Experts discuss education in India at CII summit

Singh further mentioned,“We have to search for alternatives to socialism for creating a more equitable society. There is a need to strike a balance between profits and welfare to attract corporates in the education sector. Sustainability should be given due importance”.

Arun Grover,Vice-Chancellor,Panjab University,lamented that serious steps are required to raise India’s low Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 20 percent.

He added that the Higher Education Spending in India,which is just 1.1 percent,also need to be raised. He called for higher education institutions’ collaboration with the private sector in research,faculty development,infrastructure creation,student scholarships and governance.

“To achieve this,the higher education system should be made robust and useful to attract investments and the government should aggressively engage with the industry to invest in existing institutes,set up new institutes and develop new knowledge clusters,” Grover said.

Professor Grover also shared the recommendations of the report prepared by the NR Narayana Murthy Committee on Corporate Participation in Higher Education. He highlighted that the report calls for upgrading 75 ‘top universities and higher education institutions by setting up schools and Centers of Excellence (CoEs) and training and learning centers’.