Knowledge Economy and Knowledge Society—Role of University Outreach Programmes in India

Abstract

India has the necessary potential to become a global leader in the knowledge economy. However, this cannot be achieved without the universities playing a prominent and leading role. Globally, higher education is poised to become more responsive to societal needs. Although many developments have taken place in the Indian higher education system, it still has to come to terms with modern society. The university outreach programme concept is fast picking up globally, and many universities use it for community development and building relationships with industries. In offering outreach programmes for community or for industries, we should go beyond merely providing some relevant courses. Some examples of universities where the relationship with society or industries has moved on from just offering distance education courses are given in this article. We need to find ways to use the ‘whole’ university, incorporating the various recent developments and meeting the requirements of various stakeholders of higher education. It is shown that university outreach is one of the best strategies where we can include various concepts like open distance learning, online learning, virtual universities, corporate universities, and so on, which have taken place in recent years. Universities, both traditional and distance education institutes, should move beyond their traditional boundaries to become more flexible and incorporate the new innovations that help in creating a knowledge society.