The blog has been created to express thoughts and exchange information on higher education. The individuals engaged in teaching, research, administration of higher education are welcome to contribute through comments.
Showing posts with label higher education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label higher education. Show all posts
Recently I came across some media reports which suggest
some new courses launched at undergraduate (UG) level (BE., B Tech) that are likely have huge demand in
next five years. Since I doubt that claim, this blog is specifically to express
my views on that subject.
Some of the UG courses predicted to have huge demand and
job opportunities, in next five years are: robotics, automation, automotive
design, data analytics, polymers, biochemical engineering, mechatronics. I
would not like to mention any specific course, but try to put forward my view,
giving some examples.
Few years back, a new engineering UG course was launched
by a renowned university in Maharashtra (India), titled “Instrumentation Engineering”,
with much fanfare. At that time, large number of students opted for the course.
However, even before the first batch of UG students passed out in that course,
it was realised it has very few job opportunities. As a result, many private engineering
colleges that initially started the course backed out and closed the
Department. In my opinion, any graduate mechanical, chemical or electronics
engineer can fulfill the requirement of instrumentation engineer, after a brief
initial training.
The story is somewhat similar in case of Bio-Chemical
Engineering at UG level. Any UG chemical engineer can work in a biochemical
industry, perhaps better, because he is able to take a 3600 view as
a chemical engineer. There can be no difference of opinion, if I say
mechanical, electrical or electronics engineer can work in robotics, automation,
mechatronics and so on.
The point is, the job opportunities shall be much
limited for the graduates (BE, B Tech) passing out from narrow engineering
courses like biochemical engineering or robotics. To give an example, a
chemical engineer graduate can work in biochemical engineering and also in many
other chemical industries, but a graduate with biochemical engineering degree
will find it difficult or will not be accepted by other chemical industries.
I feel, while choosing the engineering branch, first
preference should be given to basic branches like chemical, civil, computer,
electronics, electrical and mechanical engineering. It is better to avoid
joining UG course with a narrow engineering scope, as discussed above. These
subjects should be left for PG (MS, M Tech, ME) qualification.
Image Source: CERDEC Math and Science Summer Camp, 2013,
US Army, @flickr.com Creative Commons License.
Establishing and running an engineering educational institution is a capital intensive project. In India, the main source of income for the private engineering institutions is from the tuition fees collected from the students. The revenue outflow is mainly for salaries, establishing laboratories and the development of college infrastructure. All promoters wish that their institution should be preferred by the prospective students, to seek admissions. They also desire good faculty should join the institution.
Over the years, large number of engineering colleges have been established, as the number of students seeking engineering courses was equally large and kept growing, in the past. Since last few years, however, the demand for other faculties like commerce, law has increased. As a result, number of students seeking engineering admissions have not increased in the same proportion vis-a-vis the number of engineering colleges established. Large number of admission seats remain vacant in most engineering colleges, as per the current trend. The viability of many engineering institutions has come under threat. These institutions find it extremely difficult to gather resources to pay staff salaries and develop laboratories and infrastructure. The students and parents do not give preference to these institutions due to perceived bad quality. This is despite the fact that some of them have secured very good grades in accreditation by NAAC and NBA. Even in this difficult period, it is seen, some engineering colleges and universities are successful filling almost cent percent seats. Why do students and parents prefer these colleges? Dr J D Bapat helps the institutions solve this juggernaut. As a development professional and the adviser, he helps the engineering institutions build up strength in the following areas:
Resource Generation (other than tuition fess)
Marketing and
Image Building
Dr Bapat, advises the institutions how to build on own strengths. He helps faculty propose research projects to funding agencies and also set up research laboratories. He also identifies areas in which collaboration with the industry could be initiated. Marketing is always with respect to the product. Pass out degree holders are the products of engineering institution. The industry employing the fresh engineers on the one hand and the students seeking admission to the institution, on the other, are the customers. Dr Bapat gives systematic plan to market the achievements of the institution and also to build the image in the society. All these efforts are focused towards adding value to the engineering educational institutions.
As a Principal of an engineering college, I met number of parents, especially while seeking admission for their ward, asking about which engineering college or engineering branch will be good. Here are some tips.
Choosing a College:
(a) Read the information given in the brochure provided by the Director technical Education (DTE) and also that provided by the college
(b) Go to the website(s) of the college and click on the “Compulsory Disclosure” and read the information carefully. If the college has not disclosed the proper information, report to DTE
(c) Ensure that the college/society does not run any unauthorised courses.
(d) Go through all 'Heads' displayed in the website
(e)It is necessary to visit the concerned college and the department where you intend to seek the admission. Look for the following information:
(i)College management and their track record
(ii)College principal and his reputation
(iii)Department head, his/her reputation, number of faculty and their qualification, teaching experience. As per the current AICTE norms, the engineering colleges are required to maintain 1:2:6 ratio among Professors:Associate Professors:Assistant Professors. Note how many faculty have Ph. D.
(iv)Department laboratories, equipment
(v)Research currently undergoing in the Department and the involvement of faculty members and students in therein. This is important, as the quality of teaching is almost proportional to the quality of research.
(vi)Research papers published by the faculty in the international journals. national events organised by the College for students and the professionals
(vii)University Results and consistency: Students in the university merit list (first ten) for last three years.
(viii)College fees: should be proportional to the reputation
Pitfalls:
The following aspects speak good of an educational institution, however choosing an institution only on any one or two of these, ignoring the points given above, could be a pitfall:
(a) The college building and surroundings are highly impressive (Take a look at the college laboratories, class rooms and toilets)
(b) The college name figures many times in the news channels
(c) The college organises mega events (organising a mega social, sports or competition event, with budget more than INR 5 million, takes nearly 4-5 months organisational work by the college faculty and staff, which is likely to cause negligence towards academics)
Engineering Branch:
All engineering branches are good. The branch should be chosen without any gender bias. In order to secure good job, it is necessary that your ward secures First Division, consistently. As a parent, you must ensure attendance of your ward in the college.
All reputed companies, offering good job and salary, look for consistency in the academic performance (First Division).
Seek admission for your ward, once you are satisfied with these aspects.
In recent meeting on the permanent membership of Washington Accord, the academicians expressed positive thoughts. It is felt that permanent membership of AICTE recognised institutions in the Washington Accord shall open greater job opportunities abroad for engineering graduates from India. The optimism is understandable but to look towards the accord as panacea for ills in the engineering education smacks of our penchant to look towards the west to solve our domestic problems.
Our politicains do not miss opportunity to criticise US for its so called capitalist policy but prefer to take treatment in the US hospitals, even for the smallest illness, at the State's expense. The same attitude is seen while shopping for the advanced equipment for the country's defense preparedness. If the same trend continues, one wonders whether the indigenous industry and the institutions shall ever achieve parity over the advanced countries. Now it is the turn of higher education.
Most Principals, Directors and Promoters of the Higher Educational Institutions were of the opinion that being a part of Washington Accord shall lead to better quality of infrastructure and education in our institutions. How?
Who stops us from improving our standard right away? The problem is not the lack of opportunities but the lack of will to improve. The educational institutions are viewed as private business by most Promoters. What kind of a business is that, where the customers (viz. students and parents) are left with practically no choice of the product. Just look at the way the promoters are trying to bring moratorium on establishing new institutions. In the captive market, no one is ready to face competition.
In fact it will not be proper to consider educational institution as private venture, because the institution is built and survives on the money received from the stakeholders (students and parents) but denies any right to them to decide about the management policy. Besides, the normal laws and economic criteria applied to any private venture are not applicable to the educational institutions. This issue needs serious consideration.
The great educational institutions of the world are not built by the criteria of accreditation. In fact accreditation only ensures the minimum standards, sky is the limit for quality.
In a recent decision the AICTE, the apex organisation under the government of India, declared that they will not
give approval for new engineering and management institutions in the country
from the year 2014. As an educationist, I am surprised at the decision, for the
following reasons:
(a)
Although it is reported that large number of seats in some institutions remain
unfilled, there are institutions which witness huge rush for the admissions.
The students do not choose some, just because these are not good institutions.
(b) Some
States have approached AICTE for imposing the ban. It is known that large
number of these institutions are controlled by the politicians. It is possible that
they pursued over the state government to take such decision. At least, the
general public is likely to have that impression.
(c) The
quality of higher education in the country is not good. One of the reasons is
the customer (students and the parents) had no choice, as the number of seats
available in the colleges fell short of the demand, till recently.
(d) Now
since the number of seats available are more, the students and parents have
choice to approach good institutions.
(e) The
institutions will be required to continuously improve the academic quality,
failing which they will perish. That is what happens to a non-viable industry.
The same market forces should be allowed play, in case of educational
institutions also. There should be no protection given by the government.
(f) The corporates
are beginning to enter the education field. It is a welcome development, as it
is bound to improve the quality. The AICTE imposing such a ban shall act as a
deterrent.
Therefore
it is suggested, the government should revoke the AICTE decision.
The media reports show that there is a spate of higher educational institutions in India (engineering, management) signing bipartite agreements with the foreign universities; mostly with those not known for high academic standing. Why this sudden increase in the Indian institutions? Does it help improve the academic standard of higher educational institutions in India?? I feel curious.
One thing is sure, the academic standard will improve only if the components of research and mutual faculty exchange are involved in such agreements. However the fulfillment of academic term by the students at Indian and foreign campus is prominently highlighted. Who pays for the cost? Parents obviously!
A word of caution for the students and parents: Check the academic standing of the foreign institutions, before you pay through the nose.
“There is no need for any government regulation. Let private institutions come up and students can make their choice based on the information on which institutes provide quality education.”
This is what Lord Meghnad Desai, Professor Emeritus, London School of Economics said at the fifth Oxford India Business Forum 2010, at New Delhi, on 25 March 2010.
As a manifestation of the Central Government’s resolve to reform and restructure the higher education sector, the draft Bill on formulation of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER) has been placed before the Indian Parliament. The Commission seeks to replace institutions such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Noted educationists all over the country have expressed concerns over the efficacy of the Bill bringing in the desired changes in the higher education system. As higher education is an area that concerns a large number of people, the Central Government should be more pro-active in seeking feedback from stakeholders and that should be the norm all the time. The major concerns expressed are as follows:
(a) NCHER Bill undermines the autonomy. It tends towards centralisation of powers and control over academic initiatives. The Preamble lays down two basic objectives, firstly, ‘to provide for the determination, co-ordination, maintenance of standards in and promotion of higher education and research' and secondly to ‘promote the autonomy of higher educational institutions, for the free pursuit of knowledge and innovation and for facilitating access, inclusion and opportunities to all'. There is a mismatch between what is proposed in the preamble and incorporated in the body of the Bill. The terms of the proposed Bill are such that they may not improve the quality of education or make much needed autonomy a reality.
The statement in the preamble is in favour of autonomy. Both academic and administrative autonomy are necessary if the universities are to become real centres of learning. But autonomy without democratisation is likely to lead to an authoritarian system. The Bill is silent about democratisation. Even the colleges should become autonomous, as the affiliating system is under severe strain. But the character of the Bill, despite the claims to the contrary, undermines autonomy rather than advancing it. The commission's powers to make regulations are likely to impinge upon autonomy rather than promote it. It has assumed powers far greater than what was exercised by the UGC. Moreover, UGC was essentially an advisory body in academic matters.
(b) NCHER is not sufficiently rooted in academic imperatives. NCHER is mainly a management remedy. The problems that higher education is facing are not essentially because of inefficient management but because of the inability of the system to ensure quality. Whether a new apex body which would exercise ‘national' control is the ideal solution for the problem deserves very serious consideration.
(c) NCHER is not an umbrella organisation. The resolution on the National Policy on Education (NPE) passed by the parliament few years back envisages creation of a single regulating organisation replacing as many as 13 different regulating organisations approved by the Parliament. For example, the education in agriculture and medicine still lie outside the purview of NCHER.
(d) NCHER may remain organizationally inadequate. The commission is a highly centralised body manned by a chairman and six members, supported by a collegium, consisting of core and co-opted fellows to ‘aid, advice and make recommendation to the commission'. The commission is a pretty isolated organisation without any window to the society. The collegium is at best a deliberating body and would not exercise any control over the commission. Eminent personalities like Nobel award winners, Jnanapeeth Award winners shall be appointed members of the collegium. Notwithstanding the eminence of these personalities, they may not be fully aware about the ground realities and problems faced by the higher education in the country. The management of higher education in the country would thus be left in the hands of a committee of seven who have no prescribed channels of feedback. Therefore, even if well intentioned, the commission would be starved of necessary democratic connection.
(e) Compulsory accreditation as envisaged in the Bill may not be effective. There are considerable reservations about the manner in which the accreditation system is working now. Whether a national system can function effectively is doubtful. After many years of the system being in operation, only a small percent of colleges have so far been graded. The National Knowledge Commission (NKC) has proposed the idea of licensing accrediting agencies, probably involving private agencies. It is not clear as to if the provision in the bill which refers to accrediting agencies registered under the commission would involve the implementation of NKC proposal. In principle, the authority to regulate and accredit should rest with public authorities. The process of accreditation should be participative and the purpose ameliorative rather than punitive. It is perhaps time to review the system. One possibility is an internal assessment with external participation at the State level. The accreditation today primarily looks into the ‘process’of imparting education. Rather it would be better to evaluate the ‘product’ of education. The product based evaluation shall call for total review of the methodology. That is what perhaps Meghnad Desai means (see quote at the top)
To sum, the NCHER should be a single umbrella organisation at the national level with necessary monitoring and regulatory functions. ‘Autonomy at all levels’ should be the watchword while drafting the Bill. The collegium, with advisory role, should consist of eminent personalities from the field of education with a feel of local conditions obtaining in different parts of the country. An effective system should be established to seek sustained feedback from the stakeholders as well as to maintain adequate checks and balances over the functioning of the Commission. The accreditation today is ‘process’ oriented. It may be worthwhile making it ‘product’ oriented.
Teachers’ Participation in Research Programs Improves Their Students’ achievements in studies
The Program advocates assert that program participationenhances teachers’ skills in communicating science tostudents. They measured the impact of New York City public high-schoolscience teachers’ participation in Columbia University’sSummer Research Program on their students’ academic performancein science. In the year before program entry, students of participatingand nonparticipating teachers passed a New York State Regentsscience examination at the same rate. In years three and fourafter program entry, participating teachers’ studentspassed Regents science exams at a rate that was 10.1% higher than that of the non-participating teachers’ students.Other program benefits include decreased teacher attrition fromclassroom teaching and school cost savings.
The above results apply better in case of higher education. That is what experience shows.
Ref: “Teachers’ Participation in Research Programs Improves Their Students’ Achievement in Science”,
Samuel C. Silverstein, Jay Dubner, Jon Miller, Sherry Glied, John D. Loike, Science,16 October 2009, Vol. 326. No. 5951, pp. 440 – 442,
The Indian government is thinking of freeing colleges from universities and letting them run their own show. This was announced by human resource development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal during his meeting with principal secretaries and secretaries of higher education from the states.
In order to become independent, colleges will first have to excel in many areas. Should they improve further, they could be allowed to become universities.
The Centre plans to create a three-tier system of affiliated colleges, autonomous colleges and universities. Their standards will be judged through an accreditation system formulated by the States so that students know the quality and resources of institute they attend. That would introduce competition among the educational institutions.
The government wants to regulate the fees and the admission process in private and unaided colleges and create a regulatory mechanism to prevent the business of capitation fees. States have also been asked for ideas on how to insulate the selection of vice-chancellors from politics.
A three-month deadline has been set for the education secretaries to prepare a vision document on the targets to be achieved in higher education by 2020. That must contain the state's targets for higher education till 2020, details of the current conditions, the number of universities and colleges, what the state thinks of their quality and a plan to increase Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in higher education. The document will help the government plug loopholes, boost the sector and set benchmarks for 2020.
The government has ambitious plans for enrollment. It plans to bring a 5% increase in GER by the end of the 11th Plan and raise it to the global average of 30% by 2020. The states were also pulled up for pinching pennies on the education. According to the Ministry, the Centre's education spend, as a percentage of GDP, has increased to 0.91% in 2009 from 0.53% in 2000-01, while the states' spend has declined from 3.76% to 2.73%.
Over 2.64 lakh students, who have gone abroad for studies, are spending approximately USD 5.5 billion (about Rs 27,000 crore) every year, Lok Sabha (Parliament of India) was informed. Most of the students who go abroad for higher education, seek jobs in the foreign country, resulting in a permanent loss of talent for the country.
This huge outflow of money and the brain can be at least partly reduced if the universities and the technical institutions in India deliver what their foreign counterparts do.
It is essential that conducive atmosphere is created in India so that the reputed foreign universities come here. The entry of foreign institutions in the higher education shall generate healthy competition and help improving the quality of education as a whole.
The Human Resource Development Minister of India, Kapil Sibal, says foreign universities like Harvard are welcome in India. He expressed that these universities will come to India on certain terms and conditions. Everyone's view will be taken into consideration and decision will be taken according to the national interest.
The foreign universities are investing in the developing country like Malaysia. The expenses incurred in educating a child there are just half of that in Australia. If the universities are giving the same education in Malaysia at half the price, they are welcome to do the same in India too.
The academic standard of Indian universities is poor, especially in the area of research in science and technology. The top world universities give considerable emphasis on research. The competition with foreign universities shall motivate Indian universities to improve academic standard and pursue research. It will also be a good career opportunity for the competent faculty.
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The newly elected United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has made higher education its thrust area with a view to increasing the gross enrollment ratio to 15 per cent by the end of the 11th Five Year Plan.
The key announcement in this regard was made by the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech on Monday, in the form of a student loan for economically weaker sections. Under this scheme, eligible students will be provided full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium. It will cover loans taken by such students from scheduled banks to pursue any of the approved courses of study, in technical and professional streams, from recognised institutions in the country. An estimated 0.5 million students would benefit from this scheme.
He also extended the scope of Section 80E of the Income-tax Act — providing tax exemptions for educational loans to pursue higher studies in specific areas — to cover all sectors including vocational studies after school.
While the Plan outlay for higher education has been raised from Indian Rs. 6,8000 million in 2008-09 to Rs. 9,5960 million, the allocation for school education and literacy remains static at Rs. 26,8000 million. However, the non-Plan outlay in both departments has gone up sizeably; primarily owing to the increase in salaries following the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.
As a part of the HRD ministry's current move to overhaul the education system in India, the existing regulatory bodies like UGC, AICTE, Medical Council of India, NCTE and Distance Education Council shall be replaced by one single body. This is in line with the recommendations made by National Knowledge Commission and the Yashpal committee. Welcome move indeed !
It will go long way reducing the prevailig malpractices and also contribute towards improving the quality of higher education
The Yashpal committee laments the ill-growth of private educational institutions and deemed universities.The committee recommends granting of deemed universites be put on hold till unambiguous, rational guidelines are evolved. The Committe observes that the behaviour of some private universities has become a matter of serious concern to students and parents. A detailed probe into the basic reasons for the concerns revealed that many of them were professional colleges that got approval from the regulatory bodies for university status. Immediately after, they began admitting five to six times their capacity, without a corresponding increase in faculty strength or infrastructure. The classes were conducted at strange hours like factory operations. The students who paid huge capitation fees felt cheated. The students from the underprivileged sections could not get admission in many of them, due to heavy capitation fees”.
Another big part of the plan is a legislation to prevent, prohibit and punish educational malpractices. The draft Bill has been sent to the Law Ministry. It proposes to give teeth to the government to deal with institutions that do not meet promises made in their prospectus, be it fees, quality of teachers or infrastructure. The recognition to deemed universities, 127 new ones in the past five years, is being reviewed.
Accreditation shall be mandatory for higher education institutions.The entry barriers would be very tough.Once passed, an institute can become a deemed university and even a full-fledged university.
A law to regulate foreign education providers is on the anvil. The Bill proposes to regulate fees and ensure Indian laws are followed. Whether these institutions would have to abide by the quota rule,would be decided on a case-by-case basis. Big foreign universities might be exempted from quotas.
The economically weaker sections will be offered interest subsidy on the educational loans. The scheme might be a part of the budget 2009.
On the planning board is also a scholarship scheme under which money will be directly credited to bank accounts of 41,000 boys and an equal number of girls in colleges.
The Government proposal on educational reforms is a result of continuing discussion and debate that go back to the previous UPA regime and are being monitored by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has accorded priority to the sector.
According to the draft regulations prepared by the University Grants Commission (UGC), that august body will have the power to fix a uniform fee structure for all deemed universities, besides overseeing a centralised admission process, which will determine student intake at these universities.
The status of 'deemed university' granted to some private institutions gives them a measure of autonomy in running their affairs, on the principle that an institution can attain excellence, only if administrators are given a free hand in running it. The National Knowledge Commission (NKC), that was set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to suggest ways in which India can take advantage of the 21st century knowledge economy, has said that the present regulatory system is a formidable barrier to the expansion of higher education.
All the institutions, whether private or public, may not attain the giddy heights of excellence the moment they are allowed flexibility in determining their students, faculty, syllabi, fees and cost structures including remuneration paid to faculty and staff. But at least they have a chance of doing so and those that don’t will weed themselves out by attracting fewer students. When demand gets to match supply, the cost of higher education will fall as well.
Give your comments on the proposed UGC plan for the deemed universities
