Can Technology Help Solve India’s Education Problems?

In the mid-1980s, semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments (TI) spotted India’s potential as a hub for research and development, and heralded a wave of tech multinationals moving into India. A few years ago, it expanded its operations in the country and stared looking at India also as a market for its semiconductor products.

Now, the company has taken a further step: Globally, TI has been in the education technology space for more than two decades, and a few weeks ago, it brought this to India. TI sees India not only as a strong market for its education technology solutions, but also believes that these can help the country to address the constraints it faces in the education sector.

TI has tied up with Indian firm CORE Education and Technologies, which focuses on content creation and teacher education to offer an integrated solution called STEMpower. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.) This includes laptops for teachers, networked handheld devices for students, software and content. “Some of the recent reforms in the education sector in India, like the focus on continuous and comprehensive evaluation and formative assessments, have interested TI in bringing our classroom training technology solutions here,’’ says Jagan Chelliah, director of sales and marketing, education technology at TI India. He adds: “Our intention is to refine [these solutions] over time to address the specific needs of the India market.”

During a press event, Sanjeev Mansotra, chairman and global CEO, CORE said: “STEM is about more than just education. It is about our economic future. The viable jobs of the 21st century will require high degrees of STEM literacy, and if our communities don’t have a STEM-literate workforce, those jobs can and will go elsewhere.”

Another technology multinational which recently introduced a new initiative in the Indian education sector is chip-maker Intel. In collaboration with the Karnataka government in September, Intel announced the launch of Computers On Wheels, an e-learning pilot program, in five districts across the state. It is based on the Intel Learning Series and includes infrastructure, hardware, software, content, training and support. The program is designed to deliver one-on-one e-learning in classrooms that is matched to local needs. “Advances in technology continue to transform how we live, work, play and learn. Intel is committed to making education accessible and engaging for all students,” says R. Ravichandran, director of sales, Intel South Asia.

Visvesvara Hegde Kageri, minister for primary and secondary education in the Karnataka government, sees the Intel initiative as a “very useful mechanism to enhance student learning by integrating innovative teaching methods” and by providing “a more engaging, interesting and experiential form of teaching and learning through smart use of technology.”

But how much of a role can technology really play at present in India’s education sector? S. Sadagopan, director at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore, points out that there are four parts to learning — lectures, library, laboratory and life. “Technology plays a critical role in all these,” he says. Sadagopan cities an example from the laboratories: “Frog dissection is completely gone…. Many expensive instruments can be made available to school children in less endowed places through technology.”
But Dilip Ranjekar, co–CEO of the Azim Premji Foundation, which focuses on primary education, offers another perspective.

Technology, Ranjekar says, can play an important role in education but only when the basic infrastructure is place. “In a vast number of schools in India, basic facilities like water, power and sanitation are inadequate. The teacher quality and involvement is also abysmal. These basic issues have to be addressed before there is any scope for technology to create any meaningful impact.”

Reality Check: Education Worth ‘7L To Cost‘ 56L In 15 Years

By Lakshmikant Berde / Mumbai

Start investing early in equity MFs or stocks to save for your child’s higher education as costs are rising at 15% per year. Recently, a doctor in Navi Mumbai had an interesting fact to share. Just a few months ago, he put his daughter in nursery class in one of the better schools in Navi Mumbai and paid about Rs 62,000 for a year’s tuition and other expenses like books, uniform, school bus, etc. Then he calculated that his parents had spent about Rs 60,000 in total for his MBBS and post-graduation medical degrees together. That’s an example of how much the price of education has gone up in India. 
    
There are enough cases which you may hear almost every other day. Some of these examples may be on the higher side, cases of aberration rather than a general trend, but the fact is data show over the last 15-20 years, the cost of education in India has gone up by at an alarming rate of about 14-15% per annum, compared to the general rate of inflation of about 7%. Seen in another way, if a course 15 years ago cost Rs 1 lakh, the same course would cost about eight times that amount – that is around Rs 8 lakh.

By M H Ahssan

During my interaction as a principal with thousands of parents over the years, I have come across conflicting views of guardians on education and their expectations from the school. While some expect their children to continuously keep getting A without bothering about other aspects, there are others who clearly state that they are not worried about the academic performance of their progeny so long as they are happy in school. Some have insisted on the school setting back-breaking homework whereas others have objected vehemently on assigning any work to be done at home. I have experienced the pendulum swing so widely that it becomes virtually impossible to reconcile the two extreme positions.

While a majority have felt that their children should learn good moral values, some have argued that their offspring will not be able to get along smoothly in life if they fully stuck to honest and ethical means. They have further stressed the point that these ideas look good in books and articles but are not meant for practical life. In support of their contention they have given examples of rich and ‘successful’ people saying that they have all attained these ‘visibly’ high positions only through corrupt and devious means. Some have even quoted instances from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata where our mythical heroes have purportedly employed dubious means to achieve their ends. Hence, some parents are not too keen on emphasizing the inculcation of such values in their wards.

During my Principalship of many years I have met highly qualified people who have been utter failures in their lives because of their lopsided personalities while many illiterate persons have been eminently successful. Jesus and Kabir were not literate but the legacy they have left behind endures till date. Although Akbar the Great, the third Emperor of the Mughals was illiterate, he was able to establish a vast empire and was the most successful ruler of the Mughals. Apart from establishing a large collection of literary works, he promoted poetry, art and other finer aspects of life. He commissioned a number of splendid buildings during his regime. He was eminently successful in promoting religious harmony. To me he was an educated person in the true sense. I once had to sack a double gold medalist teacher within three days of his appointment in the school as he behaved like a ‘mad’ man. And it is not a stand alone case: many a time toppers have ended up as floppers!

I wonder then what distinguishes human beings from each other. What makes some of them behave irrationally?

We often misuse the word ‘education’ to mean literacy. In our present day society some even equate fluency in spoken English with being well-educated. A mother once mentioned to me that her daughter would become a ‘Bhenji’ as she was mingling with a girl from not so sophisticated a family even though she was well-behaved with good ‘sanskars’. This belief was so strongly embedded in her that she withdrew her daughter from the school I was heading, then. What a distorted view of education! It is, however, heartening that with democratization and opening of avenues for all categories of society, the situation is changing now. Selection in all sorts of sports teams or top national cultural events or positions in IT sector, all seem to have a far more egalitarian base. There are opportunities for the talented, bright and hard working persons to excel and climb the social ladder.

Education encompasses all aspects of life. It is such a vast and all-inclusive field that it becomes practically impossible to encapsulate its definition in a few paragraphs, let alone in a few bullet points. It can easily be compared to a pie stuffed with different fruits. You can have a bite from anywhere, it will be sweet but taste differently at different places. So with education. Thinkers, eminent educationists, other scholars and political leaders have given their opinion but none is comprehensive enough to include every aspect of education. Therefore, I think it appropriate to represent a few of them here to get a good idea of its dimensions.

Confucious saw learning as a process of observation of the subject matter, be it books, objects or people, followed by reflection, that somehow changed a person.
Aristotle considered Nature, Habit and Reason to be three equally important forces to be cultivated in education.
Rabindra Nath Tagore propagated education that affects unity in all the things present in the context of one’s life. His educational philosophy revolved around naturalism, humanism, inter-nationalism and idealism.
Dr. Radha Krishanan was of the opinion that education should refine the sensibilities of people and bring about grace in life.
Pt. Nehru, although never a professional teacher, worked incessantly and earnestly to awaken people’s mind to widen their mental and spiritual horizons and to broaden their sympathies.
The quintessence of Gandhi’s educational philosophy is to educate children by means of a craft through practical training.
John Dewey believed that students should be involved in real-life tasks and challenges. His emphasis on experiential learning helped promote the progressive education movement.
According to Bertrand Russell, the principal purpose of education should be to promote the development of vitality, courage, sensitivity and intelligence. He believed in students experiencing a sense of intellectual adventure in an atmosphere of open enquiry.
Rousseau held that there was one developmental process for all humans which is intrinsically a natural process, the manifestation of which is curiosity. He advocated that children should learn from their surroun¬dings so as to grow into virtuous adults.
Wonder, connected with a principle of rational curiosity, is the source of all knowledge and discovery. - Samuel Horsley
Aurobindo, Maulana Azad, Dr. Zakir Hussain, John Stuart Mill, and many more have expressed their views but no two definitions match! It actually depends upon one’s philosophy of life, one’s belief system, one’s ideals and hence different expectations.

Our present society mainly recognizes and rewards only academic achievement which in turn is based on collecting information without understanding its meaning and value. There is no emphasis on processing or drawing inferences from the information so acquired. In such a scenario the typical student is challenged for bookish information but motivationally starved. Knowledge per se is of no use: it is like a dictionary where words have no value but what matters is how we string them together to make it meaningful. Similarly, if the information is not processed properly or utilised in drawing conclusion, it will remain inside us to rot like undigested food. In the present system of education the measuring tool is the written test. Those who don’t have the ability to put their thoughts on paper are labelled as failures. And according to this testing criterion other skills do not count. We should remember the fact that whatever is exercised grows stronger and whatever is ignored stays dormant. Therefore, by and large, in today’s India, other qualities of people are being left in the closet.

Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and many more super-achievers never finished their schooling. The secret of success of such people and many self-made millionaires is vision, research, application of intuitive knowledge and processing of collected information for a chosen project and finally finding a workable solution. They did not depend on pre-stored knowledge as our present education system emphasizes. This system does not allow the genius of such persons to bloom.

The existing system of education encourages students to pass an exam where stereotype questions are set and standard answers are expected. This encourages memorization without motivating or inspiring the learner. Learning by rote turns off the desire to learn. The pitiable condition of a learner in India is beautifully captured in the following poem composed by a student.

“We read, we write, we calculate
Got no choice but to participate,
Of heroes we learn old and new.
Some inspire us in many ways, some one or two.
Do I follow my dream or do I follow the crowd?
Do I follow with silent patience, or speak out loud?
Do I laugh or do I cry?
Do I walk or should I fly?
Do I stand out and ask them why?
Or should I just shut up and comply?”

The aim of education should be to develop a life-long love for learning. To achieve this we will have to stop the assembly-line mass production as our schools do, casting everybody in the same mould. G.B. Shaw resented it and expressed his anguish thus, “the only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school.” Quality education should be custom-designed that addresses the unique abilities of individuals and provides a positive emotional experience. The real goal of education is not necessarily the mastery of the subject matter, but mastery of one’s person. The methodology of teaching the courses these days tends to induce passivity. It is a matter of common observation that children come to school with spontaneity, insatiable curiosity and imagination. These diminish as they proceed through their classes. In fact actual learning takes place when the learner is active and fully involved. Therefore, lessons should involve activities that are intended to stimulate thinking or promote experiential learning. If a car driving school instructor were to first give theory lessons on the working of the engine, the battery, the axle, the body of the vehicle, the learner would never be able to drive the car. But, in actual fact it takes only 3-4 days for a person to be able to drive as he does it practically. ‘Minds on’ is not sufficient: with ‘Hands on’ one learns faster.

We are not able to plug directly into another person’s brain: we can never educate directly, but certainly we can encourage learning indirectly by means of creating a conducive environment. Teaching which induces a slave mentality or a sense of impotency is not education at all—it is an attack on the minds of human beings. Mark Twain said, “My mother wanted me to have fine education: so she got me kicked out of school”. Education should aim at empowering and definitely not on enslaving. Many years ago on my visit to Frankfurt I happened to see a steel sculpture of a man with a hammer in his hand which in turn was moving continuously from head to heart and back. I am not sure what the sculptor had thought when he made it but the idea immediately came to my mind that education should aim at training the head, the heart and the hand (3Hs) – intellectual development, compassion and concern for others and learning by doing. Genuine under¬standing comes from hands-on experience. The hammer also reinforces the dignity of labour – that no work is mean if done in the right spirit. In my opinion if education has to provide a solid bedrock for us to lead fulfilling lives the following qualities must take firm roots in us through it.

Values
Activites & Fitness
Refinement & Spirituality
Environment, Wealth, Nature, Anger
Responsibility & Discipline

Skills Development for Higher Education

At a  juncture when the percentage of employers facing difficulty in finding skilled workforce is as high as 81per cent in Japan, 71 per cent in Brazil, 49 per cent in US, 48 per cent in India and 42 per cent in Germany, one wonders what is it that we are turning out from our universities and colleges. Even for India- the youngest country in the world, if the percentage is 48 per cent, it is an alarming situation, to put it mildly, because it means that half of our companies and businesses are finding it difficult to run their daily operations due to the lack of skilled workforce. 

India has the largest number of young people (age group of 14-25) and the highest global unemployment rate- these are pointers to the nature and efficiency of our education system. Against this, the job market is increasingly being redefined by specific skills. Nobody runs businesses and companies the way people did, let’s say, 20 years back. The entire skills set required to work in a company that competes at the global level has undergone change, and education, particularly Higher Education, cannot afford to overlook the new realities of the 2^nd decade of the 21^st century.  

Across the world, skills development has been addressed with considerable seriousness. Sample this, according to figures of 2008, the percentage of workforce receiving skills training is 96 per cent in Korea, 80 per cent in Japan, 75 per cent in Germany, 68 per cent in UK and 10 per cent in India. Moreover, it is estimated that 75 per cent of the new job opportunities to be created in India will be skill-based. While the skills set has changed and employers look more and more for 21st century skills in the job seekers, it is required to take a close look at the academic nature of our curricula and their mode of transaction. It is not that we do not have enough degree holders in the country; we have a number of them but the world of business and industry thinks that they are not employable. Surveys and studies are conducted at regular intervals and it is reiterated in the surveys and studies that 80per cent workforce in rural and urban India does not possess any identifiable marketable skills.

Against the oft-quoted figure of 500 million skilled workforce required in India by 2022, sample this:

“Of late, employability of graduates coming out of our educational system is becoming a matter of great concern. I am told, only 25per cent of the general graduates across all streams have employable skills.” E Ahamed (Minister of State for HRD and External Affairs)

Let’s face it, we are not Finland that has more than 40per cent of its population going into vocational education. Compared to vocational education, our students are found pursuing degrees in colleges and universities of higher education. One cannot change that fact, all one can do is to turn this into an opportunity, turn universities and colleges into skills development hubs.

Leaders of business and industry in India have regularly voiced their concern over the lack of skilled manpower ready to be absorbed in various sectors. We have the government intervening by establishing National Skills Development Council (NSDC) and several other skills development initiatives in the pipeline but unless our Higher Education wakes up to this and responds proactively, the youths coming out of it would find it hard to claim a place in the world, and thus the growth of this country will also remain under threat because without the requisite human resource the magic growth is impossible.

In a country where there is a large dropout rate of children quitting school at young age and a minimal percentage going into higher studies, do we have more choice than tapping into this small percentage by upskilling them in order to render them readily employable? In sync with this, S Ramadorai, Advisor to the Prime Minister in National Skill Development Council, says,

“60per cent of India’s 1.2 billion people are in the working age group. However, only 10per cent of the 300 million children in India between the age of 6 and 16 will pass school and go beyond. Only 5per cent of India’s labor force in the age group 19-24 years is estimated to have acquired formal training. Despite this, our economy is clocking an 8.5per cent growth. Imagine what could be if we could leverage our demographic dividend fully.”

Let’s also understand that in a large country like India, only government agencies and system cannot accomplish this task of upskilling the youth. Private companies with requisite experience in skills training may also be roped in to expedite the process of enhancing the skills development of youth in colleges and universities. In today’s world, particularly in India, the future and relevance of Higher Education is inextricably linked with Skills Development; the earlier Higher Education accepts this and acts accordingly, the better it is for the country and its growth. Skills Development is not an additional course that can be added to a university curriculum but it requires to be integrated into the training and education of a youth who will have to be readily employable and competent enough to run the operations of a company or business in India. A youth seeking job in the market today is expected to have salient life and soft skills which he has no clue about till s/he faces an interview. Higher Education does little to address the skills requirement of a youth raring to go into the world and make a mark. To make it amply clear as to how Higher Education has got to address the issue of skills development and employability, no better evidence than what Planning Commission’s Approach Paper to the Twelfth Five Year Plan says:

“There is a need for a clear focus on improving the employability of graduates. Indian higher education is organized into ‘General’ and ‘Professional’ streams. General education which is an excellent foundation for successful knowledge based careers, often fails to equip graduates with necessary work skills due to its poor quality. Graduates now require the skills beyond the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic (the ‘3Rs’).  Skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity (the ‘4Cs’) are now important in more and more jobs. Accordingly, there is need to focus on the ‘4Cs’. Special emphasis on verbal and written communication skills, especially in English would go a long way in improving the employability of the large and growing mass of disempowered youth.” (101)

In simple translation, it means that Higher Education in India cannot live on an ivory tower any more. It has to reconsider its role in the growth and development of the country. Unlike the days of yore, now it should ensure that students studying in colleges and universities are equipped with soft skills such as communication proficiency. Unlike the existing model of university education, skills development may be integrated into the core practices of a university.

Policy papers in India are beginning to show their commitment to skills development and employability through it but that is not enough either. The true reflection of their commitment would be when they make it mandatory to establish Skills Development Centres at university and college campuses and provide specific funds for the same. These Centres should be endowed with the task of training each and every student of the college and university in terms of soft skills and life skills and prepare them for the jobs they dream of. Ideally, in a perfect India of hopefully some not-so-distant future, universities should buzz with skills training and the youths coming out of universities should show us the way forward. Ideally, a youth completing his/her education should not hunt for the job; in fact, the employers should come to the doorsteps of the university and look for these skilled youths. Is Higher Education ready for this? This is the key question because the answer will determine the future of this country.

Does Indian higher education system need an Ombudsman?

In the beginning of 2012 the former Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal had initiated a debate by mooting the idea for appointment of Ombudsman for higher education institutions under the grievance redressal system. The Ministry passed executive order for the centrally funded institutions which includes central universities, IITs, IIMs and NITs, and deemed universities. As per the order every institution is required to have an ombudsman – a person with judicial or legal experience.

The Ombudsman will have the power to instruct the institution to take corrective measures on complaints of students regarding denial of admission, non-observance of declared merit in admission, with-holding of documents and non-refund of fees in case of withdrawal of admission. Few months back former Minister of state for HRD, D. Purandeswari in Rajya Sabha answering to the question of appointment of Ombudsman has stated that, “University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education and National Council for Teacher Education have been requested to establish a grievance redressal mechanism for students and applicants for admission in higher educational institutions under their regulatory control. This mechanism includes appointment of Ombudsman also for redressal of students’ grievances.” 

Though, the order was passed by the Ministry it is still to get Parliament approval and thus has not been implemented on ground. India Education Review discussed the issue with some of the heads of institutions on the need for an Ombudsman and his role. 

Need for an Ombudsman: The need for an Ombudsman is being felt for the higher education system in India is because of its tremendous growth in terms of number of institutions just to increase the gross enrolment ratio. In doing this we forgot about quality, relevance and excellence and this lead to massive commercialisation of education which has lead to a scenario in which anybody with money can buy degrees while those with talent and qualification have to run from one institution to other to get admission.

Prof. PB Sharma, Vice Chancellor, Delhi Technological University talking to India Education Review said, “The purpose of education is not merely to award the degrees but to create an army of capable men and women who shall possess besides capabilities, human values for development of the society. This noble objective requires that the institutions and universities should be established and managed by people of letters and of high moral and ethical wisdom. It is expected of them to desist from any deviation from ethical and moral foundation of education, no matter how compelling the circumstances or situations may be, but we find the just opposite in most cases.”

“Institutions and universities especially under the disguise of public-private partnership or under private ownership have been allowed to be set-up by those who could muster financial and political support. This has created the present unhealthy and unfair environment in higher education in the country. We all know very well that once we allow the rot to set in, it creates an environment for mediocrity to flourish. We can have an Ombudsman provided we are able to specify the domains and duties to the Ombudsman for his exercise of controls, even preventive measures to stop the growth of mediocrity and establishment of sub-standard institutions,” added Prof. Sharma.

There are many government run institutions that are against the idea of appointment of Ombudsman over themselves as they feel that they have very transparent system and they feel that it is needed in case of private institutions. They also feel that central government of any of its agencies will not be able to frame rules and guidelines for it as different institutions have their own issues, history and serving different segment of society.

Dr. MM Salunkhe, Vice Chancellor, Central University of Rajasthan is of the view that, “the topic has not been debated properly and there is need to debate upon it in detail as it is a very wide topic. As far as government run universities are concerned, particularly the central universities we follow a very transparent system at each and every step. Ombudsman is required for private institutions as they flout and twist the norms. The other problem is who will make the rules and define the role of Ombudsman because every university is different and unique in itself and what rule will be good mine will not be good for some other universities. Thus, I am not very much in favour of this post for the universities until the role of Ombudsman is clearly defined.” 

Whom to appoint? There is also huge debate on the topic that who should appointed to this post as a section of educationist feel that the person to be appointed for the post should be from education fraternity as any outsider will not have the understanding of the huge education system that India has. While the other section feels that the person should be from judicial background as he would be less biased with least vested interest. The concern of both the section is genuine and but the ministry has chosen the second option to appoint a person with judicial or legal background. The institute would have to appoint him from a panel suggested by the affiliating university in case of technical and management institutions and the Central Government in case of deemed universities.

According to Prof. PB Sharma “The man of iron will with the highest credentials of scholarship, administrative capabilities, a vision and commitment to build quality higher education for his motherland. He should also understand that it has not mere teaching or coaching that makes higher education, rather an environment in which education, creative and innovative abilities and opportunities to recognize the value and worth of knowledge and capabilities, technology and knowledge incubation, innovations and new-product development are nurtured is that what should make higher education of today and surely of tomorrow.”

“The tenure of an Ombudsman should be of five years to give him a reasonable time frame to implement the reforms or changes as envisaged. Such an Ombudsman be invariably be appointed by a coliseum comprising of a former Chief Justice of India, an Outstanding present or former Vice Chancellor, an outstanding Civil Servant and an outstanding industrialist,” Prof. Sharma added further.

Prof. R. Lalthanluanga, Vice Chancellor, Mizoram University, is of the view that, “as far as ombudsman is concerned, I do not think that there is any need for government run higher educational institutions like central universities etc. which are self regulated through its ordinances/regulations as per the guidelines of UGC (University Grants Commission) or MHRD. It may be required for private institutions as they do not have very clearly defined regulation. UGC may appoint Ombudsman for such institutions for a period of three years.”

It seems that the Ombudsman is the need of the hour for the vast education system that India has and with arrival of foreign institutions it is even more required. It will only make the Indian institutions rise up to the occasion. The checks and balances and fine tuning can be done by the institutions at their own level along with following the guidelines of MHRD. Ombudsman is seen as a system for grievance redressal of the students while there are provisions in the already existing system it can be further strengthened to make it more transparent. People against this move also feel that one redressal system will lead to another making it a vicious cycle.

Six Major Changes In 'Higher Education' Makes India 'Knowledge Based Economy' Power House On World Map!

Learning how to learn, initiative, communication, teamwork and solution seeking are key to helping one form the basics.

Higher education in India continues to muddle its way through its identity crisis. Neither a specialist in teaching for skills, employability or even global citizenship, nor a flag bearer for advancement of higher order knowledge, it stands stymied. It’s dismal rankings on the world table stand testament year after year not to its mediocrity but to the unwillingness or inability to change itself.

Quality of Management Education in rural India: Problems & Perspectives

This paper deals with India’s need for management professionals in various socio- economic pockets in rural region. AICTE is trying to bring in quality benchmarking in all the B- Schools in India setting up minimum norms and standards for B- schools.

The minimum norms and standards are unachievable for many of the B-Schools functioning in rural India. Can we question the running of these schools that are producing management graduates, primarily for various small and medium scale organizations in rural India? Should we close them down pointing towards minimum infrastructure norms and standards set by AICTE without considering Socio-economic and academic constraints faced by them?

The main issues covered in the paper are related to the need for managerial inputs in rural India and role of small B-Schools catering those needs. While doing so, various issues faced by them.

Keywords: Rural region, Economic pockets, Role of small B-Schools, Quality benchmarking, Socio-economic
and academic constraints

1. Introduction
In the process of globalization, management education in India is playing key role in coping up with the rapid changes taking place in all types of business activities. The focus is on maintaining good quality of education in thousand plus B schools in India. These institutes are operating in almost all corners of the country. They are varied in nature, size and structure. The variation is because of variety of socio-economic factors influencing working of these schools. These institutes are broadly classified into three categories based on locations and socio-economic circumstances. ‘A’ category includes institutes in big metro cities. ‘B’ category covers institutes in next larger cities and ‘C’ category are mostly urban, semi urban and rural institutes.

Presently quality parameters for all the institutes in India are uniformly set. Quality expectations from Industry, controlling bodies are similar or same for all the institutes without considering variations in socio-economic status of the region in which these institutes are functioning.

Regional Institutes are trying to conform in this race with quality norms set by quality controlling authorities. Quality is perceived differently at different places. The basic expectation from quality is, it must satisfy the needs of the stakeholders. These needs can be different at different socio-economic zones of the country. Setting same or similar parameters for all the B-schools in India may do injustice to the institutes functioning in rural area. It is relevant to study quality parameters to be set for regional institutes taking into consideration the socio-economic and academic constraints.

Regional Institutes have to face various challenges to survive in this era. Every Institute has same stakeholders but their demands differ as per their Socio-economic background. And the Socio- economic status of the rural area is quite low as compared to the metros or big cities. So this is the basic difference between these big cities or Metros and rural Institutes. In the further part we discuss the challenges & pressures on the regional Institutes.

The regional institutes are to cater regional needs. The significant task is to identify management education needs and take necessary steps to fulfill the needs ensuring appropriate quality of management education. B-Schools in rural India need to focus their efforts on these tasks.

2. Objectives of Research

2.1 To identify management education needs in various socio-economic pockets in rural region.
2.2 To understand nature of the problems of B-schools in rural India
2.3 To study the role of rural B-schools in addressing management education needs in rural region.

3. Methodology
Management Institutes in Shivaji University region are the main source of information for research. Directors, teachers and students are the source of primary data, whereas office record is the source of information regarding socioeconomic background and placement information. Small and medium scale entrepreneurs are also taken into consideration to identify their specific needs for managerial inputs. Other sources are people working in NGOs, local govt., agriculture and agro-based industries and service sector

4. Hypothesis

1. The present norms and standards set by AICTE are not appropriate for rural B-schools. Control exercises are redesigned considering socio-economic and academic constraints.

2. MOUs with other privileged B-schools will help in reducing problems of B-schools in rural India as well as create better awareness of the opportunities and potential in rural India among privileged schools.

5. Review of Literature:

“Education is the great Instrument of social emancipation by which a democracy establishes, maintains and protects the spirit of equality among its members” these are the views of Radhakrishan commission (1948-49). All great people & educationists like Mahatma Gandhi, Karmveer Bhaurao Patil, Mahatma Phule, Shahu Chhatrapati, Kolhapur, G.K. Gokhale, Vinoba Bhave etc. have said that education is the medicine to all the ills of Indian rural society.

Bhaurao’s educational experiments were meant to solve the difficulties confronting the rural society. He said, a man is gifted with Native Intelligence & with or without moderate formal education can also give a coherent, if not, a systematic philosophy of his own life.

Advocate Bartakke found that after Industrial revolution young people started leaving the villages for cities in spite of the danger of unemployment. He noted that slogan ‘Back to villages’ should be changed to ‘stay in villages’. He suggested that, for village industries & villages to be self –dependent, he advised the village traders to form co-operative societies and learn modern techniques of trading. He expected that education should teach them better life, better farming, better seeds, better marketing and no thirst for city life. But the education was to the contrary at that time.

In today’s global era too these philosophy hold true. Regional Institute has to play a pivotal role to develop the region by providing appropriate knowledge to the students so that they can stay in villages and apply all their managerial skills for the and others better life, better trading & better marketing.

Mahatma Gandhi was also of the same opinion, that education should be self-supporting. Education means an all - round drawing out of the best in human- body, mind & spirit. The highest development of the mind and the soul is possible under a system of education. ‘Making revolutionary changes in education system and giving practical knowledge/ life skills and through educating them’ this was the principle of Mahatma Gandhi. He was of the opinion that, college education should be related to the National necessities. Education for life: Without the use of our hands & feet, our brains would be atrophied and even if it worked it would be the home of Satan. Tolstoy was of the same opinion. The youth/student have to be the true representatives of our culture & civilization, they are the true genius of our nation and this education should be based on non- violence & without exploitation of the student. True learning can be imparted only through doing. Gandhiji’s idea was not only to teach a profession or occupation but to develop the full man through teaching that occupation.

In this way, we see it is very essential and can be possible to develop the rural areas through the students by teaching them the culture, industrial scenario of that region as well the global opportunities and threats so that they can apply their managerial skills to make the rural/ regional industry competent.

6. Research

6. 1 Management education needs in rural India.

In India, so far, management education is confined to corporate sector only. The corporate and business sector is largely benefited by professional management education imparted by various B-schools in India.

It has been observed that the rural economy has not been on the agenda of business education endeavor in India.

It is also pointed out by the committee appointed by AICTE in 2003 that there is a need to increase the focus of management education on the neglected sectors such as co-operatives, forestry, urban management, infrastructure, rural development, education and legal system.

Now there is a need to identify specific needs of these neglected sectors that are quite different from management education needs of corporate sector.


Sector Basic Management education (ME) needs Specific needs
1. Agriculture ME level 1 Government schemes for agriculture development.
Agro- marketing; domestic and foreign.
Micro financing, farm accounting etc.
2. Agro- based Industries (including co-operatives) ME level 1
ME level 2 Value addition management, agro- based industries profile, industry specific marketing and other functional requirements, related legal aspects.
3. NGOs ME level 1 Sociology, political science, micro and macro social environment, national and international schemes for poverty alleviation, management of non- profit organization.
4.Local Governments ME Level 1 Civics, sociology, social sensitivity, public administration, public financing, social values and ethics.
5. Education ME Level 1 Psychology, school administration, educational policies, educational finances, educational values.
6. Services (hospitals, regional banking, transportation etc.) ME Level 1 Services marketing, financing, professional service management, service organization and deign, service blue printing.

Most of the rural B- schools are engaged in following curriculum recommended by AICTE and universities, which is by and large based on the needs of corporate sectors. Seldom the local and regional needs are taken into consideration while designing syllabi.

Most of the students passing out from rural B-schools opt for the jobs in the corporate world leaving regional needs unfulfilled. If we look at the executive work force mix engaged in all above neglected sectors we find very few professionally trained managers who have obtained management degree. As students from regional B-schools prefer working in big cities and corporate, subsequent to this there is non- availability of management talent in rural area. This results into lack of competitiveness and lower profits in these sectors. Consequently, these sectors are unable to offer better or attractive pay package to attract and retain deserving management educated people. Thus vicious circle continues.

Rural B- schools have required ability to begin the process of professionalism in the neglected sectors. They can be used as vehicle for social and economic transformation in the rural region.

6.2. Problems and Perspective of Rural B-schools

6.2.1 Table No. 1 B-schools in India and deployment of their students in industry

Grades of Cities No.of Institutes
A 237
B 82
C 373

A: Cities : Mumbai, Kolkota, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Banglore, Pune, Hyderabad,
B: Cities : Bhopal, Madurai, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Indore, Patna, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Vadodara, Lucknow, Vishakhapatnam, Varanasi, Ludhinia, etc.
C Cities : Remaining cities

Institutes Industries
A - Metro Institutes X - Large scale, MNCs & leading industries
B - Big-city Institutes Y - Medium scale industries
C - Regional institutes Z - Regional Industries

If we analyze this we normally find that, students in ‘A’ Institutes would prefer to go in ‘X’ type of industries, they find it suitable for themselves and the institutes are making efforts to cater the needs of these industries only. Very few students come in the ‘Y’ or ‘Z’ industries. Even if by chance they come down, all the time they are making efforts to go up.

Students in ‘B’ type of institutes have more scope as compared to ‘A’. Students as well as the institutes are making efforts to cater the needs of ‘X’ type of industries. 50% of the students of ‘B’ type institutes are able to cater the needs of ‘X’ type industry and the remaining are absorbed in ‘Y’ type industry. These students have scope in ‘Z’ type of industry also but they are not interested to go down and institutes also don’t like it.

Students in ‘C’ type of institutes have maximum scope in all X, Y, and Z kinds of industries. And the regional institutes are trying to develop appropriate quality students who can cater the needs of all kinds of industries. Here 10% of the students are absorbed in ‘X’ type of industry, 30% of them cater the needs of ‘Y’ type of industry and the remaining 60% are by and large deployed in the regional industries.

It has been observed that a few students from ‘C’ institutes can fit in ‘X’ and ‘Y’ type of industries, but the students from ‘A’ institute do not fit in ‘Z’ type industry. They are neither interested nor find themselves suitable for the environment of regional industries.

From the above discussion it becomes clear that ‘C’ type of institutes should try to concentrate on the regional development which is required to bring in balanced development in rural region.

6.2.2 Quality of students and their socio-economic background:

State Govt. has adopted 70+15+15 pattern for admission 70% from local university, 15% from other universities in the state and 15% students from out of the state.

Since out of state students and other university students are interested in ‘A’ or ‘B’ type Institutes, the profile of students in ‘C’ type, rural institutes remains by and large rural.

Due to less exposure, conventional teaching methodology till undergraduate level, the quality of students is much different from the students in metros.

These institutes need to make intensive efforts to bring these students to the minimum level which makes them eligible for management education i.e. language, minimum communication skills and orientation for active learning expected in management education.

If we look at their performance in admission entrance test, we find following composition:

15% of the candidates are within the range of 55-75 out of 200 marks
65% of the candidates are within the range of 75-100 ,
15% of the candidates are within the range of 100-125,
05% of the candidates are above 125

Students from Semi urban and Rural India are by and large introvert, shy and passive. This may be attributed to the social characteristics of the region. Though many of them are from non- agrarian family background. They have less exposure to the industrial environment where the above qualities are undesirable. The transition of agrarian society to industrial society is still in the process.

B-schools in rural area have to fight with the preconceived ideas of the students emerged out of their inferiority complex and no close interface with corporate environment.
Few guest lectures, industrial visits and library work, debates take them to a limited extent to come out of inferiority complex..

The insistence of AICTE on one or two common admission tests will deprive majority of rural students from availing management education.

6.2.3 Teaching Methodology:

Till graduation all over India the lecture method is used to a large extent, for almost 15 years student are associated with this methodology. This brings in ‘class room syndrome’ among the students where students knowingly or unknowingly are made passive in learning.

Any change in methodology i.e. Case studies, Business Games, Debates, Seminars make them uncomfortable in the initial stages. At the same time the faculty is also drawn from the same background. They are accustomed to lecture method.

Efforts made to introduce new pedagogy other than lecturing may help these students to be an active learner.

6.2.4. Institute Finances:

The major constraint for the B-schools in rural region is to raise finances for running these schools effectively.

As long as these schools were controlled by Universities in the region, the norms were set by the universities in tune with economic conditions of the region and Institutes’ fund raising capacity.
The paying capacity of the students in the rural area is comparatively lower than that of the students from metros and large cities.

Institutes finances are mainly dependent on the fees from the students in the region. Other sources like research and consultancy have no scope or very little scope to generate funds to support these B-schools.

Since AICTE has intervened in the setting up of minimum norms for all the B-schools in India, rural B-schools are in a fix and their survival is at the stake. They neither get any aid from the Govt. nor can raise required funds through fees to meet the norms set by AICTE.

Appointing faculty as per AICTE norms i.e. 1: 15 teacher student ratio is much more higher than the normal teacher student ratio in grantable undergraduate programmes conducted in the rural region.
Same is the case with infrastructure. The building space required to run MBA programme is per student 100 sq. mtr. This is far beyond the reach of financial capacity of rural B-schools.

The basic assumption to set up certain infrastructure norms and teaching norms is, even rural institutes also can raise sufficient funds to comply these conditions. The assumption does not take into consideration the low economic conditions in rural India.

6.2.5. Controlling Bodies : Role and Pressures

Following are the factors influencing functioning of rural B-schools.
Controlling Bodies Assumptions Facts/Implications on
Rural B-schools
AICTE Demand for management education is more than the supply hence elimination based admission process is required In rural area, demand is
Less than supply, in recent years many seats remained vacant after admission process
Sources of income are many. B-schools can raise funds from fees, research consultancy , MDPs etc. Students come from economically underprivileged, social class, paying capacity is low. No scope for remunerative, research and consultancy
University B-schools are making profits Affiliation and other fees are higher compared to other PG/ UG programme.

State Govt. (DTE) Demand for management education is more than the supply hence elimination based admission process is required Too many admission rules most of them are inapplicable as number of seats are vacant.
Fees controlling authority (SSS) B- schools will charge heavy fees if not controlled Considering economic conditions of the students exorbitant fees cannot be charged.

Parent Society B-schools are surplus making units Reluctance to give financial assistance, on the contrary reverse expectation.
Student community Having a degree in management will bring top corporate placement Struggle hard in initial period and lands up sometimes at lower level management cadre in MNCs.

6.3. New role of Rural B-schools

Minimum AICTE norms and conditions are applicable to all the management institutes in India. The institutes falling short in any respect are seriously being warned to fulfill the conditions or close down. This is practically impossible for various regional B-schools in India. Even many B-schools in ‘B’ cities do not adhere to the minimum norms and conditions. Hence, it is essential to set different quality norms considering different socio-economic pockets and different roles played by different types of institutes.

The present role of B-school in rural India is like follower who is dragged behind the system framed to address the needs of the corporate sector. There is a vast difference in socio-economic status of rural India and urban India. Instead of forcing rural B-schools to follow the present quality benching set for primer B-schools and B- schools in urban area, who are mainly catering needs of corporate world, they should be considered differently. They should be given an opportunity to use their strength appropriately for solving the problems of neglected sector in rural region by imparting relevant and customized management education.

In addition to the present academic programmes conducted by these schools, the system should by evolve to integrate them with the regional needs of management education. Most of the neglected sectors do not follow basics of professional management. They have survived per-liberalization period only because protective policies of the government. They were wards of the state. In post-liberalization era due to competition and complexities in running in odds most of them are on the past of death. As seen earlier the managerial expertise can only help these businesses regenerate or survive. This expertise can be made available by strengthening regional B-schools.

7. Recommendations

Following measures can be taken to strengthen the rural B-Schools

1. AICTE should pay attention to the problems of rural B-schools by appointing advisory committee consisting of experts form rural region. This committee will take into consideration the management education needs in the rural region and set norms for rural B-schools. It can also consider delegation of controlling authorities to the universities in the region. Universities can understand the regional educational needs better.

2. There is a need for integration of government initiative for rural development and role of rural B- schools. Some schemes can be routed through these schools.

3. MOUs between premier B-schools and rural B-schools can be made which usher in following benefits:

A. Enhancement of quality of rural B-schools through designing -

1. MDPs for neglected sectors
2. Conducting research for rural development.
3. Faculty development and curriculum development.

B. Premier schools will understand the untapped opportunities and potential of rural India. Thus MOU will bring in ultimately the balanced regional development by collective efforts in improving quality management practice in neglected sector.

4. MNCs and large corporation can look into the opportunities and potential in rural region and extent their outreach activities taking rural B-schools with them. this will strengthen B-schools financially at the same time they can expand their market

5. As per the report published by NCAER, out of 6,38,667 villages only 1,00,000 villages are commercially tapped by HLL, one of the leading MNCs to tap Indian rural potential. This shows that a there is a considerable drench which can be filled by efforts of MNCs in co-ordination with regional B-schools.

6. As rightly mentioned by C.K.Prahalad in his best seller, ‘The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid’, that it is not possible for MNCs to frame strategy for serving market that lies below the pyramid by sitting at the headquarters. In order to understand the characteristics of these markets they need to have strategic alliance with NGOs, universities and educational institutions. This thought expressed in the book supports our stand that B-schools can play a pivotal role in representing the fortune that lies below the pyramid.

EXCLUSIVE: Can private universities lift India?

A study by Thomson Reuters according to which India produced only 3.5% of the global research output in 2010 and its contribution in most disciplines - including mathematics and computer science - was lower than its overall average. 

While these numbers are worrisome by themselves, in a China-envious country where India-China comparisons adorn the bookshelves of the growing breed of globetrotting Indians, the overall performance of India's higher education sector - including the poor world rankings of its universities - should be a cause for alarm. China has pulled ahead in higher education despite India's "English advantage". 

A growing number of Chinese universities are breaking into world rankings, while the majority of Indian institutions remain trapped in mediocrity. While China's research output has grown significantly over the past decade, India's has stagnated and even declined in some disciplines. 

It is evident that India's premier public institutions - including the several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and a number of other universities and research centers directly funded by the federal government - cannot compensate for the low quantity/poor quality research output of the majority of institutions run by indifferent state governments. 

Given India's gaping research deficit, the somewhat hopeful tone of a recent report - "Indian Higher Education: The Twelfth Plan and Beyond" - by the government's Planning Commission, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Ernst & Young caught my attention. According to the authors of this report, private institutions can play an important role by creating knowledge networks and research and innovation centers. 

The word "can" is of enormous significance here. Based on their current status, do India's private universities show any signs that they may be able to provide a much-needed lift to the country's research output? 

The majority of India's private institutions are run by two sets of entrepreneurial social groups - businesspeople and politicians - who sense a great opportunity in the higher education business. 

It is estimated that 5 million Indians enter the 15-to-24 age group each year. Many more, especially women, are interested in obtaining a college degree today than in the past. The government, too, is keen to push the gross enrollment ratio (GER) - currently 16% - closer to the world average of 27% (China is at 26%). Public institutions are in no position to meet what seems like an ever-growing demand for higher education. Private institutions, it seems, are helping to reduce the capacity gap in higher education. But there is more to the story. 

While India's laws require private universities to be non-profit entities, it is common knowledge that nearly all private institutions are eager and impatient profit-seekers, offering degrees primarily in professional streams-typically engineering and management-where they can charge high fees and often demand a lump sum by one name or another. The strong nexus between business groups and politicians (it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two) has also meant that the private sector remains both over-regulated and poorly regulated. 

For one, little has been done to encourage the entry of credible private providers that could compete with existing institutions. Rather, the existing regulatory framework appears to do better at keeping out potential competitors. Essentially, as Devesh Kapur (University of Pennsylvania) puts it, "there are so many regulatory barriers to setting up a college or university that it deters honest groups but encourages those who are willing to pay bribes." 

The problem, however, is more than just about high entry costs. According to Pramath Sinha, the founding Dean of the Indian School of Business (Hyderabad) and one of the key figures behind the upcoming Ashoka University, governments in other countries do not make it difficult to enter the education sector but "make it quite strict that whatever you provide is adequately rated." In India, on the other hand, poor regulation and monitoring of private institutions has meant that most of them are plagued by the all-too-familiar disease of mediocrity since they are seldom penalized over their quality. 

Students graduating from Lovely Professional University, Sharda University and scores of similar institutions have not helped alleviate India's "skills crisis". While the country produces more than 500,000 engineers each year, a recent study by Aspiring Minds found that only 2.68% met the skill requirements of the IT products sector. It also found that 92% of engineering graduates lacked the necessary computer programming and algorithm skills for the sector. 

Efforts have been made to improve regulatory mechanisms in order to better monitor the quality of private schools. Over the years, the Indian government has set up several committees to lay out clearer guidelines for private institutions. However, many private providers have, despite losing their status, proved adept at regaining the status of universities or have simply re-located themselves in states willing to support them. At the same time, other education providers with little credibility have used their influence and resources to enter the higher education sector. 

Under the current education regime, it is hardly surprising that few private institutions-often described as "teaching factories" by their detractors-are doing a good job of teaching, let alone research. Given the current set of incentives and disincentives, it is hard to imagine that the private sector will play an important role in creating knowledge networks or research and innovation centers. 

There is also the argument that permitting the entry of for-profit institutions will bring in credible parties and improve the quality of private education. Perhaps. However, we have to remember that other than a complex set of regulatory barriers to setting up a college or university, the issue of monitoring quality is no less problematic. When India has hardly done an exemplary job at regulating the entry of shady operators, do we really expect that it will adequately monitor quality? 

Some suggest that India should at this stage, like China, simply improve access to higher education and not worry about quality. In 2000, China's GER stood at 8% and has increased more than three-fold within a decade or so to the current rate of 26%. Online education, Indian officials believe, can play a big role in this regard. However, China has simultaneously taken effective steps to improve the quality of education. Two of its universities - Peking University and Tsinghua University - are in the top 50 of the QS World University Rankings. In QS Asian University rankings, other than a few IITs, only the University of Delhi ranks in the top 100, while more than a dozen Chinese universities make the list. 

As India's private universities and colleges grow in number and absorb a larger share of the country's students, it is evident that they are likely to continue to play only a limited role - that of teaching in select disciplines, mostly management and engineering - in the foreseeable future. The task of research and innovation, an area in which India's performance is rather poor, will continue to be largely undertaken at the country's public institutions. Even in teaching, it is very doubtful that world-class infrastructure or modern technologies that the newer private institutions boast about will go very far without suitably qualified faculty. Reports show that even the IIMs and the IITs are short of qualified faculty. 

Can this change? Will the Indian government ease the entry of higher education institutions, be they non-profit or for-profit, so that credible providers step in and instead carefully monitor the quality of private institutions? In a country which ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perception Index, and where politicians across the aisle have high stakes in keeping out credible competitors, it is unrealistic to expect that much will change anytime soon. Meanwhile, the best India can hope for is that private institutions at least promote the cause of teaching. 

India fails test of 'knowledge economy'
Indians are doing well in the knowledge economy. India is not. There is a misconception in some quarters that both are making rapid gains. The fact is that Indians based outside India continue to make impressive gains in the knowledge economy but India's achievements remain quite small. For example, a recent study by Thomson Reuters found that only 3.5% of the global research output in 2010 was from India. 

The misconception that India and Indians are on the fast track on the knowledge economy freeway owes much to the influential writings of Thomas Friedman on China and India in the New York Times. He followed it up by the best-selling The World is Flat(2005), in which India was announced to the world as a country that was producing thousands of engineers and scientists at a time when fewer Americans were enrolling for degrees in the sciences and engineering. 

In positioning China and India as emerging challengers to continued American/Western dominance in the knowledge economy, Friedman glossed over the fact that only a small fraction of the thousands of engineers graduating from India's colleges and universities - public or private - are employable. Certainly, few (if any) of the engineering graduates of Lovely Professional University - which recently featured in a Chronicle of Higher Education story on the poor quality of private universities in India - are likely to be able to be employed as engineers. 

The World is Flat sold very well in India. And why not? Friedman had good things to say about India and Indians. India has historically received scarce praise from influential Western commentators, so it is easy to understand how Friedman's ideas - that technology and innovation has leveled the global playing field so that countries like India can eat big cookies - were so easily consumed and celebrated. Outsourcing was going to be the solution to India's problems. Indians were great innovators and if - as Gurcharan Das put it - India's economy could grow despite the state, everything else was possible. 

The same year that The World is Flat hit bookstores, McKinsey & Co released a report on the supply of offshore talent in services. Among its findings, only 25% of engineers in India were suitable for working with multinational companies. Not many Indians read it. 

Very few Indians are also likely to have read Richard Florida's rebuttal to Friedman (Atlantic Monthly, October 2005). Florida found little evidence of a "flat" world. As he pointed out, India in 2003 generated 341 US patents and China 297. The University of California generated more patents than either country and IBM five times more than the two combined. Florida did find Indians and Chinese to be incredibly innovative but much less so in their home countries than in the US. 

There are few signs that US dominance in the knowledge economy will wane, thanks in no small part to its open-door policy for Chinese and Indian researchers and innovators. According to a recent study in Nature magazine, 17% of the scientists in the US are Chinese and another 12% are Indians. It is quite probable that these Indians have a higher research output than India-based scientists. 

The reason why India's contribution to the knowledge economy will remain limited is that its higher-education system is in a complete mess. As early as 2006, the Indian government's National Knowledge Commission brought attention to what it generously called a "quiet crisis" in higher education. Since then, more resources have been committed to higher education and massive expansion plans are underway to educate the millions of college-ready Indians. While there are some signs that things could change for the better, for now, the higher education sector remains "backward". 

The country continues to produce thousands of graduates but recent surveys are hardly encouraging. India's actual pool of skilled, employable workers remains relatively small. 

It is evident that India's colleges and universities are not teaching students what they need to learn. At the hundreds of public institutions around the country, there is not much teaching going on anyway. As a result, most students are forced to spend a fortune on private tuition or enroll at private institutions. Both at public and private institutions, the course content is dated - often by a decade or more - and unconnected to the job requirements of today. In addition, whatever is taught is not taught well. 

Devesh Kapur (University of Pennsylvania) and Pratap Bhanu Mehta (Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi) do not mince words when they state that "the veneer of the few institutions of excellence masks the reality that the median higher education institutions in India have become incapable of producing students with skills and knowledge." 

The skills crisis among India's young population is in large part due to pervasive shortages of qualified faculty. In a recent interview, Shyam Sunder (Yale School of Management) observed that: "Our best brains are selling soaps and getting into civil service" but "we are not able to attract them to a sector that is most important to us - education - particularly higher education." As a result, even prestigious institutions - like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management - are facing a shortage of qualified faculty. As higher education undergoes further expansion, these shortages can only mount. 

The illusion that both India and Indians are making gains in the knowledge economy is in part due to the relatively large number of high-profile India-educated innovators and entrepreneurs whose achievements are celebrated in Indian newspapers. It becomes convenient to ignore the fact that most are US-based and at best have a second-base in India. 

'Fundamental Errors' Found In Indian Education System

By Swati Lodh Kundu (Guest Writer)

When the Right To Education (RTE) Act was written into the Indian constitution in 2010, the country became 135th where government is responsible and legally bound to educate children between the ages of six and 14. 

In other words, children are entitled to education as a fundamental right. The commendable Act, which was approved in April, had all the features required for nation building. As it gave a time frame of three years for implementation and this deadline has passed, it is time to take stock of the success of the Act. 

The provisions of the act were strong. For example, if the children cannot reach school for whatever reasons, the school would reach them.

Education for girls: The key to Afghanistan's development

One woman in the province of Nangarhar has dedicated her life to teaching women in Afghanistan and is following in the footsteps of a family tradition of teachers.

"If we want Afghanistan to be a prosperous country we should make sure Afghan women are fully engaged in the development process of the country," said Zarghona, 53, who has worked as a teacher for 35 years. "A country destroyed by decades of civil war will not stand on its own feet if half of its population, women, are inactive. Hence women and girls need to be educated."

The adult female literacy rate in Afghanistan is estimated to be 18 per cent.

Zarghona is just one Afghan woman who has dedicated her life to educating Afghan girls. For her teaching is a family business. Her father was a teacher at the Kabul Military School and her husband is a University Professor in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of the eastern province of Nangarhar.

In her 35 years career, she has never stopped teaching. Even during the Taliban regime when girls were banned from attending school, she used to teach girls secretly.

"I was caught by the Taliban and beaten for teaching girls," remembered Zarghona. "While conducting classes we always had a contingency plan in case the Taliban raided our secret school."

At Nangarhar University there are many female students who attended Zarghona's "secret school" during the Taliban regime.

In 2007 Zarghona went to the United States of America where she briefed American colleagues about education in Afghanistan and learnt how schools are operating in the U.S..

"It was a valuable experience and I use some of the methodologies I learnt from my American colleagues in my classes," said Zarghona.

"The Provincial Education Department and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) help us with the teaching materials, teacher trainings and books," said Zarghona.

More than six million children have enrolled in school since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, 35 per cent of them girls.

Building new schools, providing new teaching materials for teachers and students, conducting teacher trainings, establishing literacy courses for both men and women are all part of UNICEF's efforts to help the education sector in Afghanistan.

As a result of the Soviet war, and the civil war which occurred shortly afterwards, many schools were destroyed and the education process as a whole in Afghanistan was negatively affected. The destruction of the education infrastructure went to an extreme level when the Taliban conquered and ruled most of Afghanistan.

Except for some religious education, girls and women were forbidden to learn. Even for men, the curriculum was highly dominated by religious studies instead of science, technology, literature, etc. What the Taliban did in terms of education goes against Islam and what the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, preached. Muhammad told his followers in the early days of Islam to "seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave", and that "the ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr”. Islam requires education for all, both men and women.

Education in Afghanistan has greatly improved since the Taliban were overthrown in late 2001. According to recent estimates from Afghanistan's Ministry of Education, more than 5.4 million children are enrolled in schools today, nearly 35% of them girls[1]. Even though many arguments have been made criticizing the status and rate of development of the educational system in Afghanistan; and despite efforts by the Taliban to burn and shut down many schools, especially for girls in the South and East, more Afghans now attend school or receive some sort of education than ever in its modern history. According to Afghanistan's constitution (adopted in January 2004), education is the right of all citizens (both men and women), and up to a certain level, it is free of charge.

A lot more still needs to be done in order for Afghanistan to have what modern nations have for their citizens today. An estimated 11 million Afghans are still illiterate [1], many schools lack proper facilities, the number of qualified teachers are still low, and a major obstacle that needs to be overcome is a cultural bias that many Afghans have, especially in the conservative areas towards the necessity of educating women.

Special Report: UAE Businessman To Spend 5000 Crore In Charity For Educating Underprivileged Students

By S A Mannan in Dubai

It's commendable effort by a UAE businessman to support the education for underprivileged students in gulf, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

Calling education the “cornerstone of prosperous, progressive and inclusive societies”, Al Ghurair, a UAE businessman announced the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiative.

High performing students forced to drop out of higher education due to financial constraints have been given new hope. As one of the country’s leading businessmen, Abdullah Al Ghurair, has pledged one-third of his assets to education empowerment, with many hailing the move as a “brave decision” that others should follow.Initially, 15,000 underprivi-leged Emirati and Arab students will benefit from the Abdullah Al Ghurair Education Foundation, which aims to pledge Dh4.2 bil-lion in its first 10 years.

Upgrading India’s Engineering Colleges

Given India’s large population of 1.2 billion, typically demand far outstrips supply in almost everything. When it comes to infrastructure in particular — be it transportation, housing, health care, education, etc. — the constant refrain is that the country needs more.

For instance, with over half of India’s population less than 25 years of age, there is usually a scramble for seats in educational institutions of all types. But in an anomaly of sorts, even as there are thousands of students aspiring to become engineers, thousands of seats in engineering colleges in the country have not found any takers this year.

Meanwhile, state governments have asked the AII India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the country’s regulatory body for professional education, to reject any fresh proposals for starting new engineering colleges. Talking recently to daily newspaper The Times of India, S. S. Mantha, chairman of AICTE, said: “We have received letters from [the] Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Chhattisgarh governments telling us not to clear proposals for engineering institutes.”

AICTE records show that the capacity in engineering colleges has increased three fold in the past five years. India currently has close to 3,400 engineering colleges (both government and private) that offer around 1,500,000 seats. Of these, nearly 200,000 went empty this year. Mantha points out that while there are “no takers for specific engineering programs, the core engineering courses — civil, mechanical and electrical — still have takers.”

According to T.V. Mohandas Pai, chairman of education services provider Manipal Global Education, the vacant seats in the engineering colleges are not just a reflection of increased capacity or lack of student interest in certain streams. Instead, they are an indication that students are rejecting bad quality education. Pai, who until recently was a board member and head of human resources at information technology firm Infosys, points out that there is “a mushrooming of inefficient institutions. Seats are going vacant only in bad colleges because students now have a choice. This is a good thing for the country and will clean up the [education] sector.”

In India, education is restricted to nonprofits, but unscrupulous players enter the sector because of the high demand, manipulate the system to get through the entry criteria, and then bend the rules to rake in profits. Many legitimate players tend to stay away because offering high quality education requires deep pockets to attract good faculty and for setting up the infrastructure. In the nonprofit model, investments are typically limited, and it takes a long time to build a critical mass.

One possible solution to India’s woes in the education sector is to allow new players to enter the system based on transparent norms and let established institutions freely expand to whatever capacity they want. “Providing education is a noble activity, but it must be seen as a providing a service like in any other sector,” says Pai. “While regulations are needed to ensure the highest standards of quality, what the government needs to do is create a transparent system where private institutions are encouraged to invest in and deliver high quality education, and let the inclination of the players [to be for-profit or nonprofit] and the market dynamics decide their profitability.”

In addition, it is important to incentivize educational institutions to become more than just good disseminators of knowledge. They must also become good creators of knowledge, experts say. This, in turn, will lead to a natural upgrading of the education that they impart. In the meantime, the empty seats could be a warning to those wanting to make a fast buck.