Higher Education in India: Trends and Challenges

Abstract

India’s higher education system is entering a crucial stage presenting policy makers and academics with both challenges and opportunities. The progress of societies invariably depends on the health and content of their educational institutions. A healthy and socially relevant educational system is the best remedy for the morally reprehensible behavior of societies and takes societies and polities to higher level of learning. With 34.2 million enrolments, India has the second largest education system in the world after China, but apart from a few Indian Institutes of Management and Indian Institutes of Technology particularly in science and mathematics, our universities hardly figure among the world’s top-ranking institutions. India has to a large extent failed to modernize its higher education system to meet the challenges of the changing job market and exploit the demographic dividend. This chapter traces the sources of these challenges, examines their consequences, and outlines the remedial action required.