Fee waivers bid to draw top students from Asia, Africa

Author :Shuriah Niazi21 April 2018 Issue No:0

The government has begun a drive to attract more foreign students to India’s leading higher education institutions, allocating 15,000 places a year at the top 160 universities and colleges for at least two years and introducing a new system of fee waivers to attract top talent from Asian and African countries.

Currently around 8,000 foreign students are admitted each year, although not just at the top 160 institutions. The 15,000 places will be reserved for international students – and will not go to local students if they are not filled up – and are supported by a generous fee waiver scheme.

The aim is to make India a preferred destination, based on promoting the country as a “hub of affordable education for foreign students”, in the words of India’s Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Internationalization of HE through distance learning

Authors :Hakan Ergin and Bruno Morche11 May 2018 Issue No:505

Over recent decades, the international dimension of higher education has become an essential part of the agenda of higher education institutions and governments all over the world. While countries compete with each other to host international students, supranational organisations, such as the OECD and UNESCO, compare the numbers of international students in several countries in order to shed light on the level of internationalisation of different higher education systems. 

But it is worth asking whether the internationalisation of higher education should be solely dependent on the physical mobility of students across national borders. As stated by Hans de Wit, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College: "Internationalisation of higher education over the past decades is moving more from a focus on 'abroad' towards a focus on 'at home', placing less stress on physical mobility for a small group." 

The general idea of ‘internationalisation at home’ is a relevant topic explored recently by commentaries on this website and in other publications.

Internationalisation has traditionally been embraced by higher education stakeholders for its academic, economic, social/cultural and political advantages. To access these benefits, universities, on the one hand, host international students at their own institutions and, on the other hand, send their own students to study abroad. 

Nevertheless, physical mobility-oriented internationalisation cannot meet stakeholders’ expectations on its own, because it enables just a minority of students to internationalise. 

Towards higher education in service of humanity

The growing importance of education at all levels and the inclusion of more stakeholders in the educational enterprise has sparked debate about the fundamental nature and purpose of higher education (that is, what type of good is education?). Traditionally, viewed from an economic perspective, higher education has been treated largely as a public good.

Since the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rightswas adopted in 1948, this public good view has been reinforced by the view that education is also a human right. These factors, together with the increased demand for higher education to meet the economic development needs of the post-World War II economies, resulted in a huge increase in government support for higher education. This factor further solidified the notion of higher education as a public good.

However, since the 1980s with the introduction of new business models (for example, for-profit universities) and new delivery modes (for example, online), together with increased demand for higher education and decreased government funding for public universities due to competing priorities in government budgets, categorising higher education has become more convoluted. 

As a result, more people, including some educational leaders and policy-makers, are increasingly inclined to treat higher education more like a private good than a public good.

Higher education access rising but challenges lie ahead

Higher education access rising but challenges lie ahead

Shuriah Niazi13 January 2018 Issue No:488

The proportion of young people in higher education in India has risen to 25.2%, up from under 20% in 2010-11, with the country setting an ambitious goal of attaining a gross enrolment ratio, or GER, of 30% by 2020. 

There was a marginal increase of 0.7% in higher education participation in the past year, up from a GER of 24.5% in 2015-16, according to the latest All India Survey on Higher Education, or AISHE, for the year 2016-17 released by the government on 5 January.

The GER is the ratio of enrolment in higher education compared to the population of the eligible age group (18-23 years).

Total enrolment in 2016-17 is 35.7 million compared to 32.3 million in 2014-15 – an increase of 3.4 million students, making India’s higher education system among the largest in the world.

University Grant Commission moves to block use of predatory publishers

Source

In order to improve the quality of published research and to crack down on so-called ‘predatory’ academic publishers – who charge fees to authors but fail to provide adequate quality control, or make misleading claims about their quality – India’s University Grants Commission, or UGC, has this month published lists of approved journals for publishing research papers. 

The UGC, a statutory body that oversees university education in India, has now linked academic promotions and recruitment to its Academic Performance Indicators or API system, which will only recognise papers published in journals that are on the approved lists issued on 10 January.

Previously universities decided independently which journals would count towards promotions.

Delhi govt to come up with more vocational training centres

In order to promote skill-based education, Delhi government is in process of opening new vocational training centres and strengthening the existing ones, Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said here on Monday.

Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, made the remarks during a meeting with a visiting delegation from Australia and senior officials of the Department of Education who discussed setting up of training institutes to enhance the training of educators and improve vocational courses and skill development programmes in the national capital.

Internationalising Indian universities – The way forward

With a population nearing 1.3 billion, half of which is 25 years or younger, and a projection that by 2030 India will have 140 million people in the college-going age range, the country holds great potential to become a major source for world talent.

The major challenge higher education policy-makers face is to put in place an effective system capable of educating and training this young population to deliver on the ‘demographic dividend’.

Size and shape of higher education

The Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education – the number of individuals participating as a percentage of the college-age population – is estimated by the All India Survey on Higher Education or AISHE 2015 to be 23% – significant growth from the 0.4% in 1950-51.

The government’s stated aim is to achieve 30% by 2020. Various estimates indicate that to achieve this would require an additional 1,500 higher education institutions.

IIT council gives nod to off-campus students

NEW DELHI: The IIT council on Tuesday gave in-principle nod for the HRD ministry's proposal to increase the IIT student strength to 1 lakh from the current 72,000 by introducing a new concept of 'non-resident students'.

The ultimate figure of 1 lakh is likely to be achieved by 2020. In a series of big decisions, the council also approved the Prime Minister Research Fellowship programme that will select 1,000 bright BTech IIT students and give them direct admission into PhD programmes with a higher scholarship. IITs will become part of the Global Research Interactive Network which entails foreign faculty, joint supervision of PhDs and students spending a semester in foreign universities.

UGC asks varsities to set up 24X7 helpline for admissions

NEW DELHI: With the new academic session being round the corner and admission process already under way in various universities, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all varsities to set up round the clock helpline to address admission related queries.
"With the new academic session to commence soon, it is understood that all universities are getting busy with the process of admission in various programmes of study offered at different levels of higher education.

Irani unveils web platform for inclusive higher edu

The HRD ministry has unveiled an ambitious plan to facilitate web-based learning, involving applying for courses and accessing material online, to increase the reach and quality of higher education.



HRD minister Smriti Irani in a tweet outlined the structure of Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (Swayam) which promises linkages and assistance for web-enabled learning. 

The massive open online courses (MOOCS) platform will aim to create a student experience that begins with creating learning plans and providing information to prospective students about the courses that are available. The Swayam flow chart will allow students to check their eligibility and then proceed for preview and availability of teaching in fields of their interest.

The next step is contact with course coordinators for more detailed information. Application and successful registration lead to access to course materials as the learning process gets under way and now, as students begin following schedules, they can network with other learners to set up a shared work space. These workspaces can be homes or any available public space and the interaction can go up with online communication with other course-takers.

Mid-module assessments and guidance from supervisors are intended to keep students on track and up to the mark in their academic work that includes self-assessment. Successful course completion will lead to earning credits followed by a course review exercise and the next level of learning in the programme will get under way. Completion of requisite number of modules will lead to qualification at par with regular learning.

The e-learning programme has been structured to deliver results and improve inclusion as the admission processes to colleges and schools are unable to accommodate a growing number of applicants.

Allocation of funds for higher education less than half of proposed amount

 Parliament's standing committee on HRD has expressed concern with the rising trend of huge gap between the proposed demand and the actual allocation of funds for higher education. In its report tabled on Wednesday, the committee said "the actual allocation is less than half of what the ministry had proposed."

In another report on school education, standing committee asked HRD ministry to carry out a ground assessment of schools that are not giving 25% admission to children belonging to economically weaker sections. In case of mid-day meal, the parliamentary panel said that the amount paid to cooks is meagre and compensation should be brought to the level of MNREGA wages.

Higher education is trapped in a competition fetish- Rajani Naidoo15 April 2016 Issue No:409

Higher education is trapped in a competition fetish

Competition has colonised our world. Everywhere we go, every step we take we hear the siren call of competition. In higher education, too, we are trapped in a competition fetish.

Drawing on insights from anthropology, political economy and psychoanalysis, I deploy the term fetish to describe a belief in something that has the power to make our desires come true. It can also protect us from harm. 

From political economy, the fetishisation of commodities refers to screening the underlying relations of production and translating relations between people into connections between things. From psychoanalysis, we find a two-fold displacement that conceals while giving meaning to a substitute object. The fetish has the power to deny, to invoke fear and to enthral.

Duty of institutions to instill in their students a love for motherland: President Pranab Mukherjee

President Pranab Mukherjee said it is the duty of institutions to instill in students a love for their motherland, a sense of responsibility towards society and compassion.



"It is the duty of our institutions to instill in their students a love for their motherland, a sense of responsibility towards their society, and a compassion for all," Mukherjee said while addressing the first convocation of Swami Rama Himalayan University here.

Vidya Lakshmi

About Vidya Lakshmi

Vidyalakshmi

Shri Arun Jaitley, Honourable Union Finance Minister in his budget speech for FY 2015-16 said:"India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 54% of the total population below 25 years of age. Our young people have to be both, educated and employable for the jobs of the 21st century.. The Prime Minister has explained how Skill India needs to be closely coordinated with Make in India. Yet, today less than 5% of our potential workforce gets formal skill training to be employable and stay employable. With a view to enable all poor and middle class students to pursue higher education of their choice without any constraint of funds, I propose to set up a fully IT based Student Financial Aid Authority to administer and monitor Scholarship as well Educational Loan Schemes, through the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram. We will ensure that no student misses out on higher education for lack of funds. The IT based mechanism under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram is expected to provide to students a single window electronic platform for Scholarships and Educational Loans."

Vidya Lakshmi is a first of its kind portal for students seeking Education Loan. This portal has been developed under the guidance of Department of Financial Services, (Ministry of Finance) , Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Human Resource Development) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).The portal has been developed and being maintained by NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (hyperlink to the information of NSDL e-Gov). Students can view, apply and track the education loan applications to banks anytime, anywhere by accessing the portal. The portal also provides linkages to National Scholarship Portal

About NSDL e-Gov

NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-Gov) was originally setup as a Depository in 1995 and has over the years used its inherent strengths, project management capabilities & technology expertise to deliver state of the art e-Governance solutions which has helped Governments to identify and clear bottlenecks, promote transparency, reduce service delivery costs and deliver public services efficiently. The solutions have efficiently made use of information and communication technologies as a tool for delivering public services and benefits to society at large. Some of the key e-Governance projects undertaken by NSDL e-Gov are:

1. Tax Information Network (TIN)
2. Central Recordkeeping Agency (CRA) for National Pension System
3. Electronic Accounting System in Excise & Service Tax (EASIEST)
4. GST Pilot Project
5. Registrar for Aaadhar enrolment and eKYC/Authentication Services
6. National Judicial Reference System

NSDL e-Gov works closely with various Government agencies for designing, managing and implementing e-Governance Projects. Over a period of time, NSDL e-Gov has gained varied experience and expertise in areas that help Governments overcome various challenges faced by them in fulfilling their core responsibilities of delivering public services to the society.

NSDL e-Gov has also established Service Centre network across the country which serve as access points for the general public and are efficiently used by Governments to deliver quality services in a user friendly and transparent manner to the citizens. Visit www.egov-nsdl.co.in for more information.

College teachers to protest for relaxation from mandatory NET

College Teachers to Protest for Relaxation

Thousands of college teachers from all over India will demonstrate outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) office on Monday demanding relaxation in eligibility norms for those who did their PhD before 2009 without qualifying for the national eligibility test (NET) or state level eligibility test (SLET). 

The teachers, who have met HRD minister Smriti Irani and UGC officials, have said that without relaxation, nearly 10 lakh teachers all over the country will lose their jobs. Though Irani has promised to look into the grievance, UGC officials said it would be difficult to relax the criteria now. "Supreme Court has upheld our regulation," an official said. 

The threat of job loss emanates from the Supreme Court order of March this year that upheld UGC's 2009 regulation on minimum qualifications required for teaching jobs in colleges and universities. 

Ignou's shut courses leave lakhs in the lurch

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University, India's primary vehicle for taking higher education to the poorest, is today a case study in chaos. It has swung from furious expansion under the previous leadership to the other extreme, with the current dispensation randomly shutting down courses and initiatives, leaving lakhs of students in the lurch.

Such is the state of this critical institution that the vice-chancellor and a former registrar stand accused of perjury. A hike in tuition fees has coincided with a drop in student intake. As a result, thousands are being denied access to cheap higher education and skill development.

Higher Education and Technology (Meeta SenGupta)

The contrast between the private sector and the state sector in Universities is stark when you look at the investments in technology. A large proportion of university classrooms look as they have for decades - large rooms, with seating arranged in traditional rows and columns, lit by a few bulbs and tube lights and a blackboard at the front. Yes, of course, they have been ‘computerised’ and many do have projectors in their classrooms. At least some classrooms. Students, in many of them have access to computers, though often it it is rationed access. Contrast this with the investments of the private sector in their universities who use these amenities to attract students to their campuses. Classroom conditions are better - acoustics, climate control, lighting, net access and of course projectors and microphones.

The attack of the MOOCs

DOTCOM mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete. Meanwhile, the MOOCs have multiplied in number, resources and student recruitment—without yet having figured out a business model of their own.