India has the third largest higher education system in the world with 652 universities and 33,000 colleges affiliated to them. However, they are plagued by a shortage of trained faculty and outdated curricula, said Vice President of India, M Hamid Ansari.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the golden jubilee celebration of RV College of Engineering (RVCE) here on Tuesday, Ansari expressed serious concern about the quality of education imparted in higher education institutions in the country and said corrective measures were necessary.
The issues of access, equity and quality need to be addressed, he said. “Enrolment in our higher education institutions is 17 per cent, while the world average is 26 per cent. There is also a disparity in enrolment between urban and rural areas,” he said.
He said the country annually saw over seven lakh science and engineering graduates, but only 25 per cent of them were employable. The standard of research in Indian universities is far below the international standards. Also, a flip side of the increase in enrolment is that there is an unbearable burden of infrastructure on the institutions. This is lowering the quality of teaching, he pointed out.
Enrolment in the country is also heavily tilted towards private institutions with sixty per cent of the total enrolment in higher education institutions happening in private institutions. It is of concern that these institutions could be substandard and exploitative, he said. The future expansion of education in the country has to be done by ensuring relevant curricula and by rectifying social imbalances. The higher education institutions also need to focus on expansion of skill-based programmes, he said.
The celebrations were hosted on the RVCE campus on Mysuru Road in the City. Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande were also present.