Demographic changes, economic growth and integration into the global economy, the rising demand for higher education, and the increase in the number of private colleges have led to a massive expansion in Indian higher education. However, much of this expansion has been of dubious quality, the result of severe regulatory and governance failures.
This book analyses the multiple and complex challenges facing higher education in India, and suggests possible solutions. The contributors highlight a range of issues facing higher education today, through a deeply moving account of the decline of a college in north Bihar; discussions on the various types of post-secondary educational institutions; initiatives such as community colleges; and the financing and governance of higher education in India.
The book combines diverse methodologies: ethnography of institutions, case studies and data-based work.
Devesh Kapur is the Starr Foundation South Asia Studies Professor and Asia Programs Director at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Pratap Bhanu Mehta is Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University
List of Abbreviations
List of Figures and Tables
1. Introduction
Devesh Kapur and Pratap Bhanu Mehta
2. A College in Search of a ‘Saga’
Apoorvanand Jha
3. What is the Point of Multidisciplinary Research Universities in India? Lessons from International Experience
Sachi Hatakenaka
4. The Case for Vocationalising Higher Education
Manish Sabharwal and Srinivasan Kannan
5. Skill Development in India: The Supply Side Story
Megha Agarwal
6. Employment and Education: An Exploration of the Demand Side Story
Jeemol Unni and Sudipa Sarkar
7. Financing of Higher Education in India: The Way Forward
K. P. Krishnan
8. The Supreme Court and Private Higher Education: Litigation Patterns and Judicial Trends
Devesh Kapur and Madhav Khosla
9. Governance in Higher Education: A Contested Space (Making the University Work)
Pankaj Chandra
Notes on the Contributors
Index