Higher education: A time for reforms and transformation

BY INVITATION

Higher education: A time for reforms and transformation

Kuncheria P Isaac  21.05.2021 

The all-India higher education survey paints a grim picture of the higher education sector in Kerala. Be it university, college, or the gross enrolment ratio (GER) ranking, we have nothing to cheer about. Kerala ranks 20th in the universities’ category, 11th in colleges’ category and 8th in GER. The new government would need the courage and resolve to make a course correction and salvage the ailing sector.

First, blind opposition to National Education Policy (NEP) should stop and government should use it as a springboard to scale new heights. Kerala should be open to structural changes to make higher education system more research intensive and academic oriented. Elimination of affiliation system, granting more autonomy through a process of accreditation, ranking and rating is the next step.

If we assume that the population of Kerala will be around 40 million by 2040 and if 10% of this population will be college students (18-23) at a GER of 50%, the college-going population in Kerala will be 2 million. Following NEP to its logical conclusion, these students should be enrolled in 60 universities, with an average enrolment of 30,000 students. Unless we are open to structural changes, such a target is impossible to achieve.

Can we reform the existing, affiliated universities to provide a quality education is the fundamental question before the government? Based on my experiences at KTU and the present governance structure, it may be an impossible task. It is better for the government to think of transforming the system, keep it aligned with NEP by separating the governance of affiliated system and university departments. The governance of university departments should be vested with the teachers and not the persons elected or nominated to the syndicate from affiliated colleges.

Digitalisation: Classroom in every home

In this era of MOOC, ‘distance education’ is obsolete. Priority should be on digitalisation to achieve a GER of 50% with quality education. All students cannot be on campus for education and hence the first task is to set up a classroom in every house with personal computers or laptops and internet facility. Government should provide this facility to those in BPL category.

Smart classrooms, inclusion of tablets, e-books enabled with educational software and applications, digital library, personalized learning, adaptive learning, project based learning are the features of digital transformation required for a student-centric learning.

Research

This culture is almost absent in our higher education institutions. Though one can sense some sort of awakening, the credit goes to NIRF and accreditation process. It is where government should step in and act as an enabler.

(The author is Director General XIME and former VC of KTU)