National Seminar

3. I. Introduction
The higher education system in India has successfully addressed
many challenges and difficulties, but it still faces many more. In
order to provide context for these challenges, understanding the
system and how higher education is organized is necessary.
Dimensions :-
 Governance
Funding
Level of degree Awarded
Program Differentiation/Specialization
Language

4. II.Challenges
1. Mass education & Gross Enrolment Ratio
Indicator Total Male Female
Total
Population
Crores
121.1 62.3 58.7
Literacy Rate 74.0% 82.1% 65.5%
Pop.in 18-23
age Group
(crores) & in %
14.03
11.6%
7.3
11.8%
6.7
11.4%
GER 20.8 22.1 19.4
The ‘gross enrolment ratio’ (GER) is the total number of
all enrolees in higher education, regardless of their age,
divided by the total population age 18-23.
The total number of all enrolees in higher education
The total population age 18-23
GER =

5. 2. Quality Education :-
Quantity and quality of highly specialized human resources
determine their competence in the global market. According to a
recent government report “ 2/3rd of India’s colleges and universities
are below standard .”
Grade Collages Universi
ties
‘ A ’ 10% 32%
‘ B ’ 66% 52%
‘ C ’ 24% 16%
Regulatory Bodies :-
 University Grants Commission (UGC).
 NAAC
 NBA
 All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE).
 Distance Education Council (DEC).
 Council of Architecture (CoA).

6. 3. Inequality :-
GER for All, SC & ST - India
Equity of access to higher education
in India is a triply complicated
problem. Besides the low GER for
overall population of India, large
variations exist among the various
categories of population. Due to
urban centric and uneven
distribution of institutions of higher
education, it is not equally available
to all in the State.

7. 4. Falling standard of research :-
“only 4 percent of research expenditure is made through
universities. In the United States the corresponding figure is 17
percent and in Germany it is 23 percent. Moreover, India’s
higher education institutions are poorly connected to research
center's. China’s investment in research manpower, estimated at
708 researchers per 1 million people, is 6 times that of India’s”.
Germany USA India

8. 5. The problem of Reservation in
higher education:-
Caste based reservations in educational institutions in India are a
constitutional obligation having its own logic of equalizing
social and educational inequality. However, caste based
reservation amounting up to 49% of the total seats in the Govt.
institutions of higher education, including the institutions of
excellence, prevents better talent coming in from un-reserved
categories besides causing social unrest at times.

9. 6. Neglect of Traditional fields of knowledge:-
Growing popularity of professional courses with prospects of
quicker and better employability has negatively affected the
enrolment of students in traditional fields of knowledge like basic
sciences, classical language and literature, art etc.
The enrolment registers of colleges and universities in
India stand testimony to this fact. Most of the talented students
move out of the State after completing Senior Secondary course in
search of good professional and technical colleges like medical,
engineering, management etc. leaving only a few for pure and basic
fields of knowledge. Diminishing enrolment in B.Sc. /M.Sc. courses
verify this fact.

10. 7. Faculty shortage :-
Institutions Vacant Seats (%)
Central University 35%
IIM’s 25%
NIT’S 33.33%
According to a recent report of HRD Ministry
premier educational institutes like the Indian
Institute of Technology (IITs) and the Indian
Institute of Management (IIMs) are facing a
faculty crunch with nearly one-third of the posts
vacant.