Amid all the claims about the rise of India as a major player in the world, it is often ignored that the country continues to face some fundamental obstacles in this drive to achieve its full potential. One of the most significant of these is the crisis in the higher education system.

A few days ago, while inaugurating a national conference of vice-chancellors, organised by the UGC, Union HRD minister, Arjun Singh, described higher education in India as a “sick child”. Seeking a road map on higher education from the VCs, he asked them to define “what should be the content, extent, methodology and basic ingredients of higher education”. While Singh’s comments are welcome, it is surprising that it took him three years to address what should have been his top priority when he assumed office. Some of the minister’s actions have not exactly served this goal.

Knowledge is the key variable in defining the global distribution of power in the 21st century, and India’s economic success relies crucially on its high-tech industries. But given the fragile state of India’s higher education system, it is not clear if it will be able to sustain its present growth trajectory. While India’s nearest competitor, China, is re-orienting its higher education sector to meet future challenges, India ignores the problem. It is as if it believes the absence of world-class research in its universities is something that will get rectified on its own. While India may be producing well-trained engineers and managers from its flagship IITs and IIMs, it is not doing so in sufficient numbers. There is also a growing concern that while private engineering and management institutions are flourishing, their products are not of the quality that can help India compete effectively in the global marketplace.

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