Higher Education And India's Development: A Look Within Das P.K.*,* *Professor-Marketing-Regional College of Management Autonomous, Chakadola Vihar, Bhubaneswar-751023 Residence: HIG-10 (Model House), Baramunda Housing Board Clony, Near Trinath Market, Bhubaneswar-751003 *E-mail: dasprafulla@rediffmail.com, Ph: 09090080813 (M), 0674-6523254(R)
Higher education occupies a special position in any society Through ideas and innovation, it exerts considerable influence on the future of a nation. After India's independence, the task of reorienting its educational system to meet the aspirations of a nascent nation committed to democracy, secularism and socialism fell on higher education through its interaction with economy, social structure, socio-cultural aspects and other systems. With the progress of globalization and signing of WTO agreement, the approach towards higher education was changing to an economic one treating it as an industry where ‘input-process-output’ model was in vogue. Here, cost of education was being considered as input without taking into consideration its social, cultural and developmental impact which of course, affects the economic outcome of a nation in a positive manner. As prevailing political considerations decides the fate of higher education, will our intellectual and political masters wake up to decide our education policy which would be congruent to our constitutional goals (of democracy, secularism and socialism), and emancipate millions from the darkness of illiteracy, poverty and discrepancy based on gender, caste, creed and color! Top |