all central universities. For 40 years, we continued this system.
Nearly two decades ago, in 1995, the Sikkim Manipal University was established as Indian’s first private sector university. Since then a small number of such initiatives have taken shape and today, we have a little more than 170 private universities set up all over the country. The total number of universities is about 660, 45 of whom are central universities, 312 state universities and about 130 are deemed universities. And all over the country, the debate on this privatisation has been going on relentlessly, including on the question of allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India.
Today, no Indian university is ranked even in the top 200 in the world. The best universities are predominantly from the United States, but there are Japanese and Chinese Universities that are among the top 50. Indian universities suffer from poor faculty to student ratio, a pitiable research output, very little industry interface, and crumbling infrastructure by way of poorly equipped laboratories and meagre library resources. Despite a long history, our universities have never been able to establish any international reputation and this includes institutes that we are very proud of, namely the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management.
In India, most rankings name Delhi University, the Jawaharlal University and the Calcutta University among the top universities within the country. Osmania University and the Central University in Hyderabad, Aligarh Muslim and Benares Hindu University and the Bombay University are the other top ranked institutions. The Birla Institute in Pilani is one solitary private institute that figures among the top institutes in the country.
None of our government-owned and run universities can compete with any well-known international university. The gross enrolment ratio (GER) in India, that shows how many people between 18 and 25 enter college, is lower than 18 percent and pales in comparison with most countries around the world.
It indeed is time we visited this rather rigid system and allowed it to become far more inclusive than it is. Distance education, which has been so tightly regulated and under developed, must be catalysed to provide inexpensive and high quality education to millions of youth in remote locations, in a number of languages and covering a larger number of subjects and skills.
Curriculum that has always been supply driven needs to increasingly transform into delivering demand-driven output, keeping the potential employer in mind and incorporating industry interest. Private universities, if allowed to grow and unshackled from mindless restrictions, could play a great role in this area.
