Higher Education - Status Of Quality And Excellence

Jan. 27, 2012 - PRLog -- Quality in Higher education has assumed great significance in recent times,
particularly in the context of massification and increase in competition due to role
of the market forces in higher education. Increasing cross-border education
opportunities, technological development resulting in new modes of educational
provisions and emergence of ‘Knowledge society’ are other challenging
demands. In view of the rapid advancement of knowledge and rapid growth of
complexity of technological endeavor, the future will need greater competencies
and as a consequence, higher education must provide improved and speedy
methods to meet today’s needs and face tomorrow’s challenges. While the
expansion of the system of higher education has been impressive, the problem of
access with equity, quality, and that of resource continue to burden the system
as a whole, without finding suitable strategies to address them adequately. The
principal postulate is that the quality assurance in higher education during the
XIth plan period will be enabled primarily when human capital is creatively and
imaginatively harnessed, developed and released compared to the ‘linear’
development strategies. Therefore it would be necessary to approach the matter
in two dimensions.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD in its 172nd Report has
recommended that India despite severe limitations has created a large
scientific/technical manpower, which has earned a pride of place in the
world community. India has not only to sustain its position but also to be a
front-runner in the global competition. This can be done, according to the
Committee, only when the standard and quality of our educational
institutions and its graduates are greatly improved. They will have to be
instilled with a high level of creativity, innovation, dedication, patriotism,
etc. Greater and regular sharing of experiences through networking and
otherwise between different institutions at the national and global plane is
highly recommended. Multi-disciplinary curriculum with stress on
developing problem-solving abilities, augmenting knowledge skill and
group activities are essential to provide relevance and usefulness to real
life situations. Quality of higher education can be greatly enhanced
through the use of audio-visual techniques and the modern information &
communication technologies.

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