Building Institutions of Eminence: It requires more than infrastructure

Source- The post is based on the article “Building Institutions of Eminence: It requires more than infrastructure” published in “The Indian Express” on 12th April 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Issues related to development and management of education

Relevance– Higher education related issues

News– The article explains the issues related to Institute of Eminence Scheme of Indian government

What are the issues related to the higher education system in India?

Most of the higher education institutions in India have remained teaching institutions. They are imparting knowledge. They are not creating new knowledge. They are followers, not leaders at the global level.

The approach has always been to invest in building more classrooms, buying more furniture, and making bigger campuses. The funding for research has always been meagre.

The regulations for ranking and rating have yielded some results in focusing on academic outcomes. Despite these efforts, India has not achieved the goal of being a global destination for quality higher education.

What are the different UGC regulations for the Institute of Eminence scheme?

The UGC (Institutions of Eminence Deemed to be Universities) Regulation 2017 has been crafted with the express intent to develop world-class universities. This was further amended in 2021 to permit the setting up of off-shore and off-campus centres by these institutions.

The UGC (Government Institutions declared as Institutions of Eminence) Guidelines 2017 were issued to provide funding support to the selected government institutions. The idea behind the regulation is to develop both public and private institutions equally.

What is the way forward for successful implementation of the IoE scheme?

Most of the ranking systems give close to 50% weightage to the research productivity. The IoE scheme should have been combined with the other crucial initiative of the National Research Foundation. The IoE scheme will not be successful without investments in research.

The IITs are still the only bet for the country to produce global-best institutions. A concerted focus on these institutions combined with greater autonomy would help in placing them in the top 100 ranks in the world.

There are private universities that aim to provide liberal arts and wholesome education. These have the chance of providing the best education globally and becoming widely known.

Three factors — size, age and funding — would determine the global best universities. Regulatory processes are impeding institutional autonomy. There is a need for a liberal regulatory regime.

The real solution lies in having inspired faculty and students. Inspiration doesn’t come merely from better facilities or better terms of appointment or better training. Inspiration has to come from academic leadership.

The creation of new knowledge needs critical thinking, problem-solving, innovative outlook of the faculty and collaborative research.