Personal Perspectives On Higher Education In India – Pre/Post Y2K
Higher education system in India is a chaotic mix of autonomous colleges, affiliated colleges, universities and deemed universities, that operate as state government institutions, central government institutions, private not-for-profit institutions, semiprivate
institutions managed by not-for-profit agencies but operated from governmental funds, etc. It is not uncommon to find conflicting values among stakeholders in negotiating access to resources and students and often imparting education becomes an incidental outcome. I will provide a brief statistical picture of institutional evolution in the post-independence era and identify the challenges that are facing the higher education community at large. I will end by introducing a meaningful approach for UW-Madison to engage in India in light of recent discussions on opening up the higher education sector to international institutions.
Professor Venkatramanan is an expert on electric power applications in homes, business, industry, and transportation with specific interest in improving sustainable energy use.