Dear members,
As said by Martin Luther King, Jr., “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” This goal seems to be one of the most important challenges faced by today’s education system.
The recent arrest of now ex-Minister of Law of Delhi for allegedly obtaining fake degrees aptly highlights some of the ills plaguing India’s education. This incident also bring to fore the massive challenge of improving the education system in India. The lauded goal of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” will remain a dream otherwise.
The UNESCO in its Education Strategy 2014-2021 document states: “We live in a rapidly changing and increasingly interdependent world where knowledge and innovation are major drivers of development. This means good quality education and learning are becoming even more important determinants of the well-being of individuals, the progress of countries and the quality of humanity’s common future.”
As stated on the website of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development of India (MHRD), the number of Universities increased 34 times from 20 in 1950 to 677 in 2014. The number of colleges also registered a manifold increase of 74 times with just 500 in 1950 growing to 37,204, as on 31st March 2013. The public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP too has increased from 0.64% in 1951-52 to 4.29% in 2012-13.
This massive increase in the number of Universities and Colleges has helped improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 21.1% in 2013. However, it still falls short of the global benchmarks required to join the league of developed nations. The worldwide average GER is 30% with China at 27%, Germany and the UK at 62% and the US at 94%.
Even as India has managed to achieve this significant quantitative expansion, the quality of education has been deteriorating. The Committee to Advise on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education chaired by eminent academician Prof. Yash Pal deliberated on these issues. Its report submitted in June 2009 acknowledges that mushrooming engineering and management colleges having largely become mere business entities, dispensing very poor quality education.
Various quality issues faced by India’s education sector are well-known and include:
Outdated and theoretical curriculum disconnected devoid of practical experiences, lack of vocational training
Poor quality of teachers and their continuing education
Archaic examination system that does not test required skills to be successful
Inadequate infrastructure and learning resources
Lack of student support and progression
Poor governance, management and leadership of educational institutions
The poor quality of education is aptly reflected in the Unemployment Rate of 28% for the persons aged 18-29 years and holding a degree in graduation and above as per the Report on Fourth Annual Employment & Unemployment Survey 2013-14 released in January 2015. This alarming rate of unemployment amongst the graduates is compounded further by unreported under-employment. It is reported that a large group of educated young people are becoming alienated, unable to become part of the growing middle class and frustrated by unfulfilled aspirations.
The increasing demand for quality education with supply not matching up is also triggering a rapid rise in outbound student mobility from India and resulting in the brain drain. As per “Indian Students Mobility Report 2015: Latest Trends from India and globally”, India has overtaken China in terms of growth rate in the number of students studying in foreign countries.
Ironically, it appears that no significant steps have been taken to implement the roadmap worked out by Prof. Yash Pal Committee to achieve renovation and rejuvenation of higher education. Various other initiatives such as the National Knowledge Commission set up in 2005 seems to have mostly come a cropper. It is disheartening but not surprising to note that our country, once known for world’s finest educational institutions such as Nalanda and Takshashila, does not have a single educational institution in top 200 rankings in the 11th annual Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2014.
The MHRD proclaims the following as some of the major initiatives to improve the education in India:
Right to Education (RTE)
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
Initiatives for girls and women
Teacher education
Mid-day meals
Vocational education
Various measures taken by the University Grants Commission including issuance of “the Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2012”
However, numerous news reports raise many questions about the efficacy of the above measures. The apprehensions of large-scale systemic corruption in respect of one of the most debated measures of the RTE seem to be unfortunately coming true.
In an otherwise dismal scenario of higher education, the IITs and IIMs appear to be the only bright spots and their claim to quality and excellence is globally accepted. Of late, even these institutions have been surrounded by avoidable controversies and the Government must take steps to protect and strengthen them.
The Education Strategy 2014-2021 document of the UNESCO referred above puts significant emphasis on technology to support cost-effective delivery of both basic and higher education, widens access, improves quality and aids in teacher training and professional development. It refers to the growth in open educational resources (OER) and free online courses by universities and institutions of technical and vocational education and training dramatically changing education. The massive success of the free online platform of the Khan Academy’s channel on YouTube is a case in point. Salman ‘Sal’ Khan, the Founder of the Khan Academy, has been named as the most influential person in education technology by the Forbes magazine.
The education system in India is in dire need of such cost-effective solution to bring quality education within everyone’s reach. Let us hope the policymakers will deliberate on how to exploit better the potential of the Information and Communication Technology in bringing significant improvements in this field.
In our profession, it has been a matter of pride that the CA education lays a considerable emphasis on practical training. Unfortunately, the evolving structure of the CA examinations with an excessive emphasis on rote learning through intensive coaching classes seems to have eroded the importance of the practical training. The exams are perceived to be more a test of memory than a test of the student’s understanding of fundamental principles.
In recently concluded IPCC exam in May 2015, I was astounded to see an example of the test of memory. Here, the students were asked to explain the conditions and the manner in which a company may issue depository in a foreign country under the Companies (Issue of GDR) Rules, 2014! I could not understand the objective behind asking such a question about a detailed procedure in respect of a completely new law to a student not yet exposed to any practical training. I believe even a qualified CA could not have answered such a question without reference material.
Let us hope the ICAI takes into consideration various comments and suggestions, including from the BCAS, in respect of the New Proposed Scheme of Education & Training announced in February 2015 and its reported move towards open book exam from 2017 brings about a much-needed improvement in the CA education as well.
Friends, this is my last communication with you as President of this august organisation. It has been an honour, privilege and labour of love to have been able to communicate my ideas, thoughts and views with all of you. I hope that I have done justice to the responsibility bestowed upon me. As always, I do look forward to your frank feedback and comments.
By the time this issue of the BCAJ reaches you, my friend Raman Jokhakar will have taken over reins as the next President of the BCAS. With young and energetic Raman at the helm, I am sure various initiatives to rejuvenate the BCAS will gain further momentum. I wish him, the new team of the office bearers and other members of the managing committee for 2015-16 all the very best for a fulfilling and successful year.
