By Dr. Bikkar Singh Lalli
India’s President Pranab Mukerjee’s recent call to raise the quality of teaching in Indian universities is another reminder that education in general and higher education in particular continues to be on the backburner. It makes no sense that one thing, which will have the most impact on the future generations, is suffering from apathy and utter neglect of the authorities concerned. In a recently announced World Universities’ Ranking, not even one Indian university is ranked among the top 200 universities in the world. Among the 57 institutions in Asia, ranked separately, Japan has 10, China 7, Hong Kong 6, South Korea 7, and India 3 ( Kanpore IIT-226, Bombay-251, Roorki-351). The tragedy is that “the Indian education system, like the Indian bureaucratic system, is Victorian and still in the 19 th century. Our schools are still designed to produce clerks for an empire that does not exist anymore,” (Sugata Mitra-an education researcher)..
The dire shortage of capable leader, especially transformational leaders, is precipitating a crisis in India’s higher education sector, a situation not likely to be remedied until 2020, according to a global survey conducted by the Education Promotion Society for India (EPSI). The survey received responses from thought leaders, chancellors, deans, principals and professors from the US, Britain, Germany, Australia, France, and |Hungary. The survey also examined, why Indian higher education institutions are unable to attract overseas Indians with exceptional academic background and proven leadership.
Indian educational institutions are not adequately funded. There is no money for conducting high quality innovative research. Research is an integral part of higher education. Unfortunately, emphasis, in India, is often on quantity rather than quality – on the number of MPhil and PhD students produced, not what path-breaking thesis that they write. Not enough effort goes into ensuring that research topics are truly in sync with the society around them, and with international trends. Colleges and universities must benchmark themselves against the best to ensure excellence. Of course, they would not be able to do much in the absence of the requisite infrastructure, and in the absence of quality teachers. The low percentage of students opting for higher education is another concern that needs to be addressed, both by giving scholarships and by opening more education institutions which would also become centres of excellence for the academic community. Educational institutions would do well to ensure more focus on quality, even as they discuss, debate and adopt various measures needed to ensure excellence within their walls. Moreover, political interference in the appointment of faculty, and in the governance, is creating an unhealthy environment on the University campuses .
Only 10 per cent of the young ,at the college going age, are entering universities and colleges compared to 27 per cent in China and 22 per cent in other developed countries. In USA 56 per cent of Asians, over 25, have a graduate degree. In Canada 92 per cent of Chinese, over 24, who immigrate to Canada go for a college degree and 98 per cent actually complete it. Indo-Canadian parents must take note of the fact that 75% of Korean Canadian have a degree; 52% of Arabs have a degree , and only 26% of white Canadians have a degree Can we figure out the standing of the Indo-Canadian adults over 25?
A couple of weeks ago OMNITV did not paint a rosy picture of the state of education in Indo-Canadian community. Let us have a serious look at the Fraser Institute Report Card for BC, and the performance of primary schools ,especially those in Surrey where ESL students are in majority. The ranking of a school is based on several indicators, which include FSA test scores in Reading, Writing, Numeracy, students’ family background and income. By looking at the ranking of all schools in Surrey one can find that schools where there is no ESL program are performing much better. Thus, it is not unreasonable to infer that Indo-Canadian children are, to a great extent, a factor in pulling down the rank of a school. Would you believe that rank of every school in Abbotsford has a higher rank than every school in Surrey where our kids are in majority? Abbotsford school also have ESL students, but not in such large numbers. Thus, our children are in better shape in Abbotsford compared to those in Surrey. Are Indo-Canadian parents, in Surrey, at fault, or the blame be placed squarely at teachers ? Currently, many children don’t aspire for higher education for lack of encouragement/incentive, motivation, and guidance.
According to former president Bill Clinton “children grow according to the expectations we have of them. They cannot be expected to know what it is they should know, or even how high they can soar until we give them the right set of expectations”. Are we motivating and encouraging our children to dream? We must , first, understand and appreciate the value and importance of higher education. Would you believe that once extra year of schooling increases an individual’s earning by up to 10 per cent (UNESCO); an increase of one standard deviation in student scores on international assessments of literacy and mathematics is associated with a 2% increase in annual GDP per capita growth
As a community we must find ways to safeguard the future of our children. Admittedly many of us worry too much about amassing wealth for the next generation, and not much about the quality of life our children must lead They need the knowledge and problem-solving skills to develop new energy technologies, and protect our environment. They need the insights and critical thinking skills to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make Canada more fair and more free. And, as president Obama once said, they need the creativity and ingenuity to build new companies, that’ll create new jobs and boost our economy.
The impact of investment in education is profound: education results in raising income, improving health, promoting gender equality, mitigating climate change, and reducing poverty. An educated adult population is vital for strong economic development. Before, you could get a good job with a high school graduation. Now you may need a college degree, a master’s, or even a Ph.D. The future market is going to be asking for that. In addition to viewing higher education as important for the individual, the people , higher education is important for society at large
Studies show that, compared to high school graduates, college graduates have longer life spans, better access to health care, better dietary and health practices, greater economic stability and security, more prestigious employment and greater job satisfaction, less dependency on government assistance, greater knowledge of government, greater community service and leadership, more volunteer work, more self-confidence, and less criminal activity and incarceration
Yes, tuition fees are skyrocketing, student loans are becoming too much a burden on graduates. If Chinese community is bearing that burden willfully, why can’t we? Chinese students are outnumbering every group – not all Chinese immigrants are flush with money. They succeed and stay in school because the Chinese place a very high value on education – something, unfortunately, that is not a defining feature of our culture. Please talk to your neighbours, friends, MLAs MPs, and try to make sure that your child is good not only in studies but also in sports/fine arts.
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