The Big Picture - How can Indian universities improve their global standing?

Guests: T K Arun, Editor, Opinion, Economic Times; Sucheta Mahajan, Professor, JNU

Anchor: Frank Rausan Pereira

[senbre]

T.k. Arun sir became nostalgic when Mahajan ma'am reminded him of the JNU days.

[namanchaturvedi]

summary

1.indian univ(rank & no.s) fell in top 1000, times higher education rankings IIT's(K, D) rankings dropped .

2. western parameters based assesment, not very relevant to indian system. (specific cases - reservation, bringing marginalized gps in, important for india ), like no of foreign students.

3.crisis of quality, & need india specific curriculum, competition & equity , lack of funding, low no of faculty (overstreched) low foreign faculty, private UNIV. not doing very well compared to public, lack of proper R&D in UNIV. emphasis on teaching than basic rssch)-nobel prizewinners not being produced.

4.coaching culture destroying originality. imagination, innovation capability(requires long term thinking & process), legacy of british education .

5.need to involve students to improve intellectual environment, knowledge creation & innovation in education, attract & retain more qualified people to teaching profession ( higher salaries, incentives, merit based promotions),

6.need to create scientific temper, encourage critical inquiry & free thinking in society, have higher fees to fund higher education, but create a system of easy payback.( to take loans & pay, more scholarships, incentivizing marginalized)

7. focus on a few elite institutions has created weak foundation since primary & mid level quality of teaching & students is poor, weak start creates lag in the entire system.

8. build better institutions, infrastructure, have balance between commercialization & keeping purity of the discipline. involvement of industry -should sponsor rsrsch in UNIV. & create own innovation than imports .

[Indiadagreat]

TK Arun has hit at the very root of the problem.
Thankyou for this debate.

[dinkarjaiswal]

few points extracted from the debate:

Need to improve infrastructure and funding.
encourage private entities participation in research.
primary education improvement.
attract quality teachers.
policy interventions to improve the ambiance and to discourage feudally mindset.(most important)
encourage freedom of thought and right to disagree.

[umeshshelake]

Rajveer Sir points are extremely relevant.

[anuBHAV]

Having studied in two of the premier institutes of India, I personally find the attitude of 'mediocrity and non-risk taking' to be responsible for the sorry state of education in India. For that, we students and our parents (parts of society) are responsible.
Since from plust+2 level, till we graduate, the majority of us focus on building on our CVs which means going for innumerable activities. Academics rarely is focused. Assignments are copied with impunity. Research is considered something waste of time and is considered the least important part of a student's life. While in reality, it should be the most important aspect of academics.

The culture of rote learning must be discarded. Only those of us who are really passionate to go for technical and research knowledge must be allowed to go.

Admission to IITs should not be the test of intelligence. Rather, it should be the test of your passion for research and hard work towards that.

I am saying this because I have been a part of all of that and somewhere I feel I am also a culprit.

[Eren-jbsq]

Frank's English is more perfect than perfect.

[haritasabn]

1. Freedom of thought and expression in India was integral part of our culture. There was a separate sect called "Charvakas" who refuted the authority of vedas but still they were respected equally. These Charvakas never questioned the authority by hailing a criminal like in JNU. There is a way to critisize.

2. Quality of teachers at primary level in India is very poor. The way they get selected is a matter of cencern.

3. There should be an environment which allows and encourages creativity. Students in India are thought to do what is given in text books. It's like a military mock drill.

4. TK Arun said students are allowed to think in any directions - that has a great potential to produce criminals as well. So there should be a regulation on that so that students can think only in those lines which can bring into our society harmony and peace.

5. History in India must be re-written to inculcate pride about our culture and patriotism. We have stopped teaching students the good things from our culture. History written by good for nothing communists created more disharmony in society. They point only negatives like vultures whatever the height they may reach but their eyes are always at carcasses. We must teach our students to become like honey bees not vultures.

[devrajchauhan]

U missed one point, dirty politics in higher education on faculty level, students are more focused in appeasement of professor rather than invention & creative research... We are doing good but need big changes from primary to higher education, poverty to employment, illiteracy to high ethical values.

[tarunkadian]

We also need better assessment measures while recruiting Faculty in Universities and only few degrees shouldn't be the basis. I just left taking my two classes because the thinking of the teacher was limited and their inability to face questions. #DU

[kannansivanpillai]

foreign students and teachers need liberal environment liberally thinking population if a foreigner in Delhi want to eat beef which is a normal food in Europe may get lynched by his classmates then stuff will not improve Indian students must be come out of religion and move towards science and spirit of inquiry jai hind

[ShaanHistoria]

What does academics like Sucheta Mahajan know about how to improve it? Academics like her are responsible for the sustained decline.

[AmitSharma-bsjw]

provide a high incentive to gen candidate as well as those deprive student who left out reservation...provide a reservation but other student not deprive to higher education

[shishirsumangupta]

Ppls get atleast education to express their feelings upon the common things of society.

[sourabhg]

when votes are target then don't expect the other target or quality or international competition.

[ranbirray]

It seems Frank has not slept for many days or under severe work pressure. He looks stressed.

[saikumargorantla]

I personally don't accept the fact that professors are under paid. At least in IIM's they are paid very well enough and are pecked to international standards. Many of the foreign professors(Indians teaching in foreign universities) are coming back to work in India. Still our universities are ranked in hundred's. Moreover, except for the early infrastructure entire tuition is paid by the students.

[ajeetsingh-fdzm]

in comment section people are blaming reservation. what a hypocrisy when the all the panelist are brahmand and u guys saying reservation has ruined it. it's brahmins who have blocked most of the seats and they are solely responsible.

[niftybazaar]

transfer of teachers from one university to other ( in IIT/NIT/university) must required.

[siddharthagautam]

revert back to the old iit pattern giving stdent atlst 4 yrs and mking q tougher but doable.then only coaching classes role will be cut down