What Ails Higher Education In India?

<div>The Indian Institute of Technology—Roorkee's decision to expel 73 first year students in one go for poor academic performance has created a flutter. At this juncture, it seems impossible to alter the institute decision as their parents had signed a declaration at the time of admission that poor performance could result in removal from the institute.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><div>The premium institute's action, however, brought in the open a deeper problem IITs face in terms of getting quality students. Many IIT professors suggested that the change in the question pattern of entrance examinations brought almost a decade ago should be blamed for the situation.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A professor of an IIT also raised questions over the revamped IIT-JEE entrance test which makes it "relatively easier" for a student to crack the objective type questions if "luck favours him".</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In cases when students are asked to leave, they are given the option to quit the BTech course, and instead opt for a less reputed diploma, where performance pressure is not as much as in IITs.</div></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>A rule mandating expulsion of students who scored less than five cumulative grade point average &nbsp;(CGPA) for two consecutive semesters was framed last year by the premier institute to ensure quality education on the campus.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The IIT Act of 1961, under which 16 IITs have been set up, allows the academic senate of each institute to frame student performance regulations that are legally binding on them. These rules are available on IIT websites and are required to be adopted by students enrolling into the IIT system.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>However, the trend of warning and expelling poor performers across IITs is not new.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In case of IIT, Kanpur, 39 students were expelled in 2010, 14 of them from undergraduate courses, who were asked to vacate the hostel immediately. The students sought intervention of the President but it did not help. It is common in IITs to expel underperforming postgraduate and doctorate students.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>In 2009, the Supreme Court held that Scheduled Caste/Tribe students could not be expelled from the IITs on the ground of poor performance. A Bench of Chief Justice Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan had said the IITs must provide them with additional coaching to bring them up on a par with the general category students.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The moot point is: India faces serious problems in its higher education system and that unless it is improved expeditiously, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s dream to become a major global player could be adversely impacted. The IITs are plagued not only by faculty crunch but also by a constant exodus of teachers to better-paid jobs. Besides, these institutes also have to attract younger teachers before they opt for more lucrative opportunities abroad.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>So far, the NDA government has done very little to address the crisis in higher education. The government's first Budget has not delivered achhe din for higher education in the country. The Union Budget for 2015-16 has reduced funds for higher education to the tune of Rs.3,900 crore in its revised budget estimates for the financial year 2014-15. The government has revised the figure to Rs.13,000 crore, as against Rs.16,900 crore for the plan allocation.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>The crisis in Indian education demands a revival of intellectual traditions that created the J. C. Boses and the C.V. Ramans. The urgent need, therefore, today is that we need a big bang reform in the education system.</div>