Increasing the retirement age of medical professors, as has been reportedly promised by the government, is yet another official response to the quota debate; the aim here is to make easier larger intake in elite institutions. This once again shows up a fundamental misconception: every country needs elite institutions. It’s the only way to ensure enough quality. Consider this: 10,000 American expatriates are now working in India for high-tech companies. Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services will together hire and train more than 50,000 college graduates from abroad, including more than 1,000 from the US, in the coming year. Why? Because Indian universities are not producing the quality graduates needed for the top end of the new economy. India produces many university graduates — in 2004 there were almost 700,000 degrees granted in science and engineering alone. However, with few exceptions, the institutions themselves are not of high quality. According to recent international rankings, only the IITs are noted at all, and even these are not anywhere near the top of the charts. India does not spend enough on higher education — only 0.37 per cent of GDP. The US spends 1.41 and the UK 1.07 per cent. Only countries such as Japan and Korea, where more than 80 per cent of students are in largely unsubsidised private universities, approach India’s low spending levels. China spends considerably more than India. India has never seriously cared about the quality dimension of higher education. All countries are faced with the dilemma of catering to mass demand while at the same time maintaining and enhancing quality. India has consistently supported access over quality. There has been no recognition that all modern nations must have a differentiated academic system, with an elite sector at the top, mass-based and less selective institutions in the middle, and vocationally-oriented postsecondary schools at the bottom. Patterns of funding, government support, and management will necessarily vary. At the top, the research universities aspire to the highest international standards of quality, follow a meritocratic code, and are ready to compete with the best universities worldwide. The tiny quality sector in Indian higher education is now being severely undermined. The new policy, introduced by the government without consulting the academic community, has been hotly contested and overwhelmingly opposed by the higher education community. Government policies, when implemented, will mandate awarding more than half the seats in entering classes to disadvantaged groups. However laudable the goal of lessening social inequality, this policy destroys international competitiveness at the top institutions. It also leads to such absurd consequences as students with zero scores on admissions tests being admitted and the creation of two distinct sets of students in the same class, with an adverse impact on teaching and learning. If India wishes to play in the international big leagues and to economically compete in a globalised world, it will need higher education institutions that prepare graduates to function in this environment, conduct advanced research that serves to advance the Indian economy, and participate at the top levels of international science and scholarship. For a start, there must be a recognition that elite higher education is necessary. A small part of India’s higher education system must function at the upper international levels, as elite institutions in the best sense of the term. Serving the needs of mass access and social mobility for disadvantaged groups is important, but it is not the only goal of higher education. India is now wealthy enough to support both educational goals. Research universities everywhere have some common characteristics. — Meritocratic values. A meritocratic university seeks to hire the most qualified faculty members, enroll the brightest students, and reward both students and staff for top performance. Fairness and consistency are central supports of academic meritocracy. — Governmental support. Almost everywhere, research universities are public institutions. Even in the US, where some research universities are private, they received significant government support for research. In India, only the government has the resources to support research universities. Funding must be consistent and sufficient to support a vibrant research agenda. Research universities cannot be built on the cheap. — Internationalisation. Research universities are by their nature international institutions, linking with other similar universities in other countries and participating in the international scientific community. India has the advantage of its use of English, the world’s language of science, and its possession of a large group of academics who have received training at the best universities abroad. India must take steps to broaden its international reach. — The public good. Research universities serve the interests of society, and they require public support. They should not be forced to engaged exclusively in applied research and to pay for themselves by charging high tuition and producing income from all research activities. An effective mix of basic and applied research is needed. Scholarship funds for needy but able students are also required to supplement tuition fees. — The academic profession. Top-quality professors are central to the success of a research university. Professors must be adequately paid so that they can devote their full-time attention to academe, and so that the “best and brightest” can be attracted to the profession. There must be a stable, and competitive, academic career path that rewards merit and productivity — and punishes poor academic work by ejecting those unable to adhere to the highest standards. — Research and teaching. Research universities emphasise and reward top-quality research, but they are also teaching institutions. Both research and teaching are necessary and contribute to the institution’s goals. — Autonomy and accountability. Research universities require a significant degree of autonomy. At the same time, accountability is needed to ensure effective performance. The IITs are a uniquely Indian contribution to higher education. While they are not quintessential research universities, they play a key role in India’s elite higher education sector. The must be supported and strengthened as institutions that support India’s high-tech development. India is truly at a turning point. If the nation is to fulfill its economic and technological potential in the 21st century, it must have an elite and internationally competitive higher education sector at the top of a large and differentiated higher education system, with a mixture of public and private support. The elite sector requires support and recognition. It cannot afford being used as a tool for partisan political policies. World-class research-oriented universities are the spearhead of India’s international competitiveness. The writer is Monan professor of higher education at Boston Collegealtbach@bc.edu
