“The aim of education is gaining knowledge, not of facts, but of values” –William S. Burroughs

Any nation's growth depends solely on the quality of human capital, and good human capital are generated through quality education. Training provides people an opportunity to reflect on social , cultural, moral, economic and spiritual concerns and contributes to development through the diffusion of advanced knowledge and skills.

India remains far from the target of universal literacy, even after 70 years of its independence. The fact that the higher education system in India is churning out millions of unemployed graduates speaks to the need to improve the standard of education in the country. On a positive note, however, India is interested in the use of higher education as a powerful tool for developing a 21st century knowledge-based information society. Indian professionals are regarded as one of the world's best and are in high demand. The fundamental power of the Indian education system is demonstrated by this.

 

Going Back to the Roots

Education in India dates back to its early civilisation, where the 'Gurukul Method' revolved around the teaching and learning process. It was a residential concept in which students were trained in various fields of religion, philosophy and science under the guidance of a "Guru." Historians speculate that these centres had a curious similarity that appeared much later to the European mediaeval universities.

Due to subsequent invasions and disorder in the region, the original education system in India was gradually obscured. Islamic influences enriched traditional learning centres in the early modern period and introduced to India the disciplines of geography, government, law, and Arabic mathematics.

The European rulers brought a big change to the architecture of higher education. The British developed a comprehensive higher education system that concentrated on languages, literature , history, and philosophy. The aim of these learning centres was to produce English-speaking working-class individuals for British administrative, army and trade services. The University of London-inspired British model of the university system began to spread across India, leading to a growing number of higher learning centres by 1947.

After independence, the higher education system in India developed quickly. There were 132 universities and 4738 colleges by 1980, registering about 5% of the qualifying age group in higher education. In India , the number of institutions is four times higher than the number of institutions in both the United States and Europe as a whole.

 

Present-day Scenario

India is heading toward economic success and modernization headlong. To propel the nation to prosperity, it relies on high-tech sectors, such as IT and biotechnology. The Indian higher education system currently has many positive variables to its benefit. India has a huge higher education industry, the world's third biggest. It uses English and has an extensive scholarly tradition as the primary language of higher education and science. Academic freedom is respected and the basis of quality education can be established by a limited number of high-quality institutions. The fact that the government of the province, rather than the central government, exercises essential responsibility for higher education creates a rather convoluted structure, but the arrangement allows for a range of policies and approaches.

Yet the shortcomings clearly outweigh the strengths. India educates about 10% of its youth in higher education. None of its colleges, however, hold a solid position at the top. There are some excellent departments and centres at a few of the finest universities, and there are a limited number of outstanding undergraduate schools.

A study detailing the current scenario of the Indian Higher Education System was recently published by UGC. It demonstrates that it is not sufficient to meet the educational needs of the rising young population, considering the increasing number of colleges and enrollments.

 

Measures to Improve the Quality of Higher Education

The sharing of resources between private and public schools is one of the most important ways of resolving the question of low educational quality. It is important to note that the standard of education is directly related to the available resources and that enhancing the allocation of resources is important for the government to bring about qualitative changes in the field of education. There is a need to loosen the government's grip on higher educational institutions in order to allow the higher education sector to take on the emerging competition from Asian countries.

The Government should undertake the following measures to improve the quality of higher education:

 

Encouraging Individuality

Once, Albert Einstein wrote, "Everybody is a genius." But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it is dumb. The standardised testing and curriculum does not give students much scope to adapt to the world of work and salaries, with the difference between a student's ability, aptitude and interest and the social demands of knowledge and specialisation. In standardised exams, imagination that has nurtured our influences in almost all of life's passions and desires falls dead. Both mentally and emotionally, the existing educational system assumes conformity and rewards predictable habits.

 

Tech-Savvy Methods of Teaching

New technologies deliver huge possibilities in all aspects of life for advancement. The emphasis should not be on the installation of hardware, but on the creation of modern, high-quality content such as smart teaching systems and resources to help students learn basic skills such as reading and mathematics and content production in various Indian languages. All schools should be equipped with free high-speed internet access by a straightforward scheme through which the government will directly reimburse internet service providers.

 

Making the Curriculum Dynamic

At present, in most instances, the curriculum in higher education is obsolete. It is stale, dogmatic, and teaches stuff the world has been going on with. The programme needs to be progressive in nature in order to infuse dynamism. The choice of doing several courses must be given to students. The spirit of the curriculum should be guided by projects and not by tests.

 

High-Tech Libraries

There is a really nice selection of books in the university libraries, but they are all mixed up. For serious research, a library must be online and useful. Indian universities should focus more on the provision of quality education equal to that of global standards. Instituting this notion in the education system would be of great benefit as someone with amazing effortlessness would be able to access the books and needed study materials from anywhere. In addition, with new materials and books, the e-libraries can be easily updated.

 

The Power of Alumni

The strength of the alumni is one of the most unappreciated potentialities in the Indian education system. The notion of alumni networking is non-existent, except the IIT's and a few other top institutes. It will offer the avenue as well as the trust for the alumni to contribute in terms of money or academic knowledge once you launch a sincere network that is open.

Higher education should have different attributes, such as inculcating confidence and the ability to take responsibility and preparing students to be successful in the circumstances of their lives and jobs, and encouraging the pursuit of excellence in the production and application of knowledge and skills, taking into account the rapid changes taking place in society.

Any appropriate policy steps to strengthen the education system should be taken by the government. India is one of the world's fastest-developing countries today. Therefore, they need a new, liberal educational system that can respond to the evolving needs of a changing society, a changing economy and a changing environment.