Page 349 - DEDU503_EDUCATIONAL_MANAGEMENT_ENGLISH

Dinesh Kumar, Lovely Professional University Unit 26: Quality Improvement Issues in Higher Education

Unit 26: Quality Improvement Issues in Higher Notes

Education

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
26.1 Higher Education in India
26.2 Growth of Higher Education in India
26.3 Quality Improvement Issues in Higher Education
26.4 Summary
26.5 Keywords
26.6 Review Questions
26.7 Further Readings

Objectives

The objectives of this unit can be summarised as below :
• To discuss about Higher Education in India
• To describe about the Growth of Higher Education in India
• To explain about the Improvement Issues in Higher Education

Introduction

India has an age old heritage of education but it was largely based on caste and social status rather
than being equally available to all. Traditional Hindu education served the needs of the Brahmin
families. Brahmin teachers would teach boys to read and write. Under the Mughals, education was
similarly elitist, favouring the rich rather than those from high-caste backgrounds. These pre-existing
elitist tendencies were reinforced under British rule. British colonial rule brought with it, the concept
of a modern state, a modern economy and a modern education system. By linking entrance and
advancement in government service to academic education, colonial rule contributed to the legacy
of an education system while preserving the position and prerogatives of the more privileged. In
the early 1900s, for the first time demand for technical and vocational training in education was
raised by the Indian National Congress.
Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru (the first prime minister of Independent India) envisaged India as a secular
democracy with a state-led command economy. Education for all and industrial development were
seen as crucial tools to achieve economic prosperity and social equity. Following independence,
school curricula were, thus, imbued with the twin themes of inclusiveness and national pride. It is
through the first five year plan in 1950-51, India began its programme for providing free and
compulsory education to all children by transforming the elite oriented system of school education
inherited from the colonial rulers to a mass education programme. The Indian Constitution resolves
to provide quality education to all. In the effort to fulfill educational needs of the country, specifically
for the diverse societies and cultures of the country the government has chalked out different
educational categories namely, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, Adult
Education, Technical and Vocational Education. Institutions of excellence in higher education were

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 343