Transforming universities to groom thought leaders

Enrolment and access dominate the public policy dis-course on higher education in India, more particularly on the role of State Public Universities (SPUs). India building a large talent pool of quality human resources is crucial to propel the country towards the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2047 at a faster pace. The latest policy brief on higher education published by the NITI Aayog has put on the table a key policy prescription for balancing access to higher education with the quality of human resources produced by the SPUs. Funding support by the central and state governments will be a key determinant of implementation challenges. The policy brief titled Expanding Quality of Higher Education through States and State Public Universities highlights that 495 state public universities and their over 46,000 affiliated institutions account for 81% of the total student enrolment in higher education in India. It has also been projected that by 2035, the National Education Policy 2020 target is to double enrolment in higher education institutions from 4.33 crore to nearly 9 crore, and nearly 7 crore of these students will continue to study in SPUs. The figures speak for themselves about the strategic role of SPUs and why their transformation is critical to achieving state and national goals of development. “While this expansion has undoubtedly improved access to higher education, it also presents challenges in striking a balance between access and quality,” the report states to put in perspective the key priorities in transformation in the higher education sector. In addition to access, employability also dominates curriculum outcomes, but the challenge is to produce world-class researchers and thought leaders who can help build Indigenous capacity to make different sectors—industry, healthcare, energy, transportation, economy, commerce, environment, technology, etc.—self-sufficient to reduce import dependence for knowledge, technology, and final products. If a university graduate ends up picking a white-collar job, then it is a colossal waste of public resources spent for imparting higher education, as such employment does not require higher education and research but professional education, which can ensure better productivity. Sadly, this is the hard reality now, as employability even in non-academic fields continues to be determined by degrees awarded, not certificates issued by and internships offered at industries or professional institutes. Long queues for government jobs demonstrate this gap bridging, which requires a complete overhaul of the higher education sector. The recommendations made in the NITI Aayog policy brief, therefore, require urgent action by the central and state governments, besides SPUs. Key recommendations included in it are developing a draft National Research Policy framework in alignment with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) outlining funding, collaboration, and performance metrics; identifying and establishing Research Hubs in clusters of SPUs, based on core competencies of identified universities; and setting up/establishing an industry/government/community outreach/engagement centre in every SPU. The apex policy think tank has also recommended the establishment of patent cells in all SPUs to create awareness and for handholding; implement ‘single-window’ clearances for research and testing facilities for SPUs; and designate leading SPUs with an established track record in research and policy/project evaluation as research and knowledge partners for projects of the Central and State Governments, setting a target period of a maximum of two years to implement these and other short-term recommendations. India scaling up patent filing is critical to taking Make in India to achieve the goal of self-reliance in all sectors. Currently, India grants less than 25,000 patents annually against 5 lakhs granted by China, which points towards the wide gap in research and innovation and taking research to the next logical step of industrial or commercial scale application. While SPUs can play the important role of upscaling patent filing, simplifying the Indian Patent Act to be more research-friendly and simplified will be essential to ensure robust participation of the SPUs and other higher educational institutions. The establishment of patent cells in SPUs as recommended by NITI Aayog is a pragmatic suggestion to bridge the gap in innovation and patent filing. The development of indigenous technologies can substantially reduce manufacturing costs and make products more competitive in the global market, apart from reducing manufacturing costs involving technologies imported by original patent holders in other countries. The policy brief also recommends the establishment of curriculum review committees within each SPU to review and update existing curricula across various disciplines regularly, partnering with industry experts to identify current job market needs and emerging skills requirements, and updating curricula to reflect industry standards and integrate emerging fields of study. While some of these thoughts have already figured in policy discourse, most SPUs have failed to act on them. Resource allocation remains a critical challenge, and focusing on the introduction of self-financing courses alone to meet the resource gap of SPUs is not a pragmatic idea, as it often excludes talented students from economically backward sections from research and innovation.