How the policy and regulatory framework will enable us to build world-class universities in India?

Nurturing excellence in teaching and research and maintaining it uncompromisingly is the way forward for creating world-class higher education institutions. Do the national policies in education, current or the earlier ones support this? Yes; but what about the Regulatory Frameworks? So far, No! Complete institutional autonomy and facilitative and transparent governance permitting long-term sustainability and stability are the hallmarks of topmost quality institutions all over the world.

The National Education Policy 2020 rightly identifies the major problems currently faced by the severely fragmented Indian higher education system. The development of cognitive skills and learning outcomes are the least emphasised in the curriculum. An undesirable rigid separation of disciplines, with early specialisation and streaming of learners into narrow areas of study is pervading all across. Restrictions in teacher and institutional autonomy, academic, administrative, and financial, are hindering the support and promotion of independent initiatives of individual, academics, researchers, Departments, Faculties and institutions as a whole. Mechanisms for merit-based career progression of faculty and institution leaders are totally inadequate or rather nil.

The National Education Policy 2020 rightly identifies the major problems currently faced by the severely fragmented Indian higher education system. The development of cognitive skills and learning outcomes are the least emphasised in the curriculum.

Lack of emphasis on research at most universities and colleges and the nonexistence of competitive peer-reviewed research funding across disciplines are also limiting factors for quality and excellence. Suboptimal governance and leadership of higher education institutions and an ineffective rigid regulatory system and the mammoth size of the affiliating university system resulting in low standards of undergraduate education were also rightly identified as the reasons for not achieving world-class standards in our education system. The present policy envisions a complete overhaul and re-energising of the higher education system to overcome these challenges and thereby deliver too quality higher education. 

Suboptimal governance and leadership of higher education institutions and an ineffective rigid regulatory system and the mammoth size of the affiliating university system resulting in low standards of undergraduate education were also rightly identified as the reasons for not achieving world-class standards in our education system.

World-Class Universities cannot be created overnight. They cannot stand alone or come up on their own. A robust and quality school education system can only pave the foundation for a top-notch high-quality collegiate and university education system. Seamless connection between teaching, research, knowledge creation and innovation are the basic traits of world-renowned teaching and research universities. Recognition of the potentials of knowledge for wealth creation and economic growth is evident in such institutions.

All the national policy formulations in higher education were unanimous regarding the positive roles and absolute necessity of academic autonomy. The Kothari Commission Report which came in 1966 stated: “only an autonomous institution, free from the regimentation of ideas and pressure of party or power politics, can pursue truth fearlessly and build up in its teachers and students, habits of independent thinking and a spirit of inquiry unfettered by the limitations and prejudices of the near and the immediate which is so essential for the development of a free society”. The institutional regulatory frameworks, both at the National and the Regional State levels, for some reason or other, have not really facilitated these autonomy considerations to any reasonable extent. On the contrary, we have seen examples of curbing of autonomy and almost insurmountable hurdles for the smooth operation of institutions arising out of the multiplicity of regulators, during the last 5 decades.

The implementations of NEP 2020 recommendations, taking lessons from the success stories of governance of premier public institutions of excellence like the Indian Institute of Science, IITs, IIMs, IISERs, and extending them to the Collegiate and University system in the country have to be done in a completely disruptive and transformative way, without waiting.

The presence of outstanding institutional leaders that cultivate excellence and innovation is the need of the hour. Excellent faculty with high academic and service credentials as well as demonstrated leadership and management skills need to be identified early and trained through a ladder of leadership positions. The regulatory framework needs to be very flexible and accommodative in attracting the best talents as teachers.

The role of the industries and the corporates in creating world-class universities and research institutions is enormous. Creating opportunities for teachers and researchers to stay in touch with real-world industrial problems and solutions is necessary for achieving global standards in higher education and industrial practices. Developing courses and capacity-building programmes jointly with industry and undertaking teaching and research jointly in specific areas are also needed in establishing world-class standards. If the regulatory frameworks undergo a thorough transformation, looking at the high expectations in the policy formulations, we as a nation can stepwise and systematically bring in world-class features in our university system.

About the author:

Professor VN Rajasekharan Pillai has been at the helm of affairs of many higher educational and scientific research establishments for the last 47 years of service as a teacher, researcher, professor, and executive head of Education, Science and Technology establishments in the country and abroad.  An Elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Professor Rajasekharan Pillai is one among the top-cited Chemistry researchers in the country. He created an internationally renowned research group in the areas of polymer-supported peptide synthesis, photoremovable protective groups and conformational studies of peptides and proteins

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha