Indian Higher Education by 2017-18

 

Dr H Chaturvedi

Alternate President, EPSI & Director, BIMTECH

As per the approach of the 12^th Plan (2012-17), Government of India will continue to pursue excellence, equity and expansion in higher education.  Political imperatives of our democratic framework will force both central and state governments for setting up new universities and college in backward areas.  Shortage of faculty will be further aggravated because we will require additional eight lakh teachers in higher education in the next five years.  It will be an uphill task.  Hence, application of ICT in higher education will become a compulsion.

I also visualize a serious dichotomy in our higher education.  Elite and middle classes will continue to avail quality education in mostly private universities as well as in IITs and IIMs.  Poor families and particularly first generation graduates will be absorbed in government colleges, distance learning and public universities.  This social divide in higher education will be a burning issue for policy makers.   

There will be more industry sponsored programme in engineering, management and other professional disciplines.  Recruiters will prefer skills and competencies more rather than degrees among job aspirants.