Best B- Schools Survey: Reinventing The Private Varsity

In recent years, however, some old private brands have been re-inventing themselves, with fresh investments in quality faculty and research, scholarships and so on. The new standards have primarily been defined by a few independent philanthropic interventions. More such interventions are needed for paradigm-shifting experimentation towards excellence, which the government often cannot risk as it spends taxpayers바카라™ money and is hence bound by safe rules. Students in Indian institutions have traditionally studied subjects in silos, as the system mostly did not allow for the multidisciplinary and int­erdisciplinary approach to learning.

Realising much ahead of the herd that real problems need real solutions, the Shiv Nadar University started in 2011 with a multidisciplinary, 바카라˜liberal studies바카라™ curriculum, offering an excellent mix of science, engineering and social science teaching and research. One can바카라™t be a problem-solving engineer, for example, without understanding the social context. Similarly, policy-making on key iss­ues often needs to be science-driven바카라”a slightly expensive proposition, as cutting-edge science and technology research often needs heavy resources. But there cannot be any short-cuts if we wish to deliver what is needed.

Learning has to be curiosity-driven and enjoyable. The 바카라˜liberal studies바카라™ app­roach allows learners to experiment and find their passion. With the job market changing fast, critical thinking and creative problem-solving are key skills we need to impart. In the new institutions, curriculum content is dynamic and flexible, and the mode of delivery active or participatory, with students 바카라˜learning by doing바카라™. Even undergraduate students are encouraged to grasp the nua­nces of research and innovation, while we stre­ngthen their foundation with a broad multidisciplinary approach and provide a depth of learning in a major subject.

And yet a growing number of fee-paying Indian students go abroad even at the undergraduate level바카라”the high cost is not a deterrent. While 바카라˜reputation management바카라™ is a serious issue, to build people바카라™s trust in India being a safe and welcoming country, we need to go for ser­ious accreditation and benchmarking of our institutions to make our country a higher-education destination. We need to hold all the institutions accountable in a transparent, fair and progressive manner. Private institutions have strong ­in-built internal accountability. We should bring in healthy competition to the public- and private-funded universities. Global rankings are one way, but their focus on uniformity of parameters may narrow the diversity that universities need for innovation in every sphere바카라”in strategy, curricula, pedagogy and research. We should find and retain some unique advantages of the Indian higher education system.

The country urgently needs a global and contextual vision plan, and a competent leadership with the necessary res­ources to carry the plan through. The system needs to be rebuilt with strong, equitable and credible partnerships바카라”national and international, academic and industrial, public and private바카라”bes­ides intra-institution (interdisciplinary) to inter-institution collaborations for inn­ovation and research excellence, capacity-­building and training the trainers, better teaching tools, enhancing students바카라™ employability, and connecting education to issues of livelihood and sustainability of future generations. This is the only way forward.

(The writer is vice-chancellor, Shiv Nadar University)