REFORMS IN EDUCATION TO TURNAROUND ECONOMY

REFORMS IN EDUCATION TO TURNAROUND ECONOMY

Published in University News, Vol. 56, No. 35, August 27- September 2, 2018

Education is key to facilitate and enrich the socio-cultural, moral, scientific, technological, economic and overall development of any society or nation. It is a potent and purposive intervention to facilitate, object oriented learning, invoke utilitarian skills, consolidate moral values, bring advancement in scientific and technical know how, enhance individual and social commitments, reinforce one’s faith in the self and shape the individual as well as societal behavior of generations to come. So, education acquires key significance in a country like India, home to one fifth of the global youth and endowed with, one of the world’s largest higher education system. But, India needs to take an urgent call for low employability and low innovativeness of its passing out graduates, as well as for low international ratings, whereby India is able to attract only 0.61% of international students¹ with no place in 50 top international destinations for higher education. Besides, India has a very poor, 60^th rank in the global innovations index (GII)².

Quality of education has wide ramifications over the economy, including the manufacturing, trade, commerce, employment, national security, human development and overall socio-cultural environment. Country’s share in the world manufacturing has today plunged to a mere 2.1% vis a vis 22% of China, 17.6% of the US and 7% of the Japan³. Japan has mere 1.6% of world population and 7 percent share in world manufacturing. While India has 17.8 % of world population and mere 2.1 percent share in world manufacturing. In world ship-building, India has less than 1.0% share, vis a vis 26% share of South Korea having 5% of India’s population as well as area. Thus, inspite of being 4^th largest steel producer in the world India lags far behind Korea in the ship-building due to poor education, research and training in the maritime engineering in country. Same holds true across a broad range of sectors. Commenting upon such a poor state of affairs the information technology industry veteran and Chairman of Manipal Global Education, TV Mohandas Pai has opined that, India failed to derive the demographic dividend as it’s saddled with crores of youngsters with low skills unsuited to the economy.⁴ He feels that there is a need to improve quality of education and stop undue regulation and control of education.⁵ Indeed, today India stands 60^th in the global innovations index (GII), at 100^th place in Global Hunger Index⁶ and at 131^st place in the Human Development Index⁷. Taking cognizance of such a poor state of education, nutrition and health in the country the Secretary-General of the industry body ASSOCHAM, D S Rawat has rightly said that India must invest a lot in education, health and child nutrition so that the human resource turns qualitatively superior. ⁸ 

This poor quality and low innovativeness of education and research is fatefully reflected in the defence hardware development as well. China has successfully developed two fifth generation stealth fighter aircrafts on its own⁹, the J20 and the J31. Whereas, India has yet been working on the 3^rd generation (or at the most 3.5 generation) Tejas and still striving to procure non-stealth 4^th generation or 4.5 generation Raeffel and F16 whose manufacturing has already been stopped in the US. In view of its obsolescence vis a vis the fifth generation fighter aircrafts with stealth capability (radar-evading ability) viz the F35 and Raptor22¹⁰. Likewise, our missiles viz. the Agni range of missiles too can carry only single nuclear warhead, while Chinese missiles are capable to carry multiple nuclear warheads. In the area of electronics, telecom (4G as well as 5G technologies), nanotechnology, supercomputing, artificial intelligence etc. too India has to take an urgent call from the developments taking place world over.

To bring a turnaround in our manufacturing, technology development, innovations and research (fundamental as well as applied) and intellectual property creations, via effective human development, India needs to take care of its education sector urgently. According to T. V. Mohandas Pai, it takes time for educational reforms to impact, as reforms will take ten years to impact; by which time this (the current) generation will be lost. The State Bank of India to in its report has said that India has only one decade to change its status into a developed country and will need to focus on education, failing which the much-hailed ‘demographic dividend’ will turn into a disadvantage, and it will never be able to go into the developed group of nations. Then the country shall perpetually stay in emerging group of economies only.¹¹    

India, otherwise is well blessed with an ostentatiously vast and enviable number of around 150 elite institutes and 665 plus state universities including the deemed and self financed universities along with 43000 colleges including 374 autonomous colleges. The elite institutes include 103 institutes of national importance, so declared by the Parliament, including the IITs, NITs, AIIMS, IIITs, IIMs etc., along with 47 Central Universities. All of them are blessed with most liberal fiscal support and access to cream of the nation’s talent, being admitted through most fiercely contested entrance exams. The combined enrolment of all these institutes is around 3.2 crore students, almost equal to the population of Canada. The 150 elite institutes of the country alone, outnumber the total number of universities in several countries like, the Canada, UK and several European, Asian and Latin American countries, whose universities make, almost a beeline among the top ranking global universities, viz among the top 250 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) university rankings¹². The 150 elite institutes of the country, blessed with all the bounties from the exchequer and absolute autonomy, devoid of any political and bureaucratic interferences, could well usher India in the league of top innovating and manufacturing countries, if they attempt to embark on the goal of quality teaching and research. The non-elite, but public funded institutes and universities too have been attracting a fairly talented cross-section of the society by virtue of their lower and nominal fees vis a vis the self financed institutes and universities. The self financed institutes have been offering education at relatively higher and cost- based fees, for want of any fiscal support from the state.  

The quality deficit, prevailing across-the-board in teaching, research, publications, innovations and overall intellectual property creation in the country's higher education network needs to be addressed urgently. Indeed a formal system of academic performance audit and continuous performance management needs to be put in place, for remedying the lacunae in the vision, mission, priorities, targets and pedagogies. A clear focus over an explicitly defined hierarchy of priorities, inter se, teaching, pedagogy development, research, publications, innovations, industry-academia cooperation too need to be developed urgently. An empowered and overarching agency too needs to be put in place to effectively monitor, counsel and mentor all the stakeholders,  replacing the present system, based upon, 'the accept or reject' regulatory-style.

Hardly 20 of the India’s universities and institutions, including the elite institutes, being sustained at a staggering cost of Rs. 75,000 crore, find place in the top 1000 universities of the world, that too  towards its tail end only. It is so, even when, the state funded institutes are catering higher education-needs of less than 50% of the total number of students enrolled in higher education today. More than 50% of the students, pursuing higher education in the country are studying in the self financed institutes or in the self-financed programmes of the public funded institutes, not getting any grant from the state. Rather, instead of getting any support from the state, such students even have to additionally bear several charges or levies, directly or indirectly being imposed by the regulatory authorities or the state-run universities. Such charges are either being directly imposed upon the students of affiliated institutions or from such institutes for approval or affiliation, which also devolve upon the students. To the contrary, in several countries like Denmark etc, the governments, conscious of their responsibilities of a welfare state, reimburse either in full or a large part of the fees being paid by the students in the self-financing institutions. We have 1.7 million engineering seats¹³, the highest in the world, but more than half are lying vacant solely for want of ability of the prospective students to pay the cost-based fees of self-financing institutes. Hence a system of fee reimbursement, atleast in part, can only remedy the poor GER, underutilization of capacity and poor quality.

In India, on excluding such students, pursuing higher education in the self financed institutions, the self financed programs of the public funded institutes by the distance mode and as non-collegiate, the per-student expenditure, calculated on the purchasing power parity basis for public funded institutions, is fairly comparable with the expenditures being incurred in several high performing countries. Yet, there are only 7 Indian universities in the world’s top 500 universities, as ranked by the Times Higher Education (THE). The universities of the US, Europe and even from our Asian as well as BRICS counterparts, like China, Japan, South Korea, other ASEAN nations and some of the BRICS nations make a beeline to the top, in the world university rankings. Even the tiny nations like Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel or Denmark with 5 to 8 million populations, have atleast 1-3 universities in the top 100, where we never figure. For want of quality in teaching and research, inspite of the education being most affordable in India, barring the countries offering free higher education, we do not even rank among the 50 top destinations, attracting international students. Hardly 36 of India’s universities and institutions have place, towards the tail end among top 1100 universities in the, THE world rankings. Out of these 36 institutes as well, 11 are self financed. If they are also supported by state grants and via reimbursement of fee of their students, they can also enhance their performance, when get all their seats filled.

We also have a very dismal share in the international patent applications being made, or in creating other forms of intellectual properties. Our share in international research publications is also abysmally low. Besides, more than 35% of the research papers being published in pay and publish category of journals in the world are of the Indian scholars. Our share in international research citations is also quite dismal at 3.1 percent, inspite of a very vast higher education-network. UK has only 133 universities, less than a sixth of the number in India and even less in number than the 150 elite institutes of India. Population-wise as well, the UK has just 1% of global population, but it has a 12% share in the international citation frequency of its research-publications. While, we have 3.1% share in international research citations, notwithstanding being home to world's 20% youth and one of the world’s largest education network. We are also home to 17.8% of the world's Population. The top 50 universities of the world-constituting the alma mater of most of the Nobel Prize winners, have each produced between 12-151 Nobel laurrettes in the preceding years.¹⁴ The lowest score is of 12 Nobel Laurrettes for the Duke University and Kings College University of Washington, and the highest number of 151 is from Harvard University (a private university). There are universities with double digit Nobel winners from tiny countries like Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland, having a miniscule population of 50 to 90 lacs. As a nation, US has highest 353 Nobel laurrettes followed by the UK 125, Germany 105, France 61 and so on. Netherland, Norway and Israel, having a population of mere 1.7 cr, 52 lac and 85 lac have 19, 13 and 12 Nobel Prize winners. India has only one noble laureate till date, Bharat Ratna Dr. C.V Raman, who could alone bag a Noble prize for the research conducted in India, that too prior to Independence in 1930.  Likewise, as per the data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and even after a 7% growth, the patent filings from India had been mere 1529 in 2016 vis a vis 56,595 of  the US, 45,239 of Japan and  43,168 of China, under the WIPO’s patent cooperation Treaty (PCT). India has even seen a drop in international patent applications to 1,423 under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2015, while US had 57,385, Japan (44,235), China (29,846) and Korea (14,626), all figuring in the top-10 list, registering a rise 20%, 14% and 7%, respectively, from last year.¹⁵ India fared no better in terms of global trademark filings as well, under the Madrid System. It ranked 36th with only 150 trademarks field in 2015, down from 153 in 2014, when it had seen a more than 70% increase in trademark registrations. It shows a very miserable scene on the front of new product and brand launches. Against a paltry figure of 150 filings of India, the trademark filings of the US (7,340), Germany (6,831), France (4,021), China (2,401), Japan (2,205) are 14 to 48 times.

Data from the WIPO-Report on “the Breakthrough Innovations and Economic Growth” also highlight the vast gap with which the Indian elite institutes are lagging behind even their Chinese counterparts in research, that the IITs, though endeavoring to move ahead on research in nanotechnology with over 5,000 scientific papers and 14 patents since 1970, are yet miles behind the Chinese Academy of Sciences which excels with 29,591 publications and 705 patent filings in nanotechnology. Therefore, our education and research has a long distance to go, in promoting innovations and research at par with contemporary trends. The figure, on comparing with China, is embarrassingly low for the elite institutes of India, constituting an icon at home. The elite as well as non-elite institutes need counseling and support services for improving their curricula, pedagogy, quality of research and publications and all other parameters of performance. The self-financed ones too need to be extended residuary fiscal support to incentivise for quality of education and research.

Regulatory scope needs to be redefined to focus upon mentoring all the stakeholder, including the education providers towards better capacity building through consultative regulation and negotiated rulemaking, instead of colonial styled accept or reject mode. Besides, facilitating adoption of newer teaching-learning approaches like ‘problem-cum-project-based learning’ along with other emerging teaching-learning approaches, like the andragogies, peeragogy, heutagogy, ubuntogogy, transition pedagogy, and transformative pedagogy; supported by continuous industry interaction, including consortium approach, by large number of industry-university consortia. It is also high time to assign defined targets of performance to all education providers in terms of quality of passing out students, quality of research, publications and innovations. India too can emulate the Euro-American practice of consultative regulation and negotiated rule making, to enhance capabilities of all types of education providers, while keeping in view the ambitions of all the stakeholders, viz. the students, parents, faculty, industry and education providers. Indeed, the goals of inclusive growth in the economy with sustainable development and reorientation of our societal values can be realised only by holistic enrichment and reform of our education, with lesser regulation and greater facilitation. Over regulation only dampens quality. A truly facilitating and enabling environment for all stakeholders viz., the faculty, the education seekers, and the education providers need to be put in place with periodic review against quality benchmarks with remedial support of all kinds, including fiscal support can quickly transform higher education in the country to excel worldwide.   

Notes:

1.     Quamar Furquan & Bhalla Veena, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India, AIU 2017, N. Delhi p6

2.     Issac Wolfe, India moves up six places to rank 60 in Global Innovation Index, Jun 15, 2017, www.forbesindia.com/ article/ special/ india-moves-up/ 47267/1

3.   China has a Dominant Share of World Manufacturing, 1.6.2014, www.mapi.net/blog/2014 /01/china-has-

4.  https:// m.dailyhunt.in/ news/ india/ english/ edexlive-epaper-edex/india+has+over+10 + cr+youth+but+are+they+skill ed + to+ take+ up+ competitive+ jobs-newsid- 90348821

5.      ibid

6.  Why hunges in India is worse than in Nepal Oct. 13, 2017, www.times of india .indiatimes.com/india/ why-hunger/ 61063380.cms

7.   India ranks 131 on Human Development Index, Norway No. 1 livemint, Mar 22, 2017, livemint.com>politics>India....

8.      ibid 4

9.  Fifth Generation Fighter Jets, November 21, 2012, MIGFLUG, www.migflug .com >jetflights>fifth-gen...

10.     ibid

11.     ibid 4

12.     No Indian University In World’s Top 250, www.indiaspend.com >cover story.

13.     Amarnath K. Menon, When a stream goes dry, August 4, 2016, indiatoday.indiatoday.in

14.     50 Universities with the Most Nobel Prize Winners www.bestmastersprograms.org

15. World Intellectual Property Indicators-2016, World Intellectual Property Organisaton, www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/ wipo_pub_941_2016.pdf

Winds of Deglobalisation Are Getting Stronger

Winds of Deglobalisation Are Getting Stronger

Globalization is now coming under attack, as the indiscriminate opening up of trade and investments across the borders has left majority of the world's population far behind. According to UNICEF, the richest 20 per cent of the population gets 83 per cent of global income, while the poorest quintile has just 1 per cent. This trend has been seen to be getting worse with ever deeper globalization of markets. The UNDP report called "Humanity Divided" estimates that 75 per cent of the population lives in societies where income distribution is less equal now than it was in the 1990s, although global GDP has ballooned from $22 trillion to $72 trillion.¹ Now, it is almost $87.5 trillion in 2018. A perusal of this UNDP report also reveals that income inequality has increased by 11 percent between 1990 and 2010 in developing countries. The report also addresses inequalities beyond income, including education, health and nutrition, as well as gender inequality.² The per capita incomes and per capita manufacturing value additions, as well as the GDP growth rates are subject to much sharper disparities and distortions, deepening due to the elimination of geopolitical barriers from cross-border trade and investments in the post-globalisation era.

Almost 60 percent of the world manufacturing has now got concentrated in 6 countries viz the China, US, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and UK. India accounts for 17.8 percent of the world population, yet it has only 2.1% share in world manufacturing. The per capita manufacturing value addition of Switzerland is around $12000, whereas it is mere $200 for India and much lower for several countries. China has singularly expanded its manufacturing clout to 22.5% of global manufacturing, from a paltry share of 2.4% in 1991. It has been most aggressive in acquiring companies abroad with advance technology or high brand equity in last two decades out of its quest to become the factory of the world. Examples of such acquisition are like buying of the personal computers division and server division of the IBM in the US and NEC in Japan by the Lenovo to become the largest PC manufacturers. Likewise, Chinese investors have bought hundreds of companies abroad in Euro-American countries and even in India, like the Motorola in the US or Gland Pharma in India and so on. US administration has long-back started wielding veto to Chinese takeovers, including the one with respect to the one with respect to the Unocal, as early as in 2005. Though, now the US has also opened the front for trade war by slapping tariffs on Chinese as well as European goods, paving way for more pronounced de-globalisation.

“Germany is also joining the U.S. and Canada in taking a tougher line on Chinese takeovers. Merkel’s government has been at the forefront of moves to bring in European Union-wide screening of outside investments after being the target of Chinese acquisitions in recent years. Policy makers are acting out of concern that China is seeking access to sensitive technology or wants to boost its global influence by acquiring key infrastructure including ports and electricity networks. Since Germany tightened its measures blocking unwanted takeovers in July 2017, more than 80 deals have been probed, with more than a third of those involving Chinese investors directly or indirectly, an Economy Ministry spokeswoman said. The government hasn’t used the law to block an investment since it was established in 2004.”³

“Merkel’s Cabinet in Germany on Wednesday the August 1, 2018 voted to block the potential purchase of German machine tool manufacturer Leifeld Metal Spinning AG by a Chinese investor, the Economy Ministry said in Berlin. The government took the precautionary measure even though Yantai Taihai Group indicated at the last minute that it will withdraw its offer.”⁴  “In May 2018, Canada too blocked a proposed takeover of construction firm Aecon Group Inc. by a unit of China Communications Construction Co., while the U.S. House of Representatives in July voted to expand reviews of foreign investment in sensitive industries. Chinese investment in U.S. technology companies probably would become more difficult and time-consuming under the legislation, with an increased risk of being blocked by a U.S. government panel that examines national security risks.”⁵

Indeed, all economic indicators show that post-2008 economic slowdown, de-globalization is finding favor in several countries to restrict free flow of goods, capital and manpower. With the weakening of demand many nations are now erecting import barriers, trade is slumping. Consequently, share of trade in global gross domestic product, which doubled from 30 percent in 1973 to a high of 60 percent in 2008. But, it has faltered to drop to 55 percent in pursuance of de-globalisation. Flow of capital - mainly bank loans - is retreating even faster. Capital flows have slumped to just under 2 percent of G.D.P. from a peak of 16 percent in 2007. The flow of people is also slowing, too despite a flood of refugees into Europe. Net migration from poor to rich countries has decreased to 12 million between 2011 and 2015, down by four million from the previous five years.⁶

In tune with these de-globalisation-moves of the western countries, India too should take care of its burgeoning trade and investment-income deficits-almost nearing $200 billion as combined deficit ($151 billion trade deficit and $47 billion investment income deficit). So, now instead of further easing imports and foreign investments, endeavors to bolster domestic manufacturing under indigenous ownership and control are need of the hour. This can alone enhance employment, income, demand and investments to promote inclusive growth for enhancing quality of life.    

Notes:

1. Deglobalization: An Introduction, Online available: “http://www.iasscore.in/topical-analysis/deglobalizatio n-an-introduction”.
2. Wahlen,Catherine Benson, UNDP Report Discusses Inequality in Developing Countries, sdg.iisd.org, January 21, 2014.
3. Arne Delfs, Germany Blocks China Deal to Buy Machine Tool Manufacturer, https://www.industryweek. com/economy/germany-blocks-china-deal-buy-machine-tool-manufacturer, Bloomberg, August 1, 2018.
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. Deglobalization: An Introduction, Online available: “http://www.iasscore.in/topical-analysis/deglobalizatio n-an-introduction”.

Prachin Bhartiya Samaj me Samrasta

izkphu Hkkjrh; lekt esa lejlrk

Published in Shaikshik Manthan

izkphu dky esa gekjs ns'k esa izpfyr o.kZ O;oLFkk esa Åap&uhp ,oa vLi`";rk dk loZFkk vHkko jgk gSA ml dky esa leLr y?kq] e/;e o o`gnkdkj vkS|ksfxd mRiknu fØ;kvksa dk lw=/kkj gh 'kwnz jgk gSA 'kwnzksa }kjk mRikfnr bUgha leLr ewY;oku mRiknksa dk Ø;&foØ; o mlls lEcfU/kr okf.kfT;d fØ;kvksa ds lEiknu ls gh oS'; /kuktZu djrk FkkA ml vftZr /ku ij gh djkjksi.k ls jktk dks dj ;k VsDl izkIr gksrk FkkA 'kwnz dsfUnzr mRiknu o vkS|ksfxd fØ;k,¡ 'kwnz dks ml dky esa lokZf/kd /kuk<~; cukrh FkhA blfy;s egkHkkjr dky esa jktdh; vfrfFk;ksa dk fuokLkkfn 'kwnzksa ds ;gk¡ ij gksrk FkkA osnk/;;u Hkh 'kwnz ds fy;s fuf"k) u gks dj] osn esa gh 'kwnzksa dks osn i<+kus ds funsZ'k gSaA tkfr;k¡ ns'k ds O;olkf;d o f'kYi Jsf.k;k¡ FkhA ysfdu muesa Åap&uhp o vLi`';rk dk vHkko gksus ls] 80 ih<+h ¼1500 o"kZ½ igys fookg Hkh vUrtkZrh; gh gksrs FksA ;g ckr vkt Mh-,u-,- v/;;uksa esa Hkh mHkj dj vk;h gSA bUgha lHkh mijksDr fo"k;ksa ds dqN izkphu o vokZphu lzksrksa dk vR;Ur la{ksi esa ;gk¡ ij foospu fd;k tk jgk gSA

fgUnqRo dk fopkj % Åap&uhp] vLi`';rk o NwvkNwr jfgr lejl lekt

        fgUnw thou i)fr o n'kZu esa tho ek= esa ,d gh ijekRek dk fuokl ekudj lc thoksa ek= ds dY;k.k esa jr jgus dk funsZ'k gSA ;Fkk xhrk esa dgk gS & eq> ijekRek dks os gh izkIr djrs gS tks leLr thoksa ds fgr esa laYkXu jgrs gSaA ;Fkk%

       rs izkIuqofUr ekeso loZHkwrfgrs jrk%A v- 12 'yksd Jhen~ Hkxon~xhrkA

        blh izdkj bZ'kkokL;ksifu"kn ds vuqlkj lexz czãk.M dks ,deso ijekRek ls gh ifjO;kIr ns[kus dk funsZ'k gS] tgk¡ Å¡p&uhp] HksnHkko o NwvkNwr ;k vLi`';rk dk dksbZ LFkku ugha oju ;g egk iki ekuk x;k gSA

        ewy fgUnw fpUru esa Åap&uhp dk dksbZ LFkku ugha gSA izkphu dky esa 'kwnz o.kZ mRiknd oxZ jgk gSA

^'kwnz* 'kCn {kqnz ls ugha cuk oju ;g m|eijd gS  

        ;g vk{ksi vlR; gS fd “kwnz “kCn ^{kqnz* “kCn ls cuk gSA ;g loZFkk rF;ksa ls ijs gSA 'kwnz 'kCn gs; ugha gS vkSj ;g {kqnz ls ugha cuk gSA vFkoZosn ds “kCnksa dh fu:fDr ¼fuoZpu½ esa vius Je ds Losn ¼ilhus½ ls fofo/k mRikndh; dk;Z esa jr oxZ dks 'kwnz dgk x;k gSA vFkkZr ifjJe iwoZd fofo/k izdkj dh ewY;oku oLrqvksa ds mRiknu esa jr jgus okys oxZ dks “kwnz dgk x;k gSA ;Fkk “kwnz 'kCn dk fuoZpu fuEukuqlkj gS %&

               JeL; Losnsu mRiknu jr ,o 'kwnz%

        vFkkZr vius ifjJe ds ilhus ls lc izdkj dh ewY;oku oLrq;sa mRikfnr djus okyk 'kwnz gSA blhfy;s Hkkjr ij gq;s ckgjh vkØe.kksa ds iwoZ] vius mRiknu dk;ksZa ds izfrQy ds QyLo:i 'kwnz dk lekt eas vkfFkZd o lkekftd LFkku vR;Ur mPp jgk gSA blhfy;s dkeUnd uhfrlkj esa dgk gS fd jktk dks u;k uxj clkrs le; ij 'kwnz] tks fofHkUu ewY;oku oLrq;sa mRikfnr djrs gSa mUgsa o oS';] tks mu oLrqvksa ds O;kikj ls vk; mRiUu djds jktLo c<+krs gSa] mUgsa vf/kd la[;k esa clkuk pkfg;sA bl uhfr xzUFk esa ;gk¡ rd dgk x;k gS fd czkã.k o {kf=; jkT;ksithoh gSa] mUgsa jkT; dks thfodk o Hk`fŸk ¼osru vkfn½ nsuh gksrh gSA blfy;s mudh la[;k ifjfer j[kuh pkfg;sA pwafd ewY;oku oLrqvksa dk mRiknu djus okyk ;g oxZ loZ= QSyk gqvk Fkk vkSj og bl izdkj ds mRiknu dk;Z esa lalk/ku Hkh yxkus gksrs Fks] blfy;s gh _Xosn esa ^^ifjokj dh mRikndh; lEifŸk ;k mRiknu dk;Z esa yxh lEifŸk dks iwath dgk gSA** vkt dh iwath dh vk/kqfud ifjHkk"kk esa ^^iwath ekuo }kjk mRikfnr] mRiknu ds lk/kuksa** dks dgk tkrk gSA blesa ifjokj dk mYys[k ugha gSA pwafd czkã.k dks fHk{kk o`fŸk ls gh thou ;kiu djuk gksrk FkkA {kf=; vFkkZr {krkr j{kfr bfr {kf=; ¼lekt dks {kfr vFkkZr vU;k;iw.kZ fgalk ls cpk;s og {kf=;½ dks jktdks"k ls Hk`fŸk ;k osru feyrk FkkA lkjh ewY;oku oLrqvksa dk mRiknu djuk “kwnz dk gh dk;Z FkkA lhlk tLrk] rkEck lksuk vkfn /kkrqvksa ds mRiknu muls fofo/k midj.kksa] crZu vkfn dk fuekZ.k] HkwxHkZ ls jRu vkfn fudkyuk] ukSdkvksa ls ysdj “krfj= ¼lkS&lkS pIiwvksa okys ty;kuksa dk fuekZ.k½ dk fuekZ.k oL=ksRiknu] vkHkw"k.kksa dk mRiknu jFkkfn okguksa dk fuekZ.k peZ mRiknksa] /kkfRod mRiknksa vkfn dk mRiknu lc dqN “kqnz oxZ ds v/khu FkkA blhfy;s izkphu /keZ “kkL=ksa esa “kwnzksa dh mudh mRiknu dk;Z ds vuqlkj mRiknu lkis{k 1200 ls vf/kd tkfr ;k f'kYi Jsf.k;ksa dk mYys[k feyrk gSA ;s lHkh vius Je ls fofo/k ewY;oku oLrqvksa ds fuekZrk ;k ewY;oku lsokvksa ds iznkrk o jkT; dh vFkZO;oLFkk ds vk/kkj FksA fons'kh vkØe.kksa ds nkSj ds iwoZ mudk lekt esa vkfFkZd opZLo jgk gSA vusd Jsf.k;ksa dk ;g m|e ;k is'kk rks fczfV'k 'kklu esa fNuk gS] tc ;wjksih; mRiknksa dks ;gk¡ jkT; izJ; fn;k tkus yxk o f'kfYi;ksa ds vaxwBs rd dVk nsus tSls izdj.k c<+sA

tkfr;k¡ f'kYi Jsf.k;ksa ls cuh gSa  

        oSfnd dky ds vUr gksus ds iwoZ 1200 ls vf/kd fofo/k f'kYi ;k mRikn ;k iznÙk lsok ds vk/kkj ij vk/kkfjr tkfr;ksa dk mn~Hko gks pqdk FkkA ;s tkfr;k¡ fofHkUu O;olk;ksa ,oa f'kYiksa ls lEcfU/kr FkhaA budh Js"Vrk ;k dfu"Brk dk izkphu dky esa dksbZ Hksn ugha jgk gSA oktlus;h lafgrk] rSfÙkjh; lafgrk] rSfÙkjh; czkã.k dkBd lafgrk ¼„‰A„…½] vFkoZosn] rk.M~; czkã.k ¼…A†½] ,srjs; czkã.k] NkUnksX;] c`gnkj.;dksifu'kn~

        /keZlw=ksa] izkphu ckS) xzUFkksa ,oa esxLFkuht ds viw.kZ m)j.kksa ls irk pyrk gS fd bZlk ds dbZ “krkCnh iwoZ dfri; f'kYi o O;olk; vk/kfjr tkfr;k¡ fo|eku FkhaA esxLFkuht }kjk 300 bZlk iwoZ dky esa fy[kh bf.Mdk ds vuqlkj Hkkjr ds tu lkr eq[k f'kYi vk/kkfjr tkfr;ksa esa foHkkftr Fks & ¼1½ nk'kZfud] ¼2½ d`"kd] ¼3½ xksiky ,oa xM+fj;k] ¼4½ f'kYidkj] ¼5½ lSfud] ¼6½ vos{kd rFkk ¼7½ lHkkln ,oa djxzkghA v/;{k ,oa vekR;] Hkh lEHkor% rc tkfrlwpd gks x;s gksaxs tks in O;olk; ds ifjpk;d gSaA lEHkor% ;s in o”kaijEijkxr Fks] vr% esxLFkuht us bUgsa izeq[k tkfr;ksa esa fxuk gksxkA

jktdh; vfrfFk;ksa dk vkJ; 'kwnz

        ns'k esa mRiknu dh izpqjrk ,oa og lexz mRiknu f'kYi&lkis{k 'kwnz tkfr;ksa ;k Jsf.k;ksa }kjk gh fd;k tkuk] vkSj mlds vk/kkj ij gh jktdks"k ls Hkh vf/kd /ku 'kwnz tkfr;ksa ds ikl gksrk FkkA blfy;s jkT; ds vfrfFk;ksa dk vkfrF; Hkh egkHkkjrdky esa 'kkwnzksa ij voyfEcr FkkA egkHkkjr esa 'kwnz dk /keZ vfrfFk;ksa ds lRdkj o muds Hkkstu&vkokl vkfn crk dj mUgsa vR;Ur egRo iznku fd;k gS ftldk fuEu 'yksd esa Li"V dFku gSA

        l'kwnz% laf'krrik ftrsfUnz;%A lqJqfrZfFka ri% lafpuqrs egr~AA ¼egkHkkjr&vuq'kklu ioZ½

'kwnz dh lk/ku lEiUurk ds izek.k

        ,xal esfM~lu ds vuqlkj fo'o dk ,d frgkbZ mRiknu Hkkjr eas gksus o gekjs izkphu okaXe; ds vuqlkj lexz mRiknu dk nkf;Ro 'kwnzksa ds fu;U=.k esa gksus ls gh 'kwnz jkT; dh vFkZ O;oLFkk dk Hkh izkphu dky esa vk/kkj gksrs FksA iwoksZDr vFkoZosn o dkeUnd uhfrlkj vkfn ds m)j.kksa ds vuqlkj 'kwnz oxZ }kjk mRikfnr dh tkus okyh oLrqvksa ds vk/kkj ij vFkZ O;oLFkk dk izeq[k vk/kkj ekuk x;k gSA bl vk/kkj ij iqjk.kksa ds bl opu dh Hkh iqf"V gksrh gS fd 'kwnzksa ds lokZf/kd /kuh gksus ds dkj.k mudh edku o Hkwfe ds ekiu dk Qhrk ;k 'kw= Lo.kZ dk gqvk djrk FkkA

        ;gha dkj.k gS fd iqjk.kksa o izkphu okLrq xzUFkksa vkfn esa 'kwnz ds Hkou fuekZ.k vkfn esa iz;qDr] ukius okyk lw=] Qhrk ;k Mksjh dks Lo.kZ fufer rd gksuk cryk;k gSA tcfd czkã.k dk dq'kk uked ?kkl dk] {kf=; dk eqat dh Mksjh dk] oS'; dk dikl dk o 'kqnz dk lqo.kZe;h Mksj dkA

       czkã.kL; lw= nHkZta] ekStUrq r {kf=;L;A

       dkikZla p HkoS}S";s] Lo.kZfufeZra 'kwnzL; lw=e~AA

        bls vfr'k;ksfDr Hkh ugha dgk tk ldrk gS D;ksafd lkjh yksd dFkkvksa esa czkã.k dks fu/kZu gh cryk;k x;k gSA {kf=; dks Hkh fer lk/ku okyk gh cryk;k tkrk jgk gSA vaxzstksa }kjk fczVsu ls yk;s x, eky ls gh ns'k ds “kwnz ds uke ls tkus okys oxZ dk  m|e pkSiV gqvk gSA pkjksa o.kksZa dh lekurk % oLrqr% “kwnzksa dks vNwr rks 1574 bZLoh ¼lEor 1631½ esa jkepfjr ekul fy[ks tkus ds le; Hkh ugha ekuk FkkA jkepfjr ekul ds mŸkjdk.M esa rqylhnklth us 441 o"kZ iwoZ 1574 bZLoh esa fy[ks jkepfjr ekul esa o mlls vusd lgL=kfCn;ksa iwoZ jfpr ckfYedh jkek;.k esa Hkh pkjksa o.kksZa ds yksxksa }kjk lkFk&lkFk ty Hkjus] Lukukfn ds o.kZu gSaA ;Fkk &

       jkt ?kkV cka/ksÅ ije euksgjA rgk¡ fuefTtm oj.k pkfjm ujAA

        blh izdkj lwr tkfr] ftUgsa Lo&m|e jr “kwnzksa dh tkfr esa fxuk tkrk jgk gS] mUgha lwr th dks }kij ;qx ds vUr o dfy ds izkjEHk esa iqjk.kosrk dgk gS] tks _f"k;ksa dks iqjk.kksa dk Kku nsrs jgs gSaA _f"k;ksa ds lEeq[k lHkh iqjk.kksa dk foospu lwr th gh djrs] iqjk.kksa esa ;g cryk;k x;k gSA jkek;.k esa lqeUr n'kjFk ds] egkHkkjr esa lat; o blh izdkj] gj oky esa lwr x.k jktkvksa ds ea=h rqY; ikfjokfjd lykgdkj gqvk gh djrs FksA fookg deZ esa nwYgs dk laj{kdor lw=/kkj] lykgdkj ;k ;ksa dgsa rks laj{kd tSlh fLFkfr esa dsoy ukbZ tkfr dk cU/kq gh gksrk vk;k gSA nzkSinh lSfjU/kh dh Hkwfedk esa jktk fojkV dh iRuh dh deZpkjh gksrs gq;s Hkh mudh fudVre l[kh jgh gSA

'kwnz osnksa ds vf/kdkjh ,oa osn esa 'kwnz dks osnk/;;u dk leku vf/kdkj

        osnk/;;u ds lUnHkZ esa Hkh lcls eq[; vk{ksi ;k vkjksi ;gh vkrk gS fd osnksa esa “kwnzksa ds osnk/;;u dk fu"ks/k gSA ;g loZFkk vlR; gSA pkjksa esa ls fdlh Hkh osn esa “kwnzksa ds fy;s osnk/;;u ds fu"ks/k dk dksbZ “yksd ugha gSA blds foijhr ;tqosZn 26¼2½ esa “kwnzksa dks Hkh osnk/;;u djkus dk funsZ'k gSA

        'kwnz fdlh ls gs; ugha gSA ;g HkzkfUr Hkh fuewZy gS fd osnksa esa 'kwnz dks leku vf/kdkj ugha fn;sA ;Fkk &

       ^^;Fkseka okpa dY;k.khekonkfu tusH;%A czãjktU;kT;k 'kwnzk;pk;kZ; p Lok; pkj.;k;A

       fiz;ks nsokuka nf{k.kk;S nkrqfjg Hkw;kle;Tes dke% le`)rkeqieknks uerqAA** ;tqosZn v- 26 ea= 2

       vFkZ % eaSus ¼ijekRek us½ ftl izdkj ;g osn :ih ok.kh vkidks ¼_f"k;ksa½ dks nh gS] mlh izdkj vki lHkh bls czkã.k] {kf=; oS'; o 'kwnz lHkh dks i<+kvksA vius ifjokjksa esa ¼Lok;½ ouksa vFkkZr vj.;ksa esa jgus okys ¼p vj.;k;½ vkfn lHkh oxksZa dks osn i<+kvksA bl izdkj osnk/;;u fdlh ds fy;s fuf"k) ugha FkkA

izk.kh ek= ds izfr HksnHkko jfgr viuRo fgUnqRo dh dlkSVh

        fgUnqRo esa euq"; gh ugha izk.kh ek= ds izfr vxk/k ln~Hkko dk funsZ'k gSA vius ls fHkUu fdlh er erkUrj okyksa ds izfr Hkh fgalk dk funsZ'k ugha gSA gk¡] ,sls nqjkpkfj;ksa ls lekt dh j{kkFkZ lau) j[kuk vo'; /keZ dgk x;k gSA izk.kh ek= ds izfr blh izdkj ds ln~Hkko dh o:.k ls izkFkZuk dh x;h gS ;Fkk &

       rs –ga ek fe=L; ek p{kq"kk] lokZf.k Hkwrkfuleh{kUrkEk~A

       fe=L;kga p{kq"kk lokZf.k Hkwrkfuleh{ksA fe=L; p{kq"kk leh{kkegs॥;tqosZn 36@18

        HkkokFkZ % gs ijes'oj! ge lEiw.kZ çkf.k;ksa esa viuh gh vkRek dks lek;k gqvk ns[ksa] fdlh ls }s"k u djsa vkSj ftl çdkj ,df=r ,d fe= nwljs fe= dk vknj djrk gS oSls gh ge Hkh lnSo lHkh izkf.k;ksa dk lRdkj djsaA

        lEiw.kZ lekt vkil esa ijLij HksnHkko jfgr o lejl O;ogkj djsa] ;g gekjs vFkoZosn esa Li"V o vlafnX/k funsZ'k gSA ;Fkk

       lekuh izik lgoks·UuHkkx% lekus ;ksD=s lgoks ;qufTeA lE;aps%fXua li;Z rkjk ukfHkfedkfHkr%AA vFkoZ- 3-30-06

        HkkokFkZ % rqEgkjh ty 'kkyk ,d gks] vUu dk foHkktu lkFk&lkFk gks] ,d gh tq, esa rqe tqMs+ gq, gksA tSls ifg;s ds vjs uk esa pkjksa vksj tqM+s gksrs gSa] oSls gh rqe lc iztktu feydj Kku :i izHkq dh iwtk djksA   

        _Xosn o _Xosnh; czkã.k xzUFkksa vkfn esa ik¡pksa oxksZa ;Fkk czkã.k] {kf=;] oS';] 'kwnz o vj.;okfl;ksa dh lfefr;ksa o ifjinksa dk iaptuk% dgk x;k gSA bl izdkj jkT; o lekt dh jpuk esa lHkh oxksZa] o.kksZa] Jsf.k;ksa o tkfr;ksa dk leku LFkku jgk gSA iaptuksa ¼czkã.k] {kf=;] oS';] 'kwnz o vj.; oklh vFkkZr tutkfr yksxksa dh 'kkldh; lHkk] lfefr o ifj"knsa gksrh FkhaA

ns'k esa 80 ih<+h iwoZ tUe vk/kkfjr tkfr;ksa dk vHkko

        bu fnuksa iqjkvkuqoaf'kdh vFkkZr~ vkfdZ;kstsusfVDl ¼Archeogeneics½ ds vUrxZr ns'k&fons'k ds fofo/k tu leqnk;ksa dh vkuqoaf'kdh dk v/;;u Hkh o`gn~ Lrj ij fd;k tk jgk gSA Hkkjr dh fofo/k tkfr;ksa ds thukse vFkkZr~ vkuqoaf'kdh ds Hkh dbZ v/;;u gq, gSaA if'peh caxky fLFkr us'kuy baLVhV~;wV vkWQ ck;ksesfMdy thuksfeDl ¼National Institute of Biomedical Genomics½ ,oa dbZ vU; 'kks/k&laLFkkvksa ds vuqlkj Hkkjr esa 60 ls 80 ih<+h iwoZ vFkkZr~ 1200 ls 1600 o"kZ iwoZ fookg viuh gh tkfr esa u gksdj varjtkrh; gksrs jgs gSaA bu thuksfed v/;;u ¼Genomic Studies½ ds vuqlkj 1200 ls 2000 o"kZ iwoZ vf/kdka'k fookg varjtkrh; gh gksrs jgs gksaxsA bl laLFkku ds vflLVsaV izks- vuqykHkk clq ds vuqlkj] nf{k.k Hkkjrh; v¸;j czkã.kksa vkSj rfeyukMq ds b:yk tutkfr;ksa esa dbZ mÙkj Hkkjrh; oa'kk.kq vFkkZr~ thu ik, x, gSaA foxr ,d n'kd esa gq, ,sls v/;;uksa ds dbZ 'kks/k&i= vesfjdk lfgr dbZ ns'kksa dh foKku dh 'kks/k if=dkvksa ¼tuZYl½ esa O;kid :i ls izdkf'kr gq, gSa o fujarj gks jgs gSaA bl 60&80 ih<+h iwoZ varjtkrh; fookg gh izpfyr FksA

tkfr;ksa esa is'ks ;k O;olk; tfur vkjksg&vojksg  

       tc ftl tkfr ds O;olk; ;k is'ks dk mRd"kZ] volku ;k foyksiu gqvk vFkok tc ftl tkfr dks fo'ks"k jkT;kJ; izkIr gqvk ;k fNuk vFkok lÙkk esa LFkku cuk ;k fNuk mlls tkfr;ksa dk vkfFkZd o lkekftd ifjos'k cnyrk jgk gSA blds cutkjk leqnk; ds ,d mnkgj.k ls Li"V gks tk;sxk tkfr;ksa dk vkjksg vojksg gksrk jgk gSA blds vfrfjDr vusd fgUnw xzUFkksa esa vaxzstksa ds dky esa iz{ksi ;k dwV jfpr 'yksd jpuk ls Åap&uhp dk Hksn] bZlkbZ erkUrj.k ds fy;s Hkh fd;k ;k /ku yksyqi laLd`rKksa ls djokdj mUgsa izlkfjr fd;k x;k gSA vusd xzUFkksa esa os izf{kIr ¼tksM+s x;s½ 'yksd muds foU;kl] NUn] 'kCn iz;ksx vkfn ls i`Fkd yxrs gSaA ,sls dqN izdj.kksa dk ;gk¡ mYys[k lehphu gS %

cutkjk leqnk; % ^catkjk*] ^cutkjk* ;k ^o.ktkjk* 'kCn ewyr% ^okf.kT;* 'kCn ls mn~Hkwr ^okf.kT;kjk* 'kCn dk :ikUrj gSA catkjk yksx izkphu vUrnsZ'kh; O;kikjh o okf.kfTd oxZ ls gSaA ;s yksx] tc vkokxeu ds vk/kqfud lk/ku ugha Fks] rc cSyksa ij fofo/k izdkj dk lkeku <ksdj mudk O;kikj djrs FksA dbZ lkS csyksa ij fofo/k LFkkuksa ls eky Ø; dj mudk vU; LFkkuksa ij foØ; djrs FksA b.Mksusf'k;k ls vjc rd bu c.ktkjksa dh cuk;h vufxur >hysa bldh lk{kh gSaA ;Fkk ekjokM+ o esokM+ ds chp vtesj esa rks catkjksa dh cuk;h >hy dk uke gh ^^c.ktkjh >hy** gSA mn;iqj dh fo'o izfl) >hy ihNksyk] ftldh iky ij gh lEiw.kZ jktegy cuk gS] vkSj ftlds vUnj o rVksa ij fo'o ds loksZRd`"V gksVy cu gq;s gSa] c.ktkjksa dh cuk;h gq;h gSA vQxkfuLrku ds xkSj] ikfdLrku ds ykgksj] is'kkoj esa Hkh ,slh >hysa gSa vkSj budh la[;k vufxur gS] D;ksafd mudk ekSf[kd bfrgkl ml LFkku dh tuJqfr esa gh gSA esokM+ esa 15 fnu rd izfrfnu N% ?k.Vs pyus okys ^^xkSjh u`R; ukfVdk** esa jktk o uxj lsB ls Hkh vf/kd /kuh c.ktkjk dks fn[kyk;k tkrk gSA mls izR;sd jkT; ds nk.kh vFkkZr~ rRdkyhu dLVe vf/kdkjh dks vusd izyksHku fn[kkdj vius O;kikfjd dkfQys dks fudkyrs fn[kk;k tkrk gSA vkt vusd jkT;ksa esa catkjs yksx vusd 'kkjhfjd Je vk/kkfjr dke djrs ns[ks tkrs gSaA dbZ jkT;ksa esa os vU; fiNM+k oxZ esa o dqN esa vuqlwfpr tkfr esa gSa] vk/kqfud okf.kT; ds nkSj esa mudh vUrnsZ'kh; O;kikj i)fr vizklafxd gks x;hA

        dkj[kkuk mRiknksa] tks izkjEHk esa 18oha o 19oha lnh esa baXyS.M ls vkrs Fks] ds dkj.k Hkh yk[kkssaa&djksM+ks gLr f'kYih] cqudj] yqgkj vkfn csjkstxkj gq;s gSaA vusd ,sls dkjhxj tft;k o tsgkn ls foLFkkfir Hkh fd;s x;s FksA vaxzstksa ds 'kklu esa uxjksa ds vizR;kf'kr foLrkj] uxjksa esa jkstxkjksa ds ladsUnz.k vkSj uxjh lektksa ds Lrjhdj.k] 'kkldh; Lrjksa ds foHksn vkfn esa Hkh lekt esa Å¡p&uhp dk O;ogkj c<+rk x;k tks dgha&dgha vLi`';rk dh lhek rd pyk x;kA

Higher Education Commission: Pathway for a Facilitating Ecosystem

Higher Education Commission: Pathway for a Facilitating Ecosystem

Published in the University News

The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), proposed for replacing the University Grants Commission, would pave way for enhancing quality and innovativeness in higher education in India. However, the new body would be able to focus well over capacity building through counseling and mentoring the higher education institutions (HEIs), if the powers of ‘revocation of authorization’ under section 20 and powers of imposing penalty under section 23 are given to an independent tribunal, instead of vesting these powers into this new body i.e. the  HECI.    

The initiative of the Union government to replace University Grants Commission (UGC) with Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), for eliminating ‘Inspection Raj’ and minimizing interference in the management of higher educational institutions (HEIS) would usher higher education in the country into a new era of quality and excellence. The reforms proposed by the government through the proposed Draft Higher Education Commission of India Bill, shall provide the requisite autonomy to the HEIs, key to promote excellence and facilitate holistic growth.¹ Indeed, it is also in tune with the views of the Association of Indian Universities, submitted to the Drafting Committee on ‘New Education Policy’, wherein it was recommended “to explore setting up of new body that not only plays the role as a regulatory authority but also can serve as driver for growth of quality and innovations in educational institutions.”² A host independent of experts too has kept on expressing serious concern at over-regulation of higher education, dampening fair and holistic growth of higher education in the country. Even, the CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant has conceded that the HEIs in India are ‘over regulated and over-governed’.³ It would not be out of place to mention that, the “Asian countries such as China, Malayasia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, where higher education and professional education has flourished well, have been following a very liberalised regime in comparison to countries such as Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, where education has remained traditional, because of strict government policies.⁴ India is also no exception, as there is no dearth of comments alleging “surfeit of regulation and deficit of governance in higher education”.⁵ Therefore, the union government has rightly highlighted the purpose of the proposed change by using the words “Less Government and more Governance.⁶ A host of studies and write-ups have long been stressing, since last several years that, higher education needs more autonomy for excellence with lesser regulation.⁷ The best universities of the world such as Harvard and Stanford could reach and sustain at the top of the pyramid of higher education, because of the absolute autonomy vested in them by their governments and society.⁸

Even the Gajendragadkar Committee of UGC, as early as in 1971, has opined in favor of university autonomy not only in words but, in spirit as well. The Gajendragadkar Committee Report (UGC, 1971, p. 9-10) states “The concept of University autonomy is often misunderstood It is not a ‘legal concept’, not even a ‘constitutional concept’. It is an ethical concept and an academic concept. This concept does not question that, in a democratic society like ours, legislatures are ultimately sovereign, and have a right to discuss and determined the question of policy relating to education, including higher education… The concept of university autonomy, however, means that it would be appropriate on the part of democratic legislatures not be interfere with the administration of university life, both academic and non-academic. The claim for autonomy is made by the universities not as a matter of privilege, but on the ground that such autonomy is a condition precedent if the universities are to discharge their duties and obligations effectively and efficiently.”⁹     

Indeed, the students and parents are the best judge, as they have the most crucial stakes for their lives. Therefore, a learned vice-chancellor rightly points out that “in this age of information and technology, complete information is available on social and digital media. Students and their parents spend a considerable time in comparing and contrasting institutions in terms of numerous parameters such as infrastructure, curriculum, learning outcomes and placements.“¹⁰

But indeed, on perusal of this new Bill, it appears that this newly proposed commission would not be able to bring the desired change when it has been equipped with overbearing powers more harsh than those enjoyed by the UGC, under section 20 and 23.¹¹ These overbearing power of ‘Revocation of Authorization’ to grant degrees and impose penalties are sure to disorient the HECI and swerve it from playing its due role of capacity building, mentoring and counseling the HEIs for excellence, and in putting in place a facilitating and enabling ecosystem, which is the need of hour and purpose of bringing the HECI into existence, viz. that of having an agency to focus exclusively on academic matters. The basic doctrine of separation of powers between supervisory and adjudicating agencies necessitates creation of equipping the adjudicating tribunal alone to decide over imposing penalties or revoking authorization to issue degrees on being proposed by the executing agency the HECI. Revocation of Authorization under section 20 or penalties for non-compliance should be the prerogative of an independent tribunal, instead of HECI. Otherwise, if the agency is being created to nurture a facilitating and enabling ecosystem for academic excellence may altogether deviate from its due role of enhancing quality in education. Its officers would relish the authority of revocation of authorization and imposition of penalties more than playing the role of a capacity builder. Therefore, an independent tribunal needs to be created to decide over the revocation of authorization or imposition of penalty for non-compliance on being recommended by the HECI, after duly hearing the parties. Otherwise, there is an imminent danger that sooner or later this agency may get engaged and entangled more in using these powers available under section 20 and 23 instead of fulfilling its role of facilitating excellence. Government while embarking upon the path for enhancing quality and innovativeness in higher education should repose utmost trust and faith in the system, including education providers, and the faculty, instead of assigning penal powers to this new agency. It would not be out of place to mention that several quality institutions have flourished, without statutory and governmental monitoring. The Kashi Vidyapeeth is an example of 1920s and the Indian Business School, Hyderabad is a contemporary icon. ‘The Kashi Vidhyapeeth’ was established in 1921 (February 10), during the non-cooperation movement under the erstwhile alien rule of British, where they too did not revoke its (Vidhyapeeth’s) authorization to grant degrees, especially when it had its intent to attain ‘Swaraj’ from the British Rule. It, along with the Gujarat Vidhyapeeth was outside the control and support of the government. Established with the resolve to keep the university (Kashi Vidhyapeeth), away from bureaucratic and government interference, including those of recognition and grants, it worked altogether independently. Today as well, we have premier institutes like Indian Business School, performing very excellently, on account of being beyond the scope of any regulatory interference. Students and parents are the best judge and employer’s trust is conclusive evidence of quality. Statutory authorities should play greater role in putting in place a facilitating and enabling ecosystem. If we take the case of the Kashi Vidyapeeth, then we see that, it was only in 1963 that it conceded to get the status of ‘’Deemed University. Though, it continues to act independently. It was Pt. Kamlapati Tripathi, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, an aluminous of the university, moved out of  his affection and esteem towards his alma mater, initiated   a state  government  resolution to have his alma mater acknowledged as a statutory university.  Today, it has 400+ affiliated colleges, one of the largest universities in the country.

Needless to say, that the UGC has also got entangled  in issuing overarching regulations for all the universities, leaving relatively lesser scope of autonomy for the Boards of Management (BOMs) or the Vice-Chancellors of the universities, key for healthy growth of higher education in a vast county like India, almost more than 5200 times vast than Singapore in area. Now, to ensure that the HECI is not tempted to wield its powers of penalization and revocations, instead of focusing over instilling quality, excellence and innovativeness in higher education. These powers be vested with a separate tribunal or an ombudsman. In every other domain of statutory regulation these are separate tribunals like, Competition Law Appellate Tribunal, Intellectual Properly Appellate Board, and Company Law Appellate Tribunal and so on. So, HECI should be also assigned an exclusive role of capacity enhancement alone, and the penal powers of sections 20 and 23 should be vested in a separate tribunal.

   Notes:

1. “Higher Education: Centre to scrap UGC, replace it with new body, HECI,” Press Trust of India, New Delhi, June 27, 2018, reported by Financial Express, June 28, 2018.

2. Qamar F., Sharma P.B. (2018), “AIU’s view on The New National Policy on Education”, Presentation made by AIU before the Drafting Committee on New National Policy headed by Prof (Dr.) K. Kasturi Rangan, Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi, 10 pp.

3. “NITI Aayog CEO pushes for reforms in India’s over-regulated higher education sector,” Outlook-The News Scroll, July 13, 2017. https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/niti-aayog-ceo-pushes-for-reforms-in-indias-overregulated-higher-education-sector/1099445

4. RS Bawa (2017), “Higher education needs autonomy for excellence, not more regulation,” Hindustan Times, September 08, 2017. https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/higher-education-needs-autonomy-for-excellence-not-more-regulation/story-xIpHUeQIxKNdMs65Bx HZpM.html 

5. Thomas Manuel (2017),” In India's Higher Education, Surfeit of Regulation and Deficit of Governance,” The Wire, March 16, 2017. https://thewire.in/books/in-indias-higher-education-surfeit-of-regulation-and-deficit-of-governance.

6. Press Information Bureau, Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, June 27, 2018. 

7. Ibid 3

8. Ibid 3

9. University Grants Commission, 1971, Report of the Committee on the Governance of Universities and Colleges, (Gajendragadkar Committee Report), UGC, New Delhi, 68pp. 

10. Ibid 3

11. Draft, Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Act 2018, Section 20 and Section 23. 

                                         

Our Rich Heritage

April 18, is the World Heritage Day. India is an ancient nation, endowed with most rich heritage, vivid national ethos and morals of exemplary standards. The Greek ambassador Megasthanes, who adorned the court of Chandragupta Maurya from 302-298 BC has explicitly  testified to it  in his historic compendium on India, entitled the 'INDIKA'  by stating that the masses in Bharat, then in 300 BC had so high  self righteous virtues in their conduct and behaviour that even during war time, when the armed forces of enemy kings were engaged in fighting, the village folks and farmer-families continued to work fearlessly in their farms, as the national ethos of "Dharma" were so firmly ingrained into their  mind and conscience that they never thought of hurting civilians, of even the enemy kingdom.

All our vast scriptural treatises are so replete with immense and ultimate scientific intellect as well as diverse doctrinal wisdom of social and behavioral sciences that they encompass all dimensions of knowledge and human conduct. The scriptural legends compiled in vary intricate but, highly meaningful linguistic verses, speak of an eternal and ever-perpetuating culture of highest ethical standards, embedded with scientific tempor and an advanced civilizational traditions. The Vedic texts, among this vast treasure of scriptures, are unanimously accepted worldwide, as the oldest available texts on our planet wherein the Rigved has been declared as past of ancient world heritage. The vedic and Pauranik literature of Bharat explicitly delve in deep, about the infinite expanse of our cosmos with ceaseless and unhindered spate of creation and extinction of galaxies. Vast range of cosmic and astronomical attributes along with several deeper intricacies of human physiology and unique scientific facts of, the physical and life sciences, as well as historical antiquities are dealt very meticulously. The Naasdiya sookta of vedas, the creationism of Puranas and the works of hundreds of astronomess and mathematician like Aryabhatt, Varahmihir, Bhaskaracharya, Brahmagupt etc. talk of cosmic perpetuity, intricate celestial phenomena, scientific laws of motion & gravitition etc and so on very aptly. The second verse of 26th chapter of Yajurved so explicitly talks of the biological fact of  electrical impulses of our heart's ventricles, that is corroborated today, as on the basis of the same principle, we aid them (heart's impulses) with a pacemaker based upon a silver ion battery as an - an electrical heart-implant.

The verse says ''Angi gun hridaye ashani gun hridayagren ¼vfXu  ân;s.k 'kfu  ân;kxzs.k½ Here 'ashani' ¼v'kfu½] as per sansknt Nighantu  (i.e. sanskrit thesoras) is a synonym for electrical impulses. Scientific epidemiology of most of the words in the Sanskrit Niruktas is so meaningful that they reveal immense treasure of scientific and other information. A single example of the term 'Yashad' standing for Zinc is enough.  It reveals about the metallurgical chemistry; that zinc after ignition can be collected on a Copper plate alone, which acts as a reducing agent. The epidemiology says 'Tamrah Yash Pradaayate iti Yashadah' ¼rkez% ;'k iznk;rs bfr ;'kn%½- Likewise the world's oldest and more than two millenia old as well as hitherto the   most systematic Sanskrit-grammar of Panini, today also has no parallel. In league with the Panini's Ashtadhyayi the world's equally old and so oldest among the available texts is the two millennia old Kautilya Arthshastra which talks of an advance economy of ancient era.

 The Valmiki Ramayan mentions of 4 tusked elephants at more than one place, which had lived on the earth since 25 million years and turned extinct just one million years ago.  This epoch is coinciding with the Treta Yug which is narrated to have commenced since 21, 25,119 years and ended 8,69,119 years ago according Puranas. No, other scripture, related to later era mentions about 4 tusked mammoths. Except the Valmiki Ramayan. This testifies for Ramayan period to have lapsed in Treta Yug, as corroborated by the antiquities archeological findings of one million year old 4 tusked mammoths.

In the area of Astronomy as well, the western astronomers were not aware of the precession of equinoxes called Ayan Chalan ¼v;u pyu½] which (live precession) completes its one full circle in 26,000 years and India has acknowledged it, calculated it accurately and sustained in calculating the monthly sankrantis or the 12 solar transits along with the nomenclature of Hindu months and so on. Now the western astronomers too agree to this phenomenon of precession of equinoxes, occurring due to swing in the spin of the earth. In the pre-Mahabharat era the names of Hindu months were Madhu, Madhav, Shuchi etc., were changed, keeping in view the precession of equinoxes when the full moon of these Madhu, Madhav and Shuchi etc 12 months begun to fall in the constellations of Chitra, Vishakha, Jyeshtha etc. So, they are now called Chaitra, Vaishakh, Jyeshth, Ashaadh and so on, based on the moon's constellation on Prunima. No calender of the world is so calibrated with advance astronomical phenomena on an ongoing manner. Ignoring all our scriptural sources, the modern historians had even pegged the Ramayan era to 1500 BC and Mahabharat era and period of lord Krishna within 700 to 1000 BC, and have also been dubbing the Indian scriptural sources as myth. The marine- archeological excavations, undertaken since 1980s by the National Institute of Oceanography, near the Dwarika-coast have already unearthed rich archeological relics of ancient Dwarika, including a 30 feet wide fortification wall of the then Dwarika town was raised 5 millenniums ago, when the Dwarika town was founded, to protect the town from sea waves. Building blocks of that era with, pottery and other objects of iron and copper, all depicting very advanced architectural and metallurgical skills of Indians dating back to 5 millennia. Indeed the Radio-Carbon and Thermoluminescence dating of the aforesaid  objects found under water, near Dwarika coast corroborate for being more than 5000 years old, in conformity with the ancient Indian pauranic writings which describe the lord Krishna's era i.e., Krishna Janma Samvat  or year of birth falling as 5243 in 2017 AD.

Besides, the archaeological relics or the remains of ancient Dwarika town, there is immense irrefutable evidence of much older civilizations like an ancient port near Dwarika with more than a thousand anchors lying in the sea bed are also enough to amaze every one. Moreover, the remains of another 12000 year old sea port at the nearby cambay (Khambhat) region of Gujarat, with more than 2500 anchors scattered on the sea-bed help to further corroborate with even our rigvedic descriptions of conduct of sea trade much before the Mahabharata era. Rigved the oldest book of the world and included in the UNESCO's list of world heritage mentions of sea trade through 'Shatritra' i.e. an ocean-going ship with 100 oars. Moreover, if India had such vast sea ports more than 12 millennia back i.e. dating back to 10 millennia B.C., it is a conclusive evidence of our inheriting very rich heritage comprising an advanced civilization, depicting well developed industrial economy, supported by commeasurating trade and commerce.

The geographical spread of our ancient heritage was also upto Indonesia in the far east, till 15th century just before the fall of 'Majaphit empire' after the Jehadi aggressions and up to Europe in the west. According to Adams and Phythian, the European archeologists, there is not a single European museum which is devoid of relics of 'Mitra' a vedic synonym for the 'Sun God' as per their book 'Mitraism in Europe'.

Several sections of scholars ignorant of the ancient history of Bharat, hold the belief that Bharat was for the first time integrated as a unified nation by the British, forgetting that Bharat had its frontiers, encompassing entire Srilanka and South-East Asia during the revgn of Chola King Rajendra, coroneted in 1014 A.D. Earlier to him, the Buddhist King Kanishka (127-150 AD) and the Kushan empire had 4 capitals at Patliuetra (Patna), Mathura, Taxila and Purushpur (Peshawar now in Pakistan) to a rule in area spread to Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan as well as Kashgar, Khotan and Yarkand (Part of Xinjang Province of China), Tibet (Trivish tap), Nepal Afghansrtan. He had also built a 560 feet high Buddhist Stupa, and rdics of it were seen by even all Biruni (973-1048 A.D.), who has described it in his book. Even the Mayyan Temples of Sun and several Latin American practices, of their pre-evangelization era, reflect several Hindu traditions of Bharat.

Global governance was not an unheard concept to ancient rishis, as it was in vogue in Vedic age. One single verse of ved testify for a universal constitution regulating the global governance speaking of one nation from the land-mass upto the oceans "Prithivyaye Samudra Paryant ek radtiti" (i`fFkO;kFkZ leqnz i;ZUrk;k ,d jkM~frfr). In this hymn, utmost welfare is solicited for all empires under the reign of a common constitution for the world, whether ruled by monarchy (lkezkT;) welfare state (HkksT;a) where the empire is called bhojya and the ruler is called 'Bhoj'. Or a feudal empire (oSjkT;) where the ruler is called Virat and empire is called Vairajya and so on. Bhojya empire was there in Bhojpur-Nepal, Bhojpur-Bihar, Bhojpur UP and Ujjain etc. and urlers were called King Bhoj. The Taittiriyopnishad has dealt with various types of governance under a common rule of universal governance. All these need to be popularised and be brought in public domain.

US - CHINA TRADE WAR: Taming the Dragon

The war of words going on between the US and China on the trade front, ever since the Presidential election in the US is quite likely to escalate into a full-blown trade war, as the US President Donald Trump has already slapped tariffs on $50 billion (Rs 3 lakh crore) worth of its imports from China on 22nd March. But, scared of loosing the lucrative American Market, China has though retaliated, but quite meekly, by slapping trade restrictions over American goods worth mere $3 billion. China is shy of facing a full blown trade war with the US, with which it has a trade surplus of $375 billion. So, China has the most to loose in a fierce trade war between the two. Though, the Sino-US trade and investments are so intertwined that both sides are likely to suffer. But, the fast burgeoning trade deficit of the US has grown from $100 billion in 2001 to 375 in 2017 is more unsustainable for the US, compared with the losses of a trade war.

Defensive and Compromising Posture of China

Apprehending more heavy damage from further escalation of the trade war, China wants to avert it. The Chinese Premier Li Keqing has already offered, before the representatives of “Fortune 500 companies”, on March 26 that he would further expand imports from the US and also assured to pragmatically tackle friction and differences with US on trade-front through dialogue and negotiations. The Chinese Premier has also gently agreed that China will further open its markets to foreign investors, including the US. Indirectly conceding the accusations of Trump government of "unfair trade practices", China has agreed to be more flexible. According to the Forbes magazine, the Chinese officials have conceded that China will now import more semiconductors and other intermediates from American sources to balance the trade. Li had also offered on March 20 of phasing out tariffs on drug imports from the US. China's official Xinhua News Agency has also taken cognizance of Washington’s demand to reduce its trade surplus by at least $100 billion. The U.S. officials allege, China has also acted unfairly on technology transfers and intellectual property rights.

Trade war is Perilous for Both sides

The US is also bound to suffer severely if the trade war escalates. A trade war would cramp most top-selling China-bound American exports, including automobiles, civilian aircrafts and numerous other products. American consumers too might suffer and face a dearth of Chinese exports that they like and buy heavily today. There is a major risk for several hundreds of US companies, if China would hit back. Though, China runs at far more economic risk than the United States. Hence, so far, China's response to U.S. tariffs has been a mixture of indignation and bluster, and the actions taken have been fairly restrained. China, has more to lose from a sharp escalation in tariffs. The US President Donald Trump had in its election campaign itself had threatened to impose 35 to 45% tariffs on Chinese imports, to force China into renegotiating its trade balance with the US. He had even branded the spurt of Chinese imports as economic aggression.

Deglobalisation is Imminent

This incidence of slapping tariffs by the US and China on each other's exports is not an isolated, sudden and sporadic incidence. It is a natural fallout of the grave inequalities that have perpetuated in trade, investment and job-creations across the globe, out of deep globalization forced by rich countries since the early 90s, aimed at elimination of geo-political barriers in the way of their trade and investments. Consequently, today more than 85 percent of the world manufacturing has got concentrated with China, US, EU, Japan, Korea and Taiwan (i.e. among these 33 out of 230 countries of the World, as per UNCTAD). China alone has captured 22.5% share in world manufacturing followed by the US - 17.5%, Japan 10%, Germany 7%, and so on. The industrialized nations have pursued deep globalization to capture the markets, manufacturing and investment opportunities in around 200 developing and other countries. Bharat too has badly suffered, which now has a mere 2.1% share in world manufacturing. The MNCs, after taking over the manufacturing sector in India have shifted technology intensive activities out of country and have been running only their assembly lines. But, now China turned the tables has against the industrialized countries and has begun to flood the markets of all the industrialized countries with Chinese goods. So, the rich nations ranging from Singapore, Britain, EU and US are poised for deglobalization by raising barriers in free movement of people as well as goods. Bharat had to bring down its import tariffs manifold and had to dismantle the phased indigenization programme as well as the dividend balancing clause. All of these have affected domestic manufacturing as well as balance of payments.

Our Gain from Trade War

Bharat has greater ‘real’ trade deficit with China, then the US. The US deficit at $375 billion is only 1.87% of the American G.D.P. But, our trade deficit with China is 2.25% of our GDP for 2016-17, and is slated to grow in 2017-18, which has exceeded over $30 billion in the first six months of 2017-18, against a twelve months’ deficit of $51b in 2016-17. In the aftermath of the Sino-US trade war, the Chinese appear to have learnt a lesson and have turned more agreeable for our demand for redressing the trade deficit of Bharat as well. So, inspite of the anti-dumping duties slapped by Bharat, mostly by the NDA Government on as many as 98 products, China is readily agreeing to further curb its trade surplus with Bharat. So, now when China is facing a tariff war with the US, it has turned softer with Bharat and has also openly conceded of having unjust trade surplus with Bharat, and has also very gently agreed to curb this vast Sino-Indian trade deficit only recently on this March 26. The Chinese government, under pressure of a looming trade war with the US is now more readily agreeing that the massive imbalance in its trade with India is “unsustainable” for long-term trade growth, and is also agreeing that it needs to be addressed. It was a major trade victory for Bharat, when on March 26, visiting Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan shared this sentiment. He has clearly stated this, after his meeting in the commerce and industry ministry, and even welcomed Indian investments in China. It has promised to fully address the trade deficit of India. So, it is the time, when Bharat can secure a more balanced and accommodative Chinese response, in the aftermath of the escalating Sino-US trade war.