The Real Challenge of Higher Education: Competition, Quality, and Cultural Awareness

There is little doubt about the underlying intentions of the government and Ministry of Education regarding higher education. There is a discernible sense of urgency about making higher educational institutions more competitively positioned, obtaining global recognition for them, and preparing our youth for the future. This is because National Education Policy 2020 is a result of these aspirations. But on the ground level, it is observed that just promoting more competition or modifying higher educational curricula will help little in addressing major challenges existing within higher education.

Today, the question that the nation is still grappling with is whether the higher education institutions have the relevant skills and personnel who will be able to meet the needs of the industries and the businesses. The truth is that many students graduate with degrees but with no employable skills. Consequently, the number of unemployed and educated is continually going up. This is happening at a time when the number of institutions offering higher education is continually rising. It is not an accomplishment when institutions are opened; the question is what is being taught and how.

The NEP 2020 talks about flexibility of curriculums, skill-based education, and multidisciplinary education. The implementation of this has been very slow. Some Central and elite institutions are showing improvement, whereas the situation in State universities and regular colleges is a cause of concern. There are hundreds of vacant teaching posts at many universities. How will the standard of education improve if there are unqualified and untrained teaching staff? This situation is not only prevalent at small colleges but also at Central universities.

This has resulted in a situation where a huge number of Indian students are registering in foreign institutions in search of better learning opportunities, and very few of them get back to the country. Though allowing foreign universities to open campuses in our country may somewhat check this brain drain, it is not a long-term remedy. What matters most in this regard is improving our own institutions. Additionally, it would be pertinent to know why our best institutions can’t reach out to other institutions in terms of academic assistance so that efficient higher education can be accessed in all states.

In doing so, NEP 2020 also underlines that education should and cannot be made relevant solely from the point of view of employment. The emphasis on promoting Indian languages, arts, and education in one’s mother-tongue forms an integral part of education. Despite it being five years that the New Education Policy 2020 came into effect, it is still restricted mainly to policy papers and changes in curriculums. Culture is usually defined in terms of “dance, music, or fine arts,” but it encompasses worldview, language, behavior, and social values.

Education becoming only a tool to provide jobs in itself would make education inefficient. The Indian philosophy has emphasized well-rounded education with the ideal of "Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram." The NEP had the chance to provide well-rounded education to our youth with the assimilation of science and technology with our cultural awareness, which has had poor advancements so far. The diversity that India has is its most coveted assets. Each state has its own language, performing arts culture, and traditions. Children and youth would be better equipped professionals and better citizens if education helps them remain rooted to their culture. It would be right to consider that education in one’s mother tongue would be an efficient path towards progress toward this aim. When the whole world is undergoing the phenomenon of globalization, along with Western systems, the education sector in India should not confine itself merely to competition. Higher education needs a positive transformation through the confluence of quality, employment, and a sense of self-respect for our culture. There will be meaning in education, not merely producing degree-holders out of young people, but sensitized, capable, and culturally conscious citizens.