Education Reforms in India: How and in what way ?

The massive reforms in the Education sector are awaiting for further action by governments, in states and at the centre. Starting from the fundamental Right to Education,  moving towards consolidating the secondary education and towards creating more quality professional and research institutions is the top priority in education sector of the government. The debate about the actual target hovers around achieving 15 % enrolment in 12^th plan and 20% enrolment up to 2020. Some experts in Planning Commission argue that focus should be on the absolute number of people to be brought in the education net rather than concentrating on the percentage of enrolment to be achieved. Real challenges ahead of Planning Commission are manifold when reforms in Education sector are discussed. Those are lack of inspirational incentive for the teacher training at primary and secondary education level. Huge paucity of infrastructure leading towards languishing of the funds and vice versa, great degree of vacuum in   the monitoring of the quality and excellence, too many regulatory institutions making it impossible for smooth functioning of the institutions regulating and those of being regulated.

            The reforms in the education sector are subjected to huge investment increase made by Planning Commission from 10^th to 11^th Plan. New Central Universities, Innovation Universities, Centers of Excellence, National Institutes of Technologies, IIITs, IITs, IISERs and many other premier higher education institutions are being proposed and being established. What is the matter of worry is speed with which these institutions are being established. Another important aspect of worry is the stagnated number of new institutions being proposed and limited intake capacity with limited disciplines having less scope for interdisciplinary professional courses and creating ambience to nurture interdisciplinary research fields.

            The reforms in higher education will only succeed once we create the anticipatory mechanisms which will tap, trace and respond to the growing challenges of the economic growth and sustainable development. The needs of these two factors should drive the classification of the categories which will dominate the creation of quality benchmarks for excellence in human resource development policy aims at. The complacency on the front of human resource development will greatly cripple the India`s growth aspirations which ultimately are aimed at fulfilling the basic needs of the huge population of this country. Development of soft skills and technical skills which will help in strengthening the employability are surely the principal means to provide the equal opportunity to the oppressed classes in competitive environment of job market and also in the attainment of life having meaningful resources to live and nourishing the capability and culture to share, collaborate and plan for synergetic projects of entrepreneurship in any walks of life.

            One of the great lacunas of planning in Higher Education sector is lack of imagination where this entire workforce will lead us to. The active collaboration with the industries so as to have meaningful utilization of those people coming out of the different institutions is very crucial. The   huge untrained human resources can be big disaster when it comes to providing them efficient services. These human resources must be trained to promote self employment, to ignite the industrial ambitions and to nurture the culture of quality and excellence so as to respect the professional values. These professional ethics exposure are absent from training of today`s higher education system. When Planning Commission consistently talks about Inclusive Growth, it remains to be seen whether the process of inclusion will be cherished by government alone. Every member of civil society and in this narrow respect, higher education sector is equally responsible for creating the value chain which will respond positively to enhance the capacity of supply side and also build the capabilities of demand side in education so as to create equitable access with logical expansion without compromising quality and excellence.

            Considering the huge sector of education, different bodies working on the problems of education and conducting research on education is deeply desirable and sought after aspiration. Opportune time has arrived when Planning Commission should push for creating more and more region specific and sector specific research institutes and developing the capabilities of the people already working in this area. Unless and until we have more mature understanding about the kind of agricultural/industrial/information society we need to have in our future we will not be able to justify the mere creation of massive number of huge knowledge institutions whose sole agenda would be to manufacture the professionals rather than cultivating the leaders in every walk of life who can solve the emerging, incidental problems at hand by complementing that knowledge by adding knowledge to understand the emerging scenarios in better ways.

            India is the country which simultaneously lives from 17^th to 21^st century. The equal and opposite argument about India`s strength and weakness is equally true. The massive contradictions and subtle similarities of habits make it unique destination to preserve the unique heritage we have in terms of human resources. Creating modern educational infrastructure will greatly diminish the potential of this diversity India has by creating more homogeneous workforce by killing the diversity of thought present in different demographic groups in India. Notwithstanding the   equality of opportunity inherent in the constitution, any policy aimed at creating more opportunities in primary, secondary and higher education also leaves huge space where exploitation of the people needing education happens all along. S

            Sometimes, this exploitation happens through expensive cost of the education, sometimes through lack of information technology, sometimes due to lack of sufficient access to information resources which can transform the way we learn and sometimes the lack of        access to quality resource persons which makes huge difference in terms of inspiration and standards. Still, people in India have tried hard, thrived in difficult circumstances and embarked on uphill tasks of creating and sustaining institutions and also in knowledge delivery  practices. These people and institutions need to share their experiences in systematic manner so as to help Planning Commission to have better sense of dynamics of the economics of education and trends in quality delivery of education all over the world.

            The role of leaders in the development of higher education cannot be underestimated. While the notion that only administrative leaders are responsible and capable of sustaining and innovating the progress in primary, secondary and higher education. We need to promote the leadership qualities at every level of the education; in teaching, research, administration, training, project development, collaboration, revenue generation, inclusive policies. Creating more and more leaders to ensure the huge demand to be met with quality and quantity will definitely compliment to the nation`s effort in the other sectors of development and economic progress.

            The higher education and any education sector is increasingly being subjected to privatization and in recent days to Public Private Partnership initiatives. The strong opinion of many stalwarts in public policy hold the view that state should not abdicate the responsibility in all education areas. But looking at the challenges about access and maintenance of the quality, entry of the private institutions were inevitable. Planning commission is envisaging different experiment where PPP will be used to strengthen educational infrastructure. Apart from this proposed entry of foreign universities also tries to give this promise of quality and excellence.

            While some of the qualitative aspects of the promises given about the entry of foreign  educational institutions can be debated, the basic issue of state of the art and centers of  excellence in our research institutions  and universities cannot be wished away relying on  or importing the readymade solution. We need to strive perseveringly for the establishment of the new institutions by rewarding all the people contributing to that process. Also, the gross ignorance about the incentives to the students at any level of education cannot be compromised. This is one area which greatly needs massive reforms. The prospects of quality research and development in public funded, autonomous and private research institutes greatly depend upon the kind of reward or incentives provided to the students irrespective of their economic, social status.

            Bottom-line of education reforms in India lies in the fact that little negligence at this stage of history can ruin the prospects of returning to the normal development pace with average human development indicators. Cautious and attentive planning will certainly help to remove the stagnation and arrest the decline of employment unfriendly academic institutions, defeat the largely anti-research environment in Indian universities, demystifying massive confusion about what it means by ‘world class quality’ and off course to eradicate the pervert politics in education replacing it with potential policies in education so as to empower the masses with knowledge, professionalism and a purpose to utilize that knowledge for solving the problems of our daily lives.

           

            The institutions like Planning Commission have always emerged to the scene. Regarding education, real changes started happening since completion of the 10^th Plan. Whether the changes are driven by new terms being coined in terms of BRICS or ideas of knowledge superpower being tossed from here and there; the potential of education is one of the very few instruments which will make the Idea of sustainably developed India true in every sense. In stimulation and response there lies the choice. It was thought that after liberalization India chose to respond. Some people thought it in terms of outsourcing, demographic dividend and knowledge driven sustainable economic growth. Real  stimulation lies not in the terms being appropriated from outside but it lies in deep felt agony of the daily problems faced by millions of Indian citizens across the length and breadth  of the country. And the space created by this agony and pain is pushing Indian policymakers towards reforms in Indian education system. Within this pain and these upcoming policies, lie our ability to make choices. Choices for better life, choices for better tomorrow!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards." ---Aldous Huxley

---------------------------------------------------------

           Policies for Science and Technology must always be mixture of 

           realism  and idealism.

       ---Chris Freeman (1921-2010) [Pioneer of National Innovation Concept]

-----------------------------------------------------------

A recent UNESCO Science Report 2010 broadly captures what Fareed Zakaria is trying to tap in the book “Post American World”. Development in global economy has been arrived due to the assertive role of developments of science and technology. The reasons are as follows. A) Cheap and easy access to new digital technologies such as broadband, internet and mobile phones have accelerated the diffusion of best practice technologies revolutionized the internal and external organization of research and development centers.  B) Countries have been catching up rapidly in terms of economic growth and investment in knowledge as expressed in investment in tertiary education and R&D.  C) The impact of global recession on post 2008 challenged the north south technology trade and growth models.  This recession is being viewed as challenging western S&T dominance. It is interesting that emerging economy which once served as repository of outsourcing of manufacturing activities, they have now moved on to autonomous process technology development, product development, design and applied research. 

Achieving knowledge intensive growth is the top priority of the countries. Value creation depends increasingly upon better use of knowledge, whatever the level of development, whatever the form and whatever its origin; new product, process or technologies developed domestically, or the re-use of and novel combination of knowledge developed elsewhere. Increase in stock of ‘worlds knowledge’, as epitomized by new digital technologies and discoveries in life sciences or nanotechnologies, is creating fantastic opportunities for emerging nations to attain higher levels of social welfare and productivity. The old notion of technological gap is being considered as blessing for the countries possessing sufficient absorptive capacity and efficiency to enable them to exploit their advantage of their relative backwardness. 

        There is growing recognition that it is the systemic congruence between the various knowledge components of the innovation system that counts when it comes to devising a successful growth strategy. There is growing emphasis on STI Policies on sustainability and green technologies. National STI policies clearly face a radically new global landscape in which territorial policy focus is coming under severe pressure. Knowledge accumulation and knowledge diffusion is possible to happen at faster pace, involving a growing number of entrants and providing a threat to established threat to institutions. 

Out of all key factors mentioned above, let us focus on one factor alone for the sake of greater understanding of the part of the progress/development/changes underway. Considering the higher education as a citadel for the symbiosis of innovation, economic growth and quest for sustainable development, let us understand some of the keen issues facing this sector. “The current landscape of advanced degrees is increasingly varied. This has resulted from the many changes and developments in recent years within the Higher Education sector where supply must adapt to more diverse demand. On one hand, research degrees continue to denote advanced study in a chosen discipline with a view to the pursuit of an academic career; in this respect expertise in research methodology and investigative skills are acquired. On the other hand, there is a growing demand for Masters and doctorates related to a specific field of professional activity such as business studies or administration. Though sometimes referred to as “taught qualifications” which may be undertaken concurrently with actual workplace activity, these involve a certain degree of research both for the professors and the students involved.”

Five main areas merit special attention:

a)   Challenges for students researching advanced degrees in developing countries (notably in scientific fields)

b)    The research component in “in demand” degrees which are awarded on the basis of taught courses

c)   The current advantages offered by open and E-learning with regard to the demand for advanced degrees

d)    The benefits of “jointly delivered” advanced degrees which aim for rapid and quality credentials

e)   The impact of branding and networking strategies for advanced degrees earned from research-reputed universities.

2006 Global Colloquium of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education Research and Knowledge debated the status of research universities worldwide. The conclusions stressed the urgency of resolving the major problems identified:

a.   The precarious nature of research in non-OECD countries

b.    The major cleavages in research between wealthy and emerging countries in terms of capacity, agendas, contexts, criteria, climate and partnerships

c.   The need to accelerate networking and cooperation amongst universities to strengthen research

d.    The urgency of building improved research capacity in countries of the South and elimination of the isolation of their researchers.

e.    The rapidly increasing political nature of national research agendas

f.     The need for countries to map and analyze their research systems, to pinpoint their major challenges and to benchmark themselves in relation to similar emerging economies.

These days the notion of “third stream” of activities or third mission developed from research activities is being discussed vigorously. The starting point is the assimilation of fundamental research to codified knowledge and thus to information. This economic assimilation is critical since it tells that this “good”, once produced, is very difficult to appropriate. It has two consequences. The first one is that no economic actor will invest into fundamental research since he will not be able to recover its investment, thus the need for governments to invest in fundamental research. The second consequence is that its take-up and circulation are “free” for interested economic actors. There is thus no need of specific mechanisms that help knowledge flow from public sector to the economic and social worlds.”

Universities do not structure themselves along the three missions, but that they articulate differently these three missions depending upon the “functions” they fulfill. I see three central functions or activities which I have labeled: “mass tertiary education” (with the bachelor degree as a central feature), “professional specialize higher education and research” (with the professional master as a central diploma, and “problem solving research” as a central activity) and “academic training and research” (with the PhD as the central diploma and articles as the central output). While the first and the third activities are clearly located respectively at the local and world levels, the second is focused on professions and follows their internationalization.

All universities are thus a specific and probably unique mix of these three functions. The choice of this positioning is often mostly the result of contingent historical factors. Making it evolve, and turning it into a “constructed” choice is key to the articulation of the university with its environment. In such an approach, the activities gathered under the third mission become the outcome of this positioning (whatever the conditions through which it has been arrived at). It also provides a different lens through which to look at connections with the external world, considering education and research on a similar footing.  The scientific elite, however, have pushed back by redefining their role: (I) destroying the earlier status-quo and re-linking themselves to state institutions, (II) managing S&T development and lobbying for the scientific community, etc.; (III) acquiring other functions; apart from their cognitive role, i. e, influencing the citadel of power and public opinion directly in favor of its own relevance to societal and scientific progress.

Second important aspect being mobility. The scientist mobility has various forms: a common, social form involves moving along the career ladder (upward and downward), moving between generations (inter-generational) and within a generation (intra-generational). The occupational aspect is a transition from one scientific discipline to another, from one scientific field to another, transition from one research institution to another, or in a pathological form it is when scientists leave science for other jobs, or in a geographical form it means territorial movements of scientists.

R&D, innovation and technology are now being increasingly recognized as important drivers for growth, exports, and competitiveness of businesses in globalizing economies such as India and China. Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) have also been leveraged by several developing countries such as Korea and China to enhance their technological, management and trade capabilities when FDI policies are appropriately integrated with other domestic policies including S&T, trade and industrial policies. Corporate and medium & small firms in India are also restructuring their business strategies, attracting FDI, and investing more on R&D, technology acquisitions and technology related capacities in several sectors since the implementation of new policies from 1991 onward. The government policies and mechanisms have also been supporting the initiatives of enterprises and corporate, resulting in high growth rates of economies and exports. However, there are very limited studies and documentation available for India in the context of technology and exports.

Lastly it should be remembered that now-a-days, any policy making is done after a long interaction with government representatives, private enterprise as well as nongovernmental organizations. Complex dynamics in the contemporary world makes new forms of regulations and governance replacing established government norms. Government policy framing and implementation is largely affected by market agents with diverse economic interests, public interest groups, social movements and activists, self-help organizations and various professional associations with different motivations and goals of political, economic and idealist dimensions, e.g., industrial and labor market conditions, environment, natural resources, consumer interests, genetic engineering and gender differences.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:

a)   Liberalizing Research in Science and Technology: Studies in Science Policy, Edited by Nadia Asheulova, Binay Kumar Pattnaik, Eduard Kolchinsky, Gregory Sandstrom. Saint-Petersburg: Politechnika, 2010. (ISBN 978-5-904031-76-3)

b)   Toward a Third mission for Universities, P. Laredo, UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge. 2007

c)   The Role of Post-Graduate Education in Research Systems, Kearney, M-L, UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge. 2007

d)   UNESCO Science Report 2010

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------