Innovation and research in higher education
Union HRD minister emphasises on students becoming producers of knowledge rather than consumers

By Shubhdarshani Mitra
New Delhi, November 06: At a head-on clash with the existing education system in the country, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, today said at a conference that our higher education has to buck up in terms of quality challenges if we want to meet the world-class standard.

Sibal was speaking at the FICCI Higher Education Summit, a two-day event (November 6&7) in New Delhi. Highlighting the need for innovation and research encouraging universities, Sibal said the country needs institutions where the students would be taught how to challenge old solutions and come up with innovative ideas suited to the local problems but could be applied and used globally.

The opening session of the event brought out challenges that India faces in terms of the humungous strength of population that never goes to college. Statistics say, only 12 per cent go for higher education. There are 20,000 colleges and 430 universities in the country where out of 220 million that go to school only 26 million make it to college. This is against 63 per cent of students who go to college in the US.

‘By 2020, our aim is to ensure that 30 per cent should make it to college,” said Sibal.

The event also saw the presence of Prof Richard Levin, president, Yale University, USA, Steven J White, deputy chief of mission, Embassy of United States of America, New Delhi, Prof HS Ballal, chairman, FICCI Higher Education Commission, among others.

Prof Ballal brought forth the need for quality faculty, necessary encouragement to those at the vanguard of imparting education and enhanced public-private partnership in higher education.

Echoing the same, Sibal called for education to be brought on the same pedestal as business. “Business and academia should go together,” he said.