| Savitribai Phule Pune University |
| Title | Rise and Decline of India's State University System: Neglect, Design, or Neglect by Design? |
| Author/s |
Dilip G. Kanhere and Mihir Arjunwadkar
Centre for Modeling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411 007 India Abhijat M. Vichare Computational Research Laboratories Ltd. |
| Abstract | As teachers, researchers, academicians, and citizens who are deeply troubled by the present state of our education system, we make an attempt to (a) describe the current state of health of India's education system as evidenced from the state of her State Universities and higher education system, (b) analyze why and how her State Universities have come to this state, (c) probe consequences of this downhill evolution if it continues unchecked, and (d) describe possible directions for reviving it and setting it on the right path. These are our personal views that have evolved over the length of our careers as teachers and researchers. Respecting the complex nature of the problem, we have made no attempt at completeness or scholarliness. We have tried, however, to maintain objectivity and neutrality as much as possible, with the hope of bringing out the essence of the problem (as we understand it) as sharply as possible. We further hope that this will provide enough grounds for introspection and for healthy debate in the community, which will, in turn, result into wide-spread and far-reaching corrective measures aimed at salvaging our education system in its entirety: It is not a matter of choice when it comes to securing the future, personal or collective. |
| Keywords | Education policy, globalization, higher education, educational reform, state university system |
| Download | [200K pdf] |
| Citing This Document | Dilip G. Kanhere, Mihir Arjunwadkar, and Abhijat M. Vichare , Rise and Decline of India's State University System: Neglect, Design, or Neglect by Design? . Public Document CMS-PD-20081204 of the Centre for Modeling and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India (2008); available at http://scms.unipune.ac.in/reports/. |
| Notes, Published Reference, Etc. |
This was originally written as an invited contribution for the National Symposium on
The Emerging Organisation of Knowledge and the Future of Universities,
32nd Indian Social Sciences Congress,
Jamia Milia Islamia University, December 19-20, 2008.
A slightly modified version with minor changes is published as: Current Science 97(7), 1013-1021 (10 October 2009). You may also be interested in a recent article by Suhas Palshikar on a related issue: Quality in Higher Education: Complex Issues, Superficial Solutions. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol.45 No.20 May 15-21 (2010) |
| Contact |
kanhere AT unipune.ac.in
mihir AT scms.unipune.ac.in abhijatv AT gmail dot com |
| Supplementary Material |