NOT A 'SUPER COP' BUT A THINK TANK

Updated on: Monday, December 26, 2011

We inherited the British model of higher education, which went through many distortions in the last 60 years. The only recent reference is the Higher Education Act of 1986, which is also getting outdated in the light of the evolution and explosion in higher education in the country today. Rather than taking an old model that gets outdated with every decade, it is important to work on a higher education model in keeping with the needs of the present millennium. We need a body that will react to the societal, economic, and aspirational changes in a manner that is different than under the Nehruvian model or even the act of 1986. This is what the NCHER will do.

The NCHER will result in the integration of higher education which is a pressing need in the country. It is a framework for higher education which needs to be conceived and adopted by the entire subcontinent. It states, for example, that there should be a semester system, credit based courses, a minimum number of credits required to graduate, etc. However , this does not mean that every course or university function will be defined by the NCHER. This authority will be akin to a think tank which will direct different units like regulation and quality assurance, controlling malpractices, etc, which is a holistic approach, instead of becoming a 'supercop .' In this new paradigm, the funding, regulatory, and academic coordination roles are also well defined.

There is a need to envision higher education in a holistic manner and to build an ecosystem of higher education in India. The NCHER is definitely a step forward in the right direction.

A POSITIVE STEP Rahul Mullick Partner, PwC India

The approval by the Union Cabinet for setting up the NCHER is the first step towards greater integration than what can happen through multiple bodies and autonomy for higher education institutions in the country. It is expected to enhance the development of higher education in India.

The private sector welcomes any development towards the promotion of quality education and research in the country, and in that aspect, we view this as a step forward. On the NCHER being tasked with developing a national curriculum, it is a positive step too, as the larger goal is setting higher quality standards - an urgent requirement in the higher education space in India today. The NCHER would comprise a strong list of experts representing different states and professional bodies who will bring their individual competencies and perspectives ; this, we believe, leads to a consensus driven policy-making exercise, which should support lesser roadblocks during implementation.

A consolidation of thoughts and ideas will only add value. The industry requires highly skilled manpower, but leaving aside the IIMs, IITs and a few leading institutes/colleges, the standard of students passing out of a majority of institutions today has much left to be desired . We expect this body to help improve the quality of education and focus on employability rather than just being academic . It is expected to result in greater stakeholder engagement , autonomy, and better research facilities that will all lead to innovation, which is the mantra for qualitative improvement of a nation. What should happen is an optimisation and streamlining in processes like approval and quality, which a single agency will help facilitate and implement faster.

Times of India

NOT A 'SUPER COP' BUT A THINK TANK

More Education news