Dr. Latha Pillai, Acting Director, NAAC, talks to Amita Jain about the decision of linking functional autonomy of institutions with NAAC accreditation among other features of higher education in India…
Q. You have been at the helm of some major education institutions in India. What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the higher education system in the country?
A. India’s higher education system is a mix of diversity, geography, people and culture. Over the years, the system has expanded at a phenomenal rate making it highly complex in terms of the number of institutions as well as in its enrolment. With more than 700 universities and 35,000 colleges, India has the second largest higher education system in the world.
In this era of dynamic change, the institutions of higher learning in the country need to adopt global standards in their curriculum development, pedagogy, research and student engagement. Leveraging technology to blur the barriers between face-to-face teaching and online programmes is the need of the hour if we need to improve our higher education system. The scholarly experience of Indian scriptures and rich traditions need to be reinforced with a renewed emphasis on values, culture and ethics.
Q. Do you find a difference between Indian education system and abroad? What can we do to come at par with world-class universities?
A. There are a number of differences between the Indian education system and the education systems across the globe because of which it would be unfair to make comparisons. Every education system is grounded in a social and cultural milieu and is different from the other.
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