Once again Indiahas failed to make the cut. Universities in what is called one of the fastest growing economies in the world have drawn a blank in the world’s premier merit list.
Not one Indian university – not even the hallowed IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) or IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) figure in the list put out by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of the world’s top 200 universities.
The only Indian university to have found a place in the broader list of 400 is the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay(Mumbai) – a poor reflection for a country whose higher education system is the third largest in the world, after Chinaand the United States. A recent study says the government spending in the education sector will top $50 billion by 2015.
India’s poor showing in world rankings has sparked debates on the quality of its higher education and its much-vaunted knowledge economy, and also whether Indian universities are really worthy of the global class.
Times Higher Education World University Rankings authorities feel that the failure of India’s universities should be a cause for some serious reflection.
“Its (Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay) position as the sole representative of Indiain the list is indicative of the distance the country must travel if it wants its universities to among the very best in the world. Indeed, in our indicators of a university’s international outlook, Indiatends not to do too well,” says Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education Magazine.
However, he adds that even though Indiahas a long way to go before it reaches the heights like some of China’s institutions have, it’s not really “falling behind”.
But, Infosys Ltd’s Chairman Emeritus Narayana Murthy was less complimentary when he said the quality of education in Indiais actually getting worse. In his assessment, the quality of IITstudents has gone down because the admission criteria are not strict enough.
“They somehow get through...but their performance in IITs, at jobs or when they come for higher education in the USis not as good as it used to be,” Murthy told a gathering of IITalumni in New York.
Then, was USPresident Barack Obama’s recent warning to American students that they should be prepared to face stiffer competition from pupils in Indiaout of place?
Perhaps, it’s both yes and no.
“It is not rankings but word of mouth that conveys our academic excellence to students. We have 50,000 alumni across the world. They are our ambassadors,” B.K. Mathur, dean, planning and co-ordination, IITKharagpur was quoted by The Times of India as saying.
However, Times Higher Education Magazine’s Baty explains why Indian universities have fared poorly.
“Our most influential indicator looks simply at research impact – by examining around 50 million individual citations to around 6 million research papers published over five years. We simply look at which universities’ published research output is the most influential, in terms of how much it is picked up, cited and shared by other scholars, all round the world. On this indicator, Indialags behind,” he says.
Professor Suranjan Das, vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, which was once considered one of the most venerated seats of learning in Asia, also thinks the standard of research “needs to improve more” in Indian universities to catch up with the world’s best. “However, in the past few years standards have vastly improved,” adds Professor Das.
He insists that syllabuses and programs need to be revised regularly. “Education has to be market oriented, but at the same time must help create well-rounded citizens who should be able to significantly contribute to society.”
On the world rankings, Professor Das says there are both negatives and positives.
“On the positives side, ranking parameters help universities to periodically assess where they stand. But I must say most parameters are often biased towards western countries.
“There should be separate parameters for say Oxfordor Cambridge, and JawaharlalNehruUniversityand CalcuttaUniversitybecause financial support and the kind of infrastructure vary.”
Many also say Indiais a victim of the fact that the best and brightest simply go to the US, UKand even Australia, for higher studies, and is one of the reasons why Indian universities aren’t doing well in world rankings.
According to a recent New York Times report, many top high school graduates from Indiado not attend the best colleges at home and instead accept scholarships from America’s top colleges and universities.
“There is no harm in that,” says Professor Das who himself did his DPhil at OxfordUniversitybefore he started teaching History at CalcuttaUniversity.
“Every student should be encouraged to have a better understanding of the subject they are studying. But brain drain tends to happen only when people forget about their duties to their motherland. However, I think there should also be a proper environment and infrastructure in our country to encourage the best and bright students to come back.”
Baty of Times Higher Education World University Rankings agrees. “You need heavy investment to provide the best research facilities, to attract and retain the best staff and students and maintain the necessary infrastructure,” he says.
“One key factor in sustaining excellent research and teaching is attracting and retaining the very best international faculty, something we examine as one of our 13 performance indicators. This means providing competitive salaries and competing for academic staff in a global marketplace. This is not an area where India performs well in our rankings indicators,” he adds.
India is also debating legislation to open its doors to foreign higher education institutions.
“I am not afraid of foreign competition but there should be a balance of any learning exercise. If we want foreign universities coming and opening their branches here, Indian universities, too, should be allowed to be present in other countries. The likes of Oxford, Cambridge and Yale should come to India, and that will lead to proper accreditation to Indian universities,” Professor Das tells China Daily Asia Weekly.
However, a note of dissent has come from an American academic. “Foreign academics and universities cannot help India develop solutions for higher education challenges. Only those familiar with the problems of Indian society can provide creative and specific ideas,” wrote Philip G. Altbach, director at the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, in India’s The Hindu newspaper.
There are also complaints about stifling government control and, worse, corruption.
India’s Nobel Prize winning economist Professor Amartya Sen regretted how bureaucracy is delaying the multi-nation Nalanda University project, an East Asia Summit initiative involving India, China, Singapore, Japan and Thailand.
“The important thing is that we need to get our funds sanctioned… but we can’t, because of some regulations. It takes a lot of time,” Sen, who heads the interim governing board of the project, lamented recently.
Meanwhile, India’s University Grants Commission released a list of 22 “fake” universities, including six run in New Delhi, the country’s capital.
However, Baty is optimistic. “It is important to remember that India, one of the greatest economic success stories of recent years, is brimming with huge potential. The key is to turn this incredible economic power into developing not just world-class universities, but a truly strong mass higher education system,” he says.
“It is a huge challenge to undertake massive expansion of student numbers while at the same time not only protecting, but improving quality. It is clear that developing and sustaining world-class universities requires serious amounts of investment,” he adds.
Certainly, it’s a tall order for India.
Tags: green bags, greenbags, recyclable bags, non woven bag, non woven bags, nylon bag, cotton bag, cotton bags, messenger bag, reusable bags, bag, bags, handbag, eco bags, tote bag, paper pen, promotional, promotional gifts, promotional products, promotion products, promotional bags, promotional bag, business card, name card, shopping bags, canvas bag, calico bags, calico bag, environmental bags
没有评论:
发表评论