tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9390214.post3122193098756099946..comments2022-04-02T23:45:43.257+05:30Comments on Itinerant: The quality of India's higher education by Ramesh Thakuritineranthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00764520998085530843noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9390214.post-62826699310600261792007-01-04T13:03:00.000+05:302007-01-04T13:03:00.000+05:30To my mind, its a case of lopsided priorities..we ...To my mind, its a case of lopsided priorities..we paid more than 40 grands an annum in school, and then 2grands in college & post-grad (where we had to jhelo all of different kinds)...i wld rather have a more egalitarian schooling (makes me less class-conscious at an impressionable age), and then sweat it out for college at market rates..like in the States, the scholarship can be a function of merit and economic background (i am sure India will have caste thing also)..and then these higher instituions can function in a market-place sort of thing..apart from IITs & IIMs which were relative flukes, all new decent institues are from the pvt sector (like ISB & MICA hehe)...<br />America follows the same model, while socialist Europe (like us) is losing out..Agyanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14503056769448425400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9390214.post-66377709630933319222007-01-03T12:36:00.000+05:302007-01-03T12:36:00.000+05:30The piece gets it right on "overregulated and unde...The piece gets it right on "overregulated and underfunded". I refer you to Devesh Kapur's work on Indian educational institutions.<br /><br />You are conflating two distinct issues here - the viability of an institution and the neglect of liberal arts education. <br /><br />There is by now enough global evidence to show that higher education institutions need to be financially viable to impart quality research and education. Besides, a financially viable college/university is likely to patronise the arts more vigorously than one which depends on government grants for various subjects.<br /><br />Any institution that subsists on government handouts is not pulling its weight and deserves to be thrown off the boat. Decades of subsidies thrown at institutions and leftist nonsense cannot convince anyone that it's not a mess. <br /><br />It's a non-market principle that defines this country - we just don't believe in paying for quality of public services. Money clears up a lot of foggy minds bred on loony caste,class and religious views of what one deserves and what one does not. ( A student paying Rs 200 for a BA in Lukhnow University seems to me more inclined to do things such as what we see in the papers compared to say a student who pays Rs 2000 a month, earns a bursary for research and tops it up with a private grant.) <br /><br />Liberal arts education gets less funding than technical and financial education, that's the case everywhere, not just in India. Internationally, universities work around this through cross subsidisation across the portfolio of courses they offer and tapping capital markets for funds. They also play on the snob value of such courses - the classics degree at Oxford is a case in point.<br /><br />Personally I think that society needs to attain a certain level of prosperity to appreciate the value of a liberal arts education. Till then, it doesn't make sense as an investment to people who look upon a college education not as an end in itself but as a certificate to qualify for entrance examinations.<br /><br />It's a scale-up of a situation where a farmer does not get why he should send his son to primary school to learn a few letters when he can employ him on a job and earn more money.<br /><br />To sum: institutions must be financially viable and must be based on technocratic parameters - it's the only way to deliver quality and value for the student's investment. <br /><br />Sadly, with our personal class/caste network-based worldview, we are going to take a long time to get anywhere near these standards. <br /><br />Regards,<br />Corporate Money-Sucker FriendJabalporeJackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06290225324410783671noreply@blogger.com