I have never written an article (in my 15 years of writing over 225 articles for leading dailies) that falls short of a book review. I have used statistics and analogies from various print and online sources but never reviewed a book after reading it entirely. The closest to review was my article on the 2013 title An Avalanche is Coming. This Institute for Public Policy Research publication signalled the threats of the unbundling of world-wide university education and the opportunities for rebundling it in a manner that suited nations and university systems with no single way forward.
The sweeping re-positioning of university education with ambitious experimentality was the crux of this book. It left the decision to universities and policy makers to charter their course of becoming an elite or niche or mass or local or life-long university, with a learner demand for each category. The challenge that Indian universities face today is their mindless attempt to have multiple identities and failing to retain global leadership in a singular one. This National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which puts India’s pathway for progressive education, seems to have many solutions addressing the emerging challenges globally. The historical legacy of the global university system is a policy landmine as India ushers into the second coming of its first leadership position amid tectonic shifts in the global university landscape.
William Kirby’s Empires of Ideas (2022) is an excellent Harvard University publication that reflects on how three powerful nations built modern universities. Usually, universities use case studies as an important teaching instrument to maximise real-time learning on real-time uncertainties. My alma mater, the Harvard Business School is a pioneer in this. Kirby flips the model in his book using eight universities as case study material as he traces their evolution. The case compilation of eight universities—Humboldt (Berlin) and Free Universities (Germany), Harvard, Duke and the University of California, Berkeley (US), Tsinghua and Nanjing Universities (China), and the surprising eighth being the University of Hong Kong is a treat to understand higher education transformation in Germany, US and China.
The equal dominance of Asia and North America in these eight was notable in Kirby’s selection reflecting the meteoric rise of China into the top rankings of global agencies like Times Higher Education and QS. Tsinghua and Peking Universities in China may breach the top 10 in the foreseeable future. Conspicuously absent in his compilation were Indian institutions despite their global prowess. Be that as it may, the learnings from Empires of Ideas have lot in store to charter NEP 2020 as it enters the crucial implementation stage. No more NEP 2020 awareness or sensitisation. It’s action mode now as clearly articulated by Prime Minister Modi when he launched Viksit Bharat @ 2047 on December 11, 2023, connecting with all colleges and universities in India.
Kirby’s analysis provides key insights into the future of global higher education in the light of its past for the present to quickly conceptualise. The transition between three centuries in so far as university or higher education is concerned saw the rise of Germany, America and China in distinct phases with each offering unique models of success. Germany laid the foundations during the 19th century in bundling modern universities. The rise of American universities in the 20th century saw enormous international influence and fearless leadership overshadowing Germany. The dawn of the ongoing 21st century sees Chinese leadership prominently challenging the status quo. Despite the dominating presence of American and OxBridge universities in the top 10 rankings, China is becoming a force to reckon with its upward trajectory of relentless pursuit of global leadership as Germany and America set their houses in order.
With the rise of the UK above Germany in the European higher education architecture and the public disinvestments of large-scale American universities, China seems to get ambitious and aspirational. Germany’s response has been absorptive of global best practices moving away from its past purveyor of best practices status. With 43 of the 50 American states disinvesting in public education, the American dream still survives thanks to its innovations and flexibility, which is replicable with China emerging stronger by the year.
India is at the cusp of higher education transformation and should join this bandwagon. Kirby’s few highlights stated above clearly demonstrate that NEP 2020 has abundant shades of German reawakening, American innovation and Chinese aspirations. Will this triple prescription coherently synergise to trigger Viksit Bharat @ 2047 action plan? Time alone can tell.
S Vaidhyasubramaniam
Vice-Chancellor, SASTRA Deemed University
vaidhya@sastra.edu