Says just 12% youth has access to higher education
PANJIM, JUNE 30
A senior Planning Commission member today said that while India aims to be an economic superpower in near future banking on the largest youth manpower it has got, only 12.4 per cent young population has access to higher education.
“In the age group of 18 to 23, only 12.4 per cent have access to higher education. The average is 24 per cent globally and average for developing countries is 18 per cent,” Dr Narendra Jadhav, member planning commission and noted economist, said.
He said that it should not be a surprise if average touches 25 per cent by the end of next five year plan. “12.4 per cent does not augur well for the country which wants to be economic superpower,” the economist commented.
Dr Jadhav was delivering a lecture on ‘reforms in higher education in retrospect and prospect’ as a part of 26th foundation day of Goa University at Kala Academy.
Goa Governor Dr S S Sidhu, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Speaker of legislative Assembly Pratapsingh Rane, Vice Chancellor Dr Dilip Deobagkar, Goa University’s founder vice chancellor Sheikh Ali and others were present on the dais.
Stressing that improvement in higher education sector is key to uphold double digit growth, Dr Jadhav said that India may need 12,00 to 15,00 universities in next 10 years.
He pointed out ironical situation in country’s rural area as far as higher education is concerned. “Less than two per cent women from scheduled tribe community residing in rural areas have access to higher education,” the former economic advisor to Reserve Bank of India, said.
“Though India has the highest educational power in the world next to United States and China, it has several limitations,” he added.
Giving the statistics, Dr Jadhav said India is blessed with 70 per cent people below age of 35 years. As per census in 2006-07, 225 million people were between age group of 10 to 19, the number will now grow to 240 million.
“India will have largest ever cohort of young people transiting from young to adolescence that will offer India advantage for next 25 years,” he stated.
“If we don’t reform our higher education, than there is no trivial risk of facing demographic nightmare”, he stated.
Dr Jadhav alleged that the adequacy of higher education in India is questionable. “If we don’t have reform in higher education system than we can’t sustain double digit growth,” he said.
The author of several books on economy said that quality of higher education is also a very serious issue. “Curriculum in the universities is out of date and teachers are out of sync,” he commented.
He alleged that faculties are not aware about advances in their subject. “Research output is not growing quantitatively and qualitatively,” Dr Jadhav added.
“In last 16 years NAAC has accredited only 20 per cent of universities.”
He advocated various systemic changes including collapsing all the regulators in one system. “The formation of National Commission on Higher Education Reforms (NCHER) is step in this direction,” he said.
Dr Jadhav said that NCHER would be a reality by March 2011. “It will bring in major changes. Accreditation would be mandatory for all the colleges,” he added.
He said that the foreign education provider’s bill will encourage foreign universities to come to India.
Dr Jadhav said that 11th five year plan placed great emphasis on access to higher education. “In all 165 new institutes have opened including eight new IITs, 8 new IIMS, 10 NITs and five Indian institute of information technology,” he added.
