PRIVATIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION:

A BOON OR A BANE?

By-Harish Morwani (CH - Karnavati Education)

& Dr. Namrata Bajaj (Asst. Prof. - NIT)

Privatization: Need of Today

         

          Presently, in World economy, tremendous changes are taking place. Earlier, there was monopoly in this game of economy. The Manufacturer shot and the Consumer was at the receiving end. Now the concepts of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization have taken important places in the World economy. Due to mutual agreements between countries, the World has become a single market that is running to survive.

           

            Again due to idea of privatization, developing countries like India and China are coming up in the forefront of economic activities and the new generation of Entrepreneurs has emerged. Earlier, in countries like India, common man could not even thought of having a cell phone, his own home, car etc in his younger age. All this is possible now, only due to privatization which has created competitive customer centric market.

           

            Education contributes its vital input in the growth and prosperity of a nation. In fact it is the backbone of all national endeavors. It has the power to transform human beings into human resources. Higher education has an omnipotent role of preparing leaders in different walks of like-societal, politics, culture, science, technology etc. According to a survey of 120 countries, the World Bank has reported that human capital accounts for 64% of total wealth whereas physical and natural resources account for only 16% and 20% of total wealth respectively. Hence, economic prosperity and human capital have direct relationship with each other.

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru has rightly said:

“A University stands for

-          tolerance

-          freedom for the adventure of ideas

-          search of truth

It stands for March of the human race towards even higher objectives. If the Universities discharge their duties adequately then it is well within the nation and people.”

The Task Force constituted by the World Bank observed that the higher education helps increase in wages and productivity thereby enriching individual and society as a whole.

Higher Education: A Glance at Global Level

            Privatized higher education in many countries will be the growth area for the first part of 21^st Century. Private Universities are expanding at a more rapid rate than Public Institutions and they are serving a larger segment of the total population. In countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Philippines, Private  Universities educate a large majority of those going on to post secondary education i.e. 80% overall. In Latin America also more than 50% of the total enrollments are in Private Universities. Private Universities are developing rapidly in Central and Eastern Europe and in former Soviet Union with a rapid growth at all levels of the academic system. Some of the World’s best Universities are private. Although 80% of the American students study in Public Universities and Colleges, most of the prestigious Universities (Harvard, Yole, Stanford, and Chicago) are private.

INDIA: Private Education at a Glance

            India is in catch-22 situation as far as privatization of education is concerned. In Public Funded Universities, AICTE has slashed seats as most of these Institutes are run by the help of Visiting Faculties. And the Student-Teacher ratio is not in accord with the guidelines. In such scenario, shouldn’t there be an independent body to monitor the real contributors, irrespective of their public or private affiliations? There are many Private Universities that have achieved success in all spheres like- maintaining quality education, good infrastructure, placement of students etc. in less than 10 years what most of the Public funded Universities have not achieved in even 50 years. There are many Private Universities like ICFAI, AMITY that are popularizing Brand India by their contribution to Business and Technical case studies to reputed bodies like ECCH (European Case Clearing House), which are even referred by the students of leading B-Schools like Harvard etc. Such Universities are publishing Text books, Workbooks, Derivatives, Journals, and Magazines on various subjects customized for Indian Students, Scholars and Experts with Indian and International illustrations. This has helped the students to increase the basic understanding of various subjects and also helping in enhancing their level of knowledge. Again Scholarship for merit holders is improving the competitive spirit among the students. So taking quality higher education through out the country to bridge the gap in grabbing job opportunity and worthiness of candidates hailing from a small town to that of a metro is only possible when more and more Private Institutes are allowed to operate by opening Colleges even at District level.

            But Private higher education is seldom totally private. The private sector is intervened by the State Govt. in many ways. Accreditation and evaluation bodies are established by State Govt. Authorities to control the expanding private sector. In India, which has one of the largest private higher education sectors in the World, Government funding is available for students for the large proportion of their fees. This dependence is a defining characteristic of private higher education worldwide and means that Private institutions must be sensitive towards student’s interest, the employment market of graduates and pattern of pricing.

            The rapidly expanding world of private education is quite diverse. The diversity is among Private Institutions across India and World wide Private Institutions. A vast improvement can be seen but only at the bottom level of the academic hierarchy. So it is important to understand the complexities of the reality of private higher education.

            The efforts to privatize higher education in India by encouraging private agencies to set up institutions of higher learning have enjoyed limited success in general education. In spite of such a big network and large number of statutory bodies functioning in this field, the quality of higher education in India is still poor and is facing enormous challenges in today’s global world. The challenges are:

-          Quantitative Growth

-          Quality Assurance

-          Research Work

-          Accountability

-          Curriculum

-          Examination Pattern

-          Lack of Governance

Globalization has created ample avenues for the integration of our views and knowledge in different spheres and providing greater opportunities for services, goods and exchange of ideas. So this may be achieved with strategic planning like

-          Raising the Standard of higher education

-          Liberalizing the rules for formation of Private Universities

-          Encouraging Open Learning

CONCLUSION

            It is high time now to wear the thinking cap and to think rationally about the Institute as a whole irrespective of its affiliation whether it is Public or Private. So it should be case to case basis instead of “One Size Fits All” attitude. Higher education is the pavement towards national development. The management of institutions (private or public) providing higher education should function with the true spirit of disseminating knowledge, transforming society and bringing peace and harmony to the nation. Gandhiji, the father of the nation was right when he said that “University education should turn out true servants of the people willing to live and die for their country.” Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the President of India also agrees with his vision who said that our education system should highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and develop such skills right from colleges to provide them with opportunities for creativity & freedom and the ability to generate wealth through setting ventures producing marketable products. Hence higher education should be quality based, marching towards the pursuit of truth through knowledge and enlightenment to open up new vistas of development and humanism. Such an education will ignite the minds of young citizens which in turn will contribute towards building of a healthy nation.