Open and Distance Learning

For those who are not able attend the formal education systems, Open Universities provide opportunities to offer higher education through Open Learning System which allows the learner to study at his pace of learning with the study material reaching at his door-steps. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), with its 53 regional centers and more than 1500 study centers, coordinates open and distance learning through its Distance Education Council (DEC). There are about 13 State Open Universities and 120 institutions of correspondence courses in conventional universities.

Higher education system in India is growing at a very fast rate, opening up its gates to foreign universities for offering education of highest standards. Regulating bodies of technical education are reining a tight control over the institutes to maintain higher benchmarks even as the professional bodies are improving the technical qualifications of the working professionals. Open and Distance Learning system is offering higher education to those who could not afford to formal education.

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The author is the Founder Chairman of the Shastri Group of Institutes established in 2001 located in Pune. Shastri Group of Institutes attends to the needs of aspiring Tribal area students for the courses in Aviation and Hospitality through Government sponsored Programmes. He is recipient of several awards including National Achievement Award for Educational Excellence, Rashtriya Shiksha Samman puraskar, International Status Award and was selected as an Icon of Pune by Economic Times.

Professional Bodies

Technical education in India is supplemented by a number of government recognized Professional Engineering Societies like Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Engineers, Institution of Electronics and Tele-Communication Engineers, Institution of Chemical Engineers, Aeronautical Society of India and many more. They conduct engineering / technical examinations at various levels for working professionals desirous of improving their technical qualifications and offer them equivalent diplomas/degrees.

Technical Education

India is committed to develop a competent pool of scientific and technical manpower by formulating National Policy on Education which resulted in a governing and regulating body for technical education called All India Council for Technical Education through an act of Indian Parliament. Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, National Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Information Technology etc are the pioneer institutes in India for higher technical education. The number of graduates coming out of the institutes has increased by 27% in the last year.

Globalization

Indian higher education is moving towards globalization through the Foreign Universities Bill as a result of coherent and comprehensive policies to attract world class universities to set up their campuses in India. Some 15 Bills on various aspects are under consideration in Parliament for approval which would revolutionize Indian higher education

Education Scenario

After China and the United States, India has the largest higher education system governed by the University Grants Commission to enforce and regulate the standards at the centre and state levels.  Volume of higher education in India is enormous comprising of 20 central universities, 215 state universities, 100 deemed universities, 5 institutions established and functioning under the State Act, and 33 institutes which are of national importance and more than 16000 colleges. Notable amongst all the higher education institutes are 16 Indian Institutes of Technology, linked together through common IIT Council for effective administration. However, the IITs have by-far concentrated on technology and management while science has taken a back seat in many of the IITs. There are specialized institutes of repute purely concentrating on research in basic sciences and mathematics like Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Indian Institute of Science and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Education in India

Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: central, state, and local. Taxila was the earliest recorded centre of higher learning in India from at least 5th century BCE and it is debatable whether it could be regarded a university or not. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world in the modern sense of university.^[2] Western education became ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of the British Raj.

Education in India falls under the control of both the Union Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental right. Most universities in India are controlled by the Union or the State Government.

India has made progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately three-fourths of the population.^[3] India's improved education system is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India.^[4] Much of the progress, especially in higher education and scientific research, has been credited to various public institutions. The private education market in India is merely 5%^{[citation needed]} although in terms of value is estimated to be worth $40 billion in 2008 and had increased to $68–70 billion by 2012.^[5]

However, India continues to face stern challenges. Despite growing investment in education, 25% of its population is still illiterate; only 15% of Indian students reach high school, and just 7% graduate.^[6] The quality of education whether at primary or higher education is significantly poor as compared with major developing nations. As of 2008, India's post-secondary institutions offer only enough seats for 7% of India's college-age population, 25% of teaching positions nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college professors lack either a master's or PhD degree.^[7]

As of 2011, there are 1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake of 582,000,^[8] plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty and concerns have been raised over the quality of education.^[9] In India education system is not based on pure merit, but its based on caste based reservations. In universities/Colleges/Institutions affiliated to federal government there is minimum 50% of reservations applicable to various castes.At state level it varies. State of Andhra Pradesh has minimum 83.33% of reservations as on 2012, which is highest percentage of reservations in India.

How Important is Higher Education in India?

Have you ever thought that why higher education is so much important in India? The rising demand for higher education in the country has resulted in a plethora of educational institutions in different areas like engineering, medicine, hotel management, and much more.

Higher education can be obtained through colleges in India. Students seeking education in engineering can get admissions in renowned engineering colleges like IITs, NSIT, Delhi; and Punjab Engineering College, among others. Students willing to join management courses can get admissions in MBA colleges like IIMs, MICA Ahmedabad, ISB-Hyderabad, IIFT-Delhi, and NMIMS-Mumbai.

In the current scenario, higher education has become important to be a winner in this age of competition. With an aim to gain excellence in work and moving ahead of each other, higher education is all that you need. With higher education comes the skills and opportunity to get a lucrative job. Nowadays, it is your higher education and talent that can get you a good job. It is true that the money, time and energy spent on higher studies pays back.