Higher Education in India – Opportunities, Changes and Challenges

Emerging India owes its newfound growth to tertiary sector in general and tertiary education in particular. India, known as the ancient seat of learning has grown into a knowledge economy. In the present era of knowledge driven economy the role of higher education becomes instrumental in the overall socio-economic development of any region or country. Changes in the form and functions of education – individually and institutionally – need to be studied also in context of inclusive growth, taking into account two key variables viz. finance and gender. Disparities in terms of regions, resources and outcomes are still visible despite internationalisation of higher education and formalisation of quality. The situation is not conducive for enhancing employability of graduates and productivity of labour. We, therefore, call for managed expansion of higher education and careful integration with manpower planning. This paper discusses opportunities, changes and challenges related to financing, equity of conditions at access into and during the course of studies, and career choice and advancement. We also suggest strategies (including accreditation/reaccreditation) needed for fine tuning higher education to make it compatible with the needs of both the corporate world and the civil society. Global/local realities and expectations are analysed as part of (human) development challenges and goals. The broader goal is to balance the objectives of knowledge-growth and knowledge-utilisation that take into account both the text and context of higher education