CHENNAI: UGC chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar encouraged higher education institutions to embrace digital education and provide education on a mass scale.
On day two of the ThinkEdu Conclave of The New Indian Express on February 10 in Chennai, UGC's Chairman, Prof M Jagadesh Kumar summed up these policies to explain how they can create diverse institutions of excellence.
He stated that rankings are not a marker of excellence, and instead universities must work towards maximising their resources based on their goals and capabilities.
The University Grants Commission has been in an overdrive of introducing new policies and mechanisms to further the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the last two years.
The Chairman stressed the need for institutions to impart education on a mass scale, and for them to embrace digital education.
"If higher education is on a mass scale, it will lead to enhanced aggregate learning in society, ergo enhanced aggregate productivity, adding academic value, and increasing the per capita income and wealth. This in turn will create the possibility for massive investment in huge public funding for education. This is a regenerative cycle," he said during a conversation with the Vice-Chancellor of Sastra Deemed University, S Vaidhya.
At the panel discussion, the Chairman also reflected on the role played by regulators in developing educational institutions. He pointed out that more often than not, regulators, such as the UGC itself, hinder the process of reform in universities.
"These bodies only regulate for the sake of it because the law empowers them. We need to do away with that mindset, and strike balance between humility and pride," he said adding that regulators should involve processes that are consultative in nature.
"They should assess the impact of their decision on the stakeholders," he opined.
The discussion then segued into the proposed Higher Education Council of India that aims to integrate various higher education regulators such as the UGC and the All India Institute of Technical Education (AICTE) under one body. The Chairman cited the need to "clean up the houses" as regulators. "Regulators should have priorities, transparent, evidence-based decisions. HECI will be one integrated regulator making the lives of stakeholders easier," Prof Kumar said.
Responding to an enquiry from a student in the audience, the UGC Chairman claimed that the CUET (Common Universities Entrance Test for admission into UG courses) was making the admission process objective and inclusive.
"Last night we announced the opening of the CUET 2023 applications. This is the largest testing mechanism in the country, with a focus on diversity. The MCQ pattern removes subjective fatigue and bias, ensuring deserving students don't miss out on their chance at admission," he said. Prof Kumar also refuted a common criticism that the exam forces students to take coaching classes. "The exam is based on the Class XII syllabus only, and we have asked the question paper creators to be sensitive and ensure the difficulty level is moderated," he said.
ALSO READ | Minds meet at Thinkedu
The chairman also said that there was a need to provide opportunities for a large cross-section of highly aspirational students. He went on to cite the UGC's decision to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India as a step in this direction. Increasing competition and restricting admission into universities is contrary to education's social responsibility, he added.
"We have failed as Higher Education Institutions in providing skill education to our students. Lakhs of candidates apply for low-skill jobs because they are not given skill education from HEI. I request all educational institutions to introduce skill-based courses."