 |
 Thursday, Nov 25, 2004 Globalisation back in focus The issue may have seemed to take a backseat for some time, but globalisation of education will be back in focus this coming December, with the major players of the Indian higher education sector coming together for a two-day brainstorming session on "The Higher Education Summit -- Roadmap for the Future'' beginning December 1. To be inaugurated by the Union Minister for Human Resources and Development, Arjun Singh, globalisation and the opening of the education sector in the post-General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) -- that comes into effect from January 2005 -- will form the prime topics of the summit. Education is one of the 12 services included in the list of activities binding member-countries to allow market access and remove restrictions. With the entry and participation of more and more private players, the competition in the higher education segment has clearly seen a rise. And while there has been much opposition to the increasing dominance of privatisation in the sector from various sections, most agree that the real need of the hour in higher education today is good quality assessment. "The opposition to private players is difficult to understand really. Nobody is asking the Government to step aside, but then considering the demand in the higher education segment, it is important to understand that the Government alone will not be able to provide the entire supply. What we need to do is define quality parameters and ensure that they are implemented,'' feels Sushma Berlia, Chairperson of the FICCI Education Committee and vice-president of the Apeejay Education Society. While the prime concern continues to be that of quality, universities and colleges here are also worried that once foreign players come in, the degrees offered by them may have more value in the eyes of the consumers and that the private institutes will do little for students coming from the disadvantaged sections of society. "There is clearly going to be more competition, but with that the studies will also have to become cost-effective as in other demand-supply situations. In any case, how are we making it any better by stopping privatisation? Education should be flexible so that it can help a large section of society,'' argues Ms. Berlia. The two-day summit will take up the topics of higher education in a knowledge-based society, financing and management of higher education in the emerging scenario, maintenance of standards and benchmarking for quality, collaboration and alliances in higher education, innovations and new practices in delivery and chart our a roadmap for the future. Expected for the event are the Stanford University President, John Henessy, the Singapore Minister for Education, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and other dignitaries from around the world. |
