Delivering higher education effectively

India's economy is at a crossroads, and the new education policy could determine the path it takes

India is on the path to becoming a global 21st century economic and political superpower. To succeed, engineers, data scientists, health care professionals, social workers and a whole range of trained professionals will be necessary on an unprecedented scale.

It is therefore encouraging that the Government of India’s Draft National Education Policy represents the largest reform of Indian higher education in decades. This includes allowing for mutual recognition of qualifications, simplification of education regulation, widespread adoption of online courses, integrating vocational training into mainstream education, and greater international collaboration. 

The new policy’s emphasis on quality, equity, access, learning outcomes, teaching, and research is to be applauded, as is the acknowledgement of the societal-level benefits of education and the decision to set up an Inter University Centre for International Education, specifically to support the internationalisation of universities.

The UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has long supported and advocated these reforms. However, we believe the scale of India’s challenge will require further measures. 

Indian policy-makers are right to want the best the world has to offer, and allowing foreign universities to offer their own degrees in India is a welcome step. However, limiting participation to the top 200 globally ranked institutions will not significantly mobilise the global expertise, resources, and investment necessary to achieve India’s ambitions.

Crucially, universities outside the “top 200” globally frequently offer world-leading education in topics vital for India’s development. At the same time, institutions that have an overall ranking in the top 200 could bring individual courses to India that are ranked low.

It is also important to note that international rankings contain biases, systematically underplay the importance of university social responsibility, and reward research over teaching. This makes them a poor proxy for the needs of India’s employers, society and the wider economy.

There are also limits on which Indian institutions can form international partnerships, meaning that Indian institutions integral to India’s ability to meet its global economic and political superpower ambitions will not be able to benefit from in-depth international expertise. This could prevent many Indian higher education institutions from accessing the very teaching and research resources they need to improve and deliver for students and employers.

We therefore recommend that all institutions within India be permitted to forge international partnerships should they demonstrate, to both parties, real added value. 

The plan to merge high quality vocational training with mainstream education at the secondary, college, university and post-university level is to be commended. However, given the New Education Policy’s ambitious objective to “provide access to vocational education to at least 50 per cent of all learners by 2025”, we recommend that the ministry of human resource development and the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship work much more closely together.

This could be done by considering models such as degree apprenticeships popular in the UK, where students learn and demonstrate strong practical skills in areas such as electrical, mechanical, and aerospace engineering alongside building an understanding of the theory. This would provide employers with graduates that have sophisticated employability skills and has the added advantage of fostering social acceptability for quality vocational training.

Where highly-skilled Indian graduates are emerging from studies in the UK or India, a lack of mutual recognition of degrees is a significant barrier to harnessing their skills. Currently, Indian authorities do not recognise foreign qualifications obtained through articulation and pathway programmes or the one-year Master’s programme offered by UK universities, which are recognised widely elsewhere. 

Part of the rationale behind this is the “time” element — a UK Masters degree programme is typically only one year while obtaining a Master’s degree from an Indian university requires two years. Moving from a “time-based” model to an “outcome-based learning” approach, focusing on credits acquired rather than number of lectures, would end the current situation where Indian employers are missing out on highly educated and highly motivated graduates, and talented young people are missing out on opportunities.

Mutual recognition of qualifications and allowing universities to award dual degrees will be a game-changer for India’s higher education system, as it will significantly increase international collaborations and attract more foreign students to come and study in India — one of the key objectives of the new policy.

India’s economy is at a crossroads, and the National Education Policy could determine the path it takes. It takes significant steps in the right direction, and with the further measures outlined above, it will help young Indians and, indeed, India, achieve their full potential.    

The writer is Chief Executive Officer, UK India Business Council