Edu-leaders

We are now on the threshold of the second decade of this millennium. In this decade, I believe India will witness its second golden age. Whereas developed countries such as the US, UK and Japan will face a talent shortage, India will witness a talent surplus. But, the truth remains that much of that talent pool is untapped. Thus, the task ahead is to strive to be a world-class centre of learning as India’s destiny is being shaped in her classrooms. Our target should be to build:
- Qualified faculty
- Excellence in research
- Effective teaching, with focus on cognitive skills
- State-of-the art infrastructure
- Meritorious students
- Well-defined autonomous governance structures
- Government and non-government sources of funding
- A management team with strategic vision
- Continuous benchmarking
- Confidence to set our own agenda

To achieve the above, we must acknowledge the limitations of our institutions. Since independence, there has been inadequate focus on higher education by successive governments (both at centre and state level).

Dr R. A. Mashelkar’s, vision of India becoming “the world’s number one knowledge production centre” may be ambitious, but it is achievable. Before we get there, some immediate steps need to be taken. India must upgrade its faculty by recruiting qualified professionals with a passion for teaching, offer them commensurate remuneration and encourage research.

Moreover, institutions should hold regular faculty development programmes. Focusing on the creation of intellectual capital by up-scaling research and development as well as publication of research findings and literature of an academic nature is also essential.

Revamping the content and curriculum to ensure quality and relevance by incorporating the latest trends in each field is advisable along with moving away from traditional methods of ‘lecturing’ in classrooms to facilitating a learning and research-based knowledge approach.

It is also important to introduce and integrate new and innovative approaches in the delivery of best practices of higher education, improving standards of assessment and evaluation and besides academics, imparting necessary soft skills. This way, the graduates will be much sought-after not just domestically, but internationally as well. The other advisable initiatives are:
- Improving the infrastructure of most universities and institutions of higher learning in terms of teaching facilities, libraries and laboratories as well as accommodation facilities for students
- Bridging the gap between school and tertiary education through appropriate backward and forward linkages
- Establishing strategic links among institutions of higher learning and industries, scientific labs, business entities, etc. for enhancing the relevance of curricula as well as the employability of graduates.

The impact of the above will be optimised through:
- Streamlining the bureaucracy and enhancing the efficiency of governing bodies and administrators of higher education
- Enhancing parameters of quality through self-regulation and accreditation
- Rationalising fees, which may be offset by an increase of scholarships and fee waivers- Reviewing and redefining the role of regulatory authorities and expanding educational and career counselling, thus facilitating a career by choice.

Empires of the 21st century will be empires of the mind. This truism compels us to refocus on strategic measures in higher education.