Deemed Below Par: India’s university education system needs an overhaul

We have an acute paucity of quality colleges and universities
in this country. Those already established can barely meet the growing demand
for higher education. Given this situation, government must welcome private
investors who could lend muscle to efforts to scale up the higher education
sector. But such a move would not suit many of our politicians who have a
substantial stake in perpetuating the licence raj in this sector. They often use
their clout to flout norms and unfairly profit from the business of higher
education, arm twisting governing bodies that are meant to be unbiased and independent to do
their bidding. Competition from genuinely interested parties is thus viewed as a
threat by our netas.

The concept of a deemed university itself is a questionable
category and must be done away with. Either a university is autonomous or is
state-run – there is no need for a nebulous in-between category. The
inconsistencies marking deemed universities are there for all to see: They have
the freedom to make profits but are also given huge central government and UGC
grants. Universities and colleges must be given the freedom to run their own
affairs if they are not funded by the union or state exchequers. Instead of
doling out large sums of money, which may go unaccounted for, the government
would do well to make it easier for those seeking to enter the education sector
establish themselves. This could be done by, for instance, allocating land
speedily and eliminating red tape.