Some of Delhi university's premier colleges have generated controversy by announcing very steep cut-offs for admission,going as high as 100% for entry into a commerce institution this indicates a deeper malaise plaguing our higher educations system.over the years,prestigious colleges have used admission cut-offs to advertise brand value.If cut-offs are meant to reflect how sought-after colleges are,they're also used to counter what some educationalists call the "trend of inflating results"at board levels.
Either way,students are the victims.if they can't afford to get anything short of a perfect score to get into their dream colleges,it points to a serve demand supply imbalance.that one popular DU college received over 21000 applications for just 420 seats exemplifies the problem.we have serious dearth of quality institutions,a situation that will only worsen without urgent systemic reform.
the problem lies in the government's approach to higher education in general.for far too long the education sector has labored under the mistaken notion that govt alone can facilitate the creation and running of top quality universities.this has led to an administrative regime marked by rigid rules and regulations stifling the growth of colleges.the crunch for seats combined with irrational admission norms has spawned a capitation fee culture,especially in the south.Universities have little room to innovative and,with academic promotions a matter of loyalty rather than merit,there little incentive for cutting-edge research.while caprice,teaching methodology is largely focused churning out degree-holders.No surprises then that Indian universities fare poorly on most international rankings.
the govt does have a huge role to play in expanding education,especially at the primary and secondary school levels.But it needs to encourage the private sector to build capacity at the university level.This requires creating a level playing field for such investors and giving universities and institutes and far greater autonomy.Ultimately, it is the market that determines the real value of a college degree.its when universities have the freedom to structure curriculum,hire teaching staff based on merit and seek independent funding for research that competition will raise overall standards.As also increase access to quality education for greater numbers of aspirants.
there's bound to be resistance to change from vested interests within government and the academic community. Both must realities that the education pie needs to be enlarged by bringing in more private players in the field.There's a case for institutional and private philanthropy in higher education as well.investments, however will only be forthcoming if the sector is free up,giving greater independence to institutions.policy reform,based on this shift in perspective,is imperative to give higher education the boost it so badly needs.
Either way,students are the victims.if they can't afford to get anything short of a perfect score to get into their dream colleges,it points to a serve demand supply imbalance.that one popular DU college received over 21000 applications for just 420 seats exemplifies the problem.we have serious dearth of quality institutions,a situation that will only worsen without urgent systemic reform.
the problem lies in the government's approach to higher education in general.for far too long the education sector has labored under the mistaken notion that govt alone can facilitate the creation and running of top quality universities.this has led to an administrative regime marked by rigid rules and regulations stifling the growth of colleges.the crunch for seats combined with irrational admission norms has spawned a capitation fee culture,especially in the south.Universities have little room to innovative and,with academic promotions a matter of loyalty rather than merit,there little incentive for cutting-edge research.while caprice,teaching methodology is largely focused churning out degree-holders.No surprises then that Indian universities fare poorly on most international rankings.
the govt does have a huge role to play in expanding education,especially at the primary and secondary school levels.But it needs to encourage the private sector to build capacity at the university level.This requires creating a level playing field for such investors and giving universities and institutes and far greater autonomy.Ultimately, it is the market that determines the real value of a college degree.its when universities have the freedom to structure curriculum,hire teaching staff based on merit and seek independent funding for research that competition will raise overall standards.As also increase access to quality education for greater numbers of aspirants.
there's bound to be resistance to change from vested interests within government and the academic community. Both must realities that the education pie needs to be enlarged by bringing in more private players in the field.There's a case for institutional and private philanthropy in higher education as well.investments, however will only be forthcoming if the sector is free up,giving greater independence to institutions.policy reform,based on this shift in perspective,is imperative to give higher education the boost it so badly needs.
