International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences (IJHMS) Volume 3, Issue 6 (2015) ISSN 2320–4044 (Online)
Globalization and its Impact on Higher Education in India
Dr. Pramod Kumar Naik
degrees and diplomas. Therefore the scope of operation of
Abstract—Education is the backbone of a nation where higher higher education is extensive and intensive. It is intensive in
education occupies the apex of educational pyramid in the formal the sense that, it provides a broad prospective of opportunities
process of Indian education. Globalization increased the demand to the students about almost all the aspect of our life. In the
for education in two parts. The first is the economic rising payoffs recent year efforts have been made by the commission to
to higher education to global, science based, knowledge and
regulate the growth of higher education as well as the
intensive economy make university training more of a necessity to
get good jobs. The second part is socio-political, demographic and establishment of new universities and colleges with a view to
democratic ideals increase pressure on universities to provide ensuring that, higher education grows to meet the genuine
access to groups that traditionally have not attended universities. needs of the society for trained manpower with appropriate
Knowledge society, information and communication level of professional training. Globalization increases the
technologies, the market economy, trade liberalization and demand for higher education and for educational quality.
changes in governance structures elements of globalization have a The globalization is not a new but is an old age concept
significant impact on Indian higher education. India’s higher which was first introduced by Adam Smith in the year 1776
education sector has failed to map the future demand for various through the book titled Wealth of Nations. The word
skills, Global Competition and Competitiveness as higher
globalization connotes where all the nations join their hands
education system in India suffers from acute paucity of funds,
lack of autonomy, burden of affiliation. Besides these higher with each other and create a kind of socio-economic
education has been affected by-politicization, poor quality of environment to do business or any commercial, cultural and
intake, heterogeneity of student population, communication gap educational activities in which every participant nation should
between universities and colleges, unsystematic growth of be benefited. Globalization means more competition not just
institutions, managerial inefficiencies, overcrowded classroom, with remains in the same countries but throughout all over the
wastage in instructional hours, poor course design, inadequate world. Globalization increased the demand for education in
student service, inadequate material resources, inefficiencies in two parts. The first is the economic rising payoffs to higher
teaching, lack of training facilities for educational administers education to global, science based, knowledge and intensive
and teacher. Now the students have easy scope to acquire higher
economy make university training more of a necessity to get
education because a lot of colleges and universities are opened for
higher education. But contribute to national development urgent good jobs. The second part is socio-political, demographic and
steps will be taken to protect the system from degradation. democratic ideals increase pressure on universities to provide
Therefore along with quantitative expansive of education quality access to groups that traditionally have not attended
must be maintain in relation to the global market. We should universities.
encourage foreign universities to come to India to setup in Globalization indeed sounds exciting and makes one feel
collaboration with existing Indian institutions, colleges to great and global in many respects such as approach, attitude
promote global research activities for sustainable development. It and changed mind set to compete at international level and
will also improve our educational standards as well as solve the finally look for an elevated quality of life. Knowledge society,
burgeoning problem of enrolment. Opening Indian higher
information and communication technologies, the market
education to foreign competition will benefit us and boosts our
growth. economy, trade liberalization and changes in governance
Keywords—Knowledge society, information and structures elements of globalization have a significant impact
communication technologies, the market economy, trade on higher education. Therefore nations across the world have
liberalization and Global Competition and Competitiveness. been striving to create the right educational environment to
promote effective teaching and learning to achieve the unique
I. INTRODUCTION requirements of globalization.
Education is the backbone of a nation. So education should
II. HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA
be acquired from the cradle to grave. Higher education
occupies the apex of educational pyramid in the formal process Higher education is an educational level that follows the
of education. Generally it comprises of three stages- graduate, completion of a school providing a secondary education.
post graduate and research programme i.e. M.Phil and Ph.D. Higher education includes teaching, research, exacting applied
Higher education also comprises of general, technical, work and social services activities of universities. The primary
commercial, medical, engineering, law and other professional role of higher education is increasingly to transform students
by enhancing their knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities
while simultaneously empowering them as life longical and
Prof. and Dean (Education) Research Director, AIU Coordinator, reflective learners. The higher education system in India grew
Dr. C.V. Raman University, Kota, Bilaspur (C.G) INDIA
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International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences (IJHMS) Volume 3, Issue 6 (2015) ISSN 2320–4044 (Online)
rapidly after independence. By 1980, there were 132 Research (ICAR), National Council for Teacher Education
universities and 4738 colleges in the country enrolling around (NCTE), Bar Council of India (BCI), Distance Education
five per cent of the eligible age group in higher education. Council (DEC).
Today, in terms of enrolment, India is the third largest higher
education system in the world, behind China and the USA, IV. PROBLEMS FACED BY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN
with 37,000 institutions and 729 universities. Higher education INDIA
in China having the highest enrolment in the world (nearly 23 Higher Education in India is more privatized than any
million), is organized in only about 2,500 institutions. While advanced countries. A large number of institutes are private
the average enrolment in a higher education institution in India and self financed. Most private institutes however concentrate
is about 500-600 students, a higher education institution in the on market driven disciplines such as Medical, Engineering,
United States and Europe would have 3000-4000 students and Management, and ignore social science and pure science.
in China this would be about 8000-9000 students. This makes The License Raj continues to flourish in Higher Education
the system of higher education in India a highly fragmented sector in India causing confusion and uncertainty in the
one that is far more difficult to manage than any other system of regulatory environment. Conflicts between multiple regulatory
higher education in world. However, other than a handful few authorities are the standard norm. Major weaknesses are
institutions of national importance providing high quality perceived to be bureaucracy, lack of de-regulation or related
higher education, the system is failing to produce wealth policies and lack of autonomy with respect to admissions,
creators and creative, intellectual leaders who are much needed course curriculum, among others. Autonomy (instead of
in all sectors of the society. India’s higher education sector has affiliation) needs to be provided to Deemed and Private
failed to map the future demand for various skills, Global Colleges there by encouraging flexibility. Public Private
Competition and Competitiveness. Partnerships are required for sustained inputs from Industries
to deal with the human resource requirements. Frequent
III. FRAMEWORK OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA political involvement and infringement of academic processes
The present format of Higher Education in India was started should be regulated, which results in lowering of academic
in 1857 with the inception of universities in the three standards raising the entry barriers for various jobs well above
presidency towns. At present, India possesses a highly acceptable levels. Another major setback will be withdrawal of
developed higher education system which offers facility of tax benefits which characterized the not-for-profit entities and
education and training in almost all aspects of human’s redeployment of funds for creation of capital / infrastructure
creative and intellectual endeavors such as arts and humanities, etc., which will be greatly affected. Capacity Constraint
natural, mathematical and social sciences, engineering, Prestigious institutions are not able to accommodate all
medicine, dentistry, agriculture, education, law, commerce and aspirants when compared to International Universities. As
management, music and performing arts, national and foreign compared to China, an investment in building capacity is
languages, culture, communications etc. For smooth negligible (AICTE, 2007).
conduction of higher education in India we have the following According to the results of a special survey 'Higher
framework. Education: Free degrees to fly'(see Economist,
1. Academic Framework February26th-March 4th, 2005, pp63-65), higher education is
Undergraduate level- After 12 years of schooling education already a global business. The days when higher education was
bachelors degree is offered in two streams-liberal i.e. three a matter of national policy and government regulation are
years of degree course in arts, science and commerce and rapidly fading. Higher Education provisioning is now
professional course i.e. agriculture engineering, medicine, globalised and in many ways, a commercialized affair and the
pharmacy. way that the State had in the goings on is vastly diminished,
Postgraduate level- Masters Degree is normally of two while private profit seeking companies have entered the
years duration in both the liberal and professional course. education business, even government-controlled universities
Research programme- A research programme i.e. M.Phil are seeking independence from governmental authority.
and Ph.D is taken after completion of master degree. However, many countries including India continue to control
Diploma- Diploma course are also available at the UG and g the fee structure of their universities causing financial stress to
level. foreign students, who are generally made to pay much higher
2. Institutional Framework fees than local students. This has resulted in many universities
The degree and diploma awarding institutions in India for openly soliciting entry of foreign students. To facilitate this
higher education are Central Universities, State Universities, process they have even tailored their courses to international
Deemed Universities, Private Universities, Open Universities requirements besides appointing agents abroad and publicizing
and Institutes of National Importance. the offers widely in the media. Hence a University is no longer
3. Regulatory Framework a place where students apply to study. Universities are now
The institutions imparting higher education at different levels actively pursuing students, especially foreign ones using a wide
are regulated by University Grants Commission (UGC), All variety of strategies to market their courses. The student is now
India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Medical the customer or client. With globalization, Universities are
Council of India (MCI), India Council for Agriculture
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International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences (IJHMS) Volume 3, Issue 6 (2015) ISSN 2320–4044 (Online)
spreading their reach beyond geographical and political learning and the use of technology have a major impact on
borders. all the areas of teacher education. Major steps to be taken
Besides the above the development of higher education has qualitative expansion, value based, competency based and
been affected by-politicization, poor quality of intake, ICT based teaching learning.
heterogeneity of student population, communication gap 6. Knowledge- The impact of globalization on higher
between universities and colleges, unsystematic growth of education is the transition to a knowledge society towards
institutions, managerial inefficiencies, overcrowded universities as knowledge-centers.
classroom, wastage in instructional hours, poor course design,
inadequate student service, inadequate material resources, 7. Skill- Higher education is seeking ways to meet the
inefficiencies in teaching, lack of training facilities for demands and challenges put forth by globalization. Higher
educational administers and teacher. education today is expected to produce skilled and trained
workforce who can compete in this global market.
V. GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPACT ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN 8. Education policies- Globalization also impact the
INDIA education policies on higher education in India. In the last
two decades Indian government has formed various
Globalization has a multidimensional impact on the system
committees, commission and also different kinds of
of higher education in India. It has underlined the need for
economic bodies came to existence like NAAC.
reforms in the educational system with particular reference to
9. Entry of Foreign Universities- Foreign Direct Investment
the wider utilization of information technology, giving
(FDI) is important tool of globalization. As government
productivity dimension to education and emphasis on its
lack of funds FDI is allowed into higher education. The
research and development activities because education is an
foreign universities is expected to bring the quality
important investment in building human capital. The higher
infrastructure in teaching, research as well as physical
education system in India suffers from acute paucity of funds,
infrastructure This will attract large scale foreign
lack of autonomy, burden of affiliation. On the other hand the
investments into India and also to an extent reverse brain
effect of globalization on education brings rapid developments
drain. However, the government will have to create a level
in technology, communication and knowledge economy.
playing field for all institutions and also ensure that other
1. Globalization and economic reforms in India have
factors are considered. Their entry should also increase the
yielded significant changes in the role of state and
qualities in research areas and so on, rather than focus on
restructuring of social welfares education, employment,
undergraduate programs.
agriculture and health system. In higher education it was
10. Communication- The effects of globalization on
always the monopoly of middle class and elite groups of the
education bring rapid developments in technology and
society.
communications. It changes the role of students and
2. Privatization of higher education- There has been an
teachers and producing a shift in society from
increasing trend towards privatization of higher education
industrialization towards an information-based society.
in India. The quality and content of the education are
11. E-learning- People with disability get benefit from
industry oriented due to privatization. In this day age of
globalization only if they endowed with knowledge, skills,
globalization and privatization with competition and to
capabilities and rights needed to pursue their basic
meet the new challenges of the 21st century higher
livelihoods. The introduction of technology into the
education should be radically transformed. India is required
classroom is changing the nature of delivering education to
to set up a chain of educational institutions which are
students is gradually giving way to a new form of electronic
accredited, globally acceptable. We should also keep in
literacy , more programs and education materials are made
mind that quality can come only from quality teachers and
available in electronic form, teachers are preparing
quality infrastructure, under quality leadership.
materials in electronic form; and students are generating
3. Women education- Women literacy rate has grown over
papers, assignments and projects in electronic form. Video
the three decades. Women education plays a very important
projection screens, books with storage device servers and
role in the overall development of the country and
CD rooms as well as the emergence of on-line digital
improving the quality of life at home and outside.
libraries are now replacing blackboards. Even exams and
4. Commercialization- Impact of globalization is
grades are gradually becoming available through electronic
commercialization of higher education due to which self
means and notebooks are starting to give way to laptops.
financing courses have been introduced which has deprived
Also, students can be examined through computer managed
many from getting higher education especially in countries
learning systems and do tutorial exercises on a computer
like India where illiteracy still prevails and education is a
rather than in a classroom.
dream to many. The existing policy of globalization of
higher education is motivated by profits rather than social
VI. CONCLUSION
justice or the policy of the government. Its goals therefore
are to meet the demands of the market. The higher education is treated as the educational pyramid at
5. Teacher education- In the global society today the aspects present times. Now the students have easy scope to acquire
of rapid change, lifelong learning, flexible routes of higher education because a lot of colleges and universities are
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International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences (IJHMS) Volume 3, Issue 6 (2015) ISSN 2320–4044 (Online)
opened for higher education. But contribute to national
development urgent steps will be taken to protect the system
from degradation. Therefore along with quantitative expansive
of education quality must be maintain in relation to the global
market. Therefore the only slogan of today’s higher education
will be taught according to requirement. Higher education
provisioning is a fairly capital intensive process. It is generally
accepted that higher education contributes more to individual
career building rather than wider public good. Universities
should make provisions to provide loan and fellowship for
research atmosphere and building. The need for financing of
higher education for students, especially those coming from
low income households needs special attention. We should
encourage foreign universities to come to India to setup in
collaboration with existing Indian institutions, colleges to
promote global research activities for sustainable development.
It will also improve our educational standards as well as solve
the burgeoning problem of enrolment. Opening Indian higher
education to foreign competition will benefit us and boosts our
growth.
REFERENCES
[1] Higher Education: Free degrees to fly, Economist, February
26th-March 4th, 2005,pp 63-65.
[2] Annual Report Ministry of Human Resource Development,
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[3] Regulating Higher Education' (published in three parts), Indian
Express, New Delhi. Edition on July 14th, 15th and 16th,
2005- 8.
[4] Technology Vision for India 2020’’, TIFAC, Department of
Science and Technology, GOI, August 1996.
[5] Sunita Gupta and Mukta Gupta,”Higher Education Towards 21 st
Century” Anmol Publications Pvt.Ltd.NewDelhi-110002.
[6] The Effects of Globalization on Education By: Kate Francis, Kate
Fitzgerald, Rebecca Lacey, Kate Hancock, David Ockendon.
[7] Agarwal, Pawan (2006) Higher Education in India. The Need for
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[8] Higher education article retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Higher education.
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