There have been two pieces of good news. One is the Supreme Court?s upholding of the UPA?s law on reservations. The other is the d?tente between the HRD minister and IIM-Ahmedabad on the latter?s fee hike, with poor students who crack the Cat assured of a waiver. India Incorporated hadn?t exactly covered itself with glory in the preceding weeks on these issues, and we are grateful for small mercies. On matters of importance like the future of education in India, clarity rather than ambiguity is the name of the game, particularly when the State promises the kind of money the Eleventh Plan has allocated for this sector, and the market values education and skills as highly as it now does, as the information era comes to engage all economic agents.
But still, the picture is not pretty. If the basic principles of restructuring are not put in place, education, educationists and those who support them in the public and private sector will get the boot in the years to come. It is time to restructure the sector without further ado. The world over, whether in America or elsewhere, autonomy and accountability are the hallmarks of the system. Tuition levels depend on what the market can bear, and there are generous scholarship funds and loan facilities to pay for exceptionally bright students?always scarce?who, armed with high-quality education, could be of significant long-term value to the economy or knowledge domains.
Accountability is not only for academic and other staff, but also for the equivalent of the top brass in universities, and also for government officials and ministers charged with oversight of the system. Autonomy, meanwhile, is also not just for the sahibs who run the system, but also for teachers and others who consider themselves responsible to key stakeholder groups like students and parents. For example, in America, not only are teachers and administrators rated by students, in some Ivy League universities, students from minority groups have a say on the relevance and structure of courses and research modules.
Imparting skills that are of economic value is a terribly important role, but that alone does not constitute education. It is also, critically, about progressive thinking, envisioning the future, addressing new paradigms and questioning the status quo. In a profound sense, it is about freedom.
There is little doubt that education is a key determinant of growth, and professional excellence in technologically exciting possibilities, especially with interdisciplinary applications, can transform an entire country. This takes nerds and rebels, and everybody inbetween.
The cultural context is a crucial element here, too. Those who think education is about implanting ideas developed elsewhere miss the entire point. The challenge is to collaborate with others to understand how they developed good education within the specifics of their own cultural context. The best management and technology schools are leaders in humane education.
At a more mundane level, whether in the standards of instruction, funding and salaries, self-regulation is the preferred method of the best systems. There is an American Association of University Professors, for example. Also, since education is generally the only really long-haul challenge a society faces, since it takes years if not decades to radically change systems, it has the character of a public good.
If Jawaharlal Nehru had not given India strong foundations for science education and research, many of India?s current economic success stories would not have become reality. The latest Budget?s emphasis on education should be appreciated with the future in mind.
The new systems will have to be well networked, and this will have to be part of institutional reforms. Only competent universities will network both at home and abroad. These will become the new, dispersed knowledge centers, and what value can be derived by logging on to them will determine how we progress.
As technology enables new forms of convergence, another big question is that of opening up the knowledge sector to domestic and foreign private investment. On this, the Indian debate is unfortunately stuck in sloganeering mould. If the government does not act soon enough, private initiatives will overwhelm public education. Already, corporate efforts are gathering pace. India must let a thousand flowers bloom.
Funding is not a major constraint any longer, at least for higher education. Yet, many universities in India seem insulated from the broader changes around them. A university expelled an art student and suspended a teacher of long-standing, and another appointed a defeated politician as a lifetime chancellor. There are stories of bureaucrats meddling with some good vice-chancellors. It is important to build up firewalls to defend the autonomy of those pursuing academic excellence, and then hold educationists and their administrators responsible for their jobs.
Indian education has to ascend the quality curve rapidly if all the projections made of the country?s leadership role are to be realised. Let us not only pray for the best, but fight for it, for literally our future depends on it.
The author is former vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University. These are his personal views.
Email: yalagh@gmail.com