Higher Education in Knowledge Era: Innovation, Excellence and Values

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India has glorious traditions of education, research and self-learning since ancient times. Taxila and Nalanda, which data back to 6th century B.C. were the best known centres of learning in the then known world.

Once these institutions went into oblivion, the journey of Indian higher education has been rather arduous. And when we became free in 1947, we inherited an elitist system, which catered to only a privileged few. Though our priorities have undergone marked transformation since then, adherence to national ethos, coherence with cultural values, inclusion and pluralism have been the guiding principles. The higher education system as of now comprises 712 universities, over 38,000 colleges, 25 million students and about one million teachers. However, the growth has been haphazard and it is operating in all pervading quality-deficit regime in spite of being over-regulated. Though our higher education system is one of the largest systems in the world, it has not proved equal to the task of meeting the challenges of rapidly changing scenario induced by the forces of globalization and knowledge economy propelled by revolutionary developments in technology.

This book identifies the gaps, analyses the reasons, which are too diverse, and makes suggestions how innovation-led value-based education can navigate our voyage towards excellence and help create competent and competitive human capital for national as well as international markets. At a time when policy makers in the country are engaged in formulating New Education Policy and gainfully harness the vast potential of demographic dividend for economic good through appropriate skills, this work highlights latest developments in all sectors of higher education, maps future directions and provides clear understanding of various complex issues. The empirical analysis provided here will be immensely useful for all stakeholder, including private and foreign higher education providers, who cater to more than half of the learner population in the higher education sector.

This book will be an immensely useful resource for all those engaged in teaching, research, consultancy, planning and administrating of higher education and care for skilled, educated, peaceful and prosperous India. It should reignite a healthy debate on the inclusion of a moral component in the educational curriculum.

Contents: Foreword. 1. Indian education: a historical perspective. 2. Higher education in modern India: March towards knowledge society. 3. Financing higher education in India and participation of private sector. 4. Globalization of higher education: challenges and opportunities. 5. Open and flexible learning: issues of equitable access, cost and quality. 6. Knowledge revolution through information and communication technologies. 7. Regulation of higher education in India. 8. Promoting ethics and values in higher education. Epilogue. Index.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Suresh Garg

Suresh Garg is a Professor of Physics and currently Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He taught Physics in Hindu College, University of appointed Director, School of Sciences in the University. He has been Commonwealth distance Science Expert at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji from 1996 to 1998. He is member of several national and international professional bodies like CASTME-Asia, and ICTP-India. He is serving on academic, research and management boards of several universities in the country. He has co-authored two books in Physics, edited three books on distance education, and published several research papers in national and international journals of repute. He is the chief Editor of Indian Journal of Open Learning published by IGNOU; and since 2005, he is on the Editorial Board of the AAOU journal. He was an Editor of the Global e-Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Education from 2001-2004, and Guest Editor of Staff and Educational Development International. He has travelled abroad widely to countries like China, South Lorea, South Africa, UK, France, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, Thailand, Mauritius and spoken on various topics. IGNOU has broadened its international networking particularly in Africa, SAARC national and Middle East with his efforts and guidance at the International Cell. He was the academic content coordinator (Honorary) of South Asia Foundation, Which is engaged in the spread of peace, cooperation, understanding through education and sustainable development among the people of South Asia. He was team leader of UNDP-DOPT project for capacity building of India Bureaucrats through distance learning.