The term ‘globalization’ was introduced by Adam Smith specially for the field of economy in 1776 through his book titled ‘Wealth of Nations’. In the firmament of Indian Higher Education, this term officially started to act in the last phase of 20th century. But if we turn the pages of Indian history, we can claim that when there was no university anywhere in Europe, Takshasila, Vikramasila, Pallavi and Nalanda Vishavidyalaya in India were radiating the rays of higher education among the nations of home and abroad. So, Indian higher education was globalizing so earlier without packaging.
The webs of globalization hit Indian Higher Education System formally just after introduction of General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) on and from 1st Jan. 1995 by the World Trade Organization (WTO). Actually, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was replaced by GATS comprising of a comprehensive legal framework of rules and disciplines covering 161 service activities across 12 classified sectors e. g; telecommunications, finance, energy, distribution, environment, health, construction, education etc. GATT was introduced in 1947 for creating a credible and reliable system of international trade rules; ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all participants i.e., principle of non – discrimination; stimulating economic activities through guaranteed policy bindings; and promoting trade and development through progressive liberalization. In brief, this agreement has ensured a broad, multilateral, and free worldwide system of trade and commerce.
In the post – industrialized period, the advanced countries of the world used to derive the major proportion of their national income not from agriculture and industry but from service sector, keeping in mind this reality the WTO came forward and tried to flourish the global market of services. This attempt of WTO declared education as a service industry under the umbrella of GATS opposing the opinions of academicians across the world. Academicians from all corners of the world strongly opined that education exists to serve the nation, and is not a commodity. The global effect of economic reformation was transmitted in Indian economy on and from 1991 and as an effect of it India like other members of GATT signed the GATS in 1996 and started to fight under the auspices of GATT – GATS regime.
There is no denying the fact that in the era of globalization, liberalization and privatization, higher education is being considered as a commodity or in other words, the introduction of GATS leads to co modification of education. This new scenario forced all countries - developed, developing and underdeveloped - of the world to act on the same dais with respective products and services; education, specially higher education is not an exception. This unequal battle boosted up the developed countries for becoming aggressive in attracting foreign students keeping intact the inland students. On the contrary, developing country like India is now striving to motivate home students not to leave India for higher education in one hand; on the other hand special drive has also been made to attract the non-resident Indians and foreign students also towards Indian education system. The government of India has now taken initiative to promote Indian higher education in globalized market through constituting a Committee for the Promotion of Indian Education Abroad (COPIE) under the ministry of human resources development, dept. of education, Govt. of India. At present time Indian universities and institutions are thinking to open campuses in neighboring friendly countries of Asia and Africa. If it is feasible then these collaborations will be academically acceptable and economically viable. But, the position of underdeveloped countries under these circumstances is needless to mention.
Now a days, we have no other alternative which can save Indian higher education system from the hands of global effects without facing it boldly. In such a burning situation, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis may act as a guard which can protect Indian higher education from global effects as well as may also help to extend and strengthen the market of Indian higher education in inland and abroad through systematically matching internal strengths and weaknesses of the existing system with external opportunities and threats of GATS. SWOT analysis, being an instrument of strategic management, as how to minimize the weaknesses and threats through capitalizing strengths and opportunities of Indian higher education system in global context is the theme of this article.
Strengths of Indian Higher Education System: Simply strength means a resource, skill or other advantages relative to competition and the needs of markets a firm serves or anticipates serving. Strength is a distinctive competence that gives the firm a comparative advantage in the market place. Financial resources, infrastructural facilities, good name, market leadership etc. are the examples of strengths. The strengths of Indian higher education system are enumerated below:
1. In the world map, Indian is one of the oldest caterers to higher education for both the inland and abroad students.
2. Development of modern higher education in Indian was started with the establishment of Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817.
3. In the whole of the then British Empire, Calcutta University was the first to confer the bachelor degree for women in 1883.
4. In the year 1940-41, the then Govt. of India allotted Rs. 485000 for Calcutta University and Rs. 550000 for Dhaka University with an object to explore higher education in home and abroad.
5. At the advent of India’s independence, there were 19 universities and 591 colleges while now it stands to approximately 412 recognized universities comprising of 116 general universities, 33 agricultural universities, 12 science and technology universities, 11 language universities, 11 medical universities, 7 open universities, and 5 women’s universities and along with these 20676 affiliated colleges in different parts of India are now engaged for serving higher education around the country and abroad among 11.5 lakhs students which is about 10% of the total enrolment in higher education institutes all over the world .
6. The post- independence India’s first Education commission (1964-66) popular as Kothari Commission laid the foundation of post- independence Indian’s national education policy and recommended 6% of the national income be allotted as govt. expenditure on education.
7. Sri Rajib Gandhi, the then prime minister of India, introduced the National Policy on Education in 1986 (NEP-1986) and its accompanying programme of action that promised child-centered, free and compulsory education up to the age of 14 years by 1995. Interestingly, the revised formulation of such NPE, made in the 1992 also talked out the same theme of free and compulsory education, and there after it focused on ‘satisfactory quality’ education.
8. The 86th constitutional amendment act in 2002 that made the elementary education a fundamental right has promised the same education to all those between the ages of 6 and 14 in the country.
Weaknesses of Indian Higher Education System: Weakness is nothing expects limitation or deficiency in resources, infrastructure, Skills, capabilities and interpersonal relationship that seriously impedes effective performance of an organization. Insufficiency of resources, lack of skills and capabilities may be recognized as the symptoms of weakness. The weaknesses of Indian higher education system are listed below:
1. Gradually decreasing trend of public expenditure on education badly affects the growth of Indian education system. The Indian first post-independence Education Commission recommended 6% of the national income be allotted as govt. expenditure on education. But in practice, a drastic cut in public expenditure is a real phenomenon. In India, the public expenditure on education was 4.2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in 1999-2K and in the year 2004-05 it was successfully brought down to 2.74% of GDP.
2. Lack of academic industry solidarity has pushed Indian higher education in the dark of depression. Most of the oldest universities in India are still reluctant to the collaboration of academic world and industrial world.
3. Reservation policies in India in one hand ensure educational opportunities for the disadvantaged and backward groups within Indian society and on the other hand forced meritorious students from forward castes who failed to enlist themselves in Indian higher education system to go abroad for the same.
4. The ever long scarcity of well structured and accreditated institutions in India may offer abroad
programmes for foreign students.
5. The capacity of India’s institutions is very much limited to meet the growing demand for post graduate
education in emerging fields viz; Bio – technology, Oceanography, Nano Science etc.
6. Dedicated and competent faculties in universities, colleges and professional institutions in India are not
sufficient enough to meet the global challenges in higher education.
7. Infrastructural and other facilities in Indian higher education system are not conducive to carry on research work at international level.
Opportunities of Indian Higher Education System: Opportunity is a major favorable situation in the firm’s environment. Identification of a previously overlooked market segment, changes in competitive or regulatory circumstances, technological changes etc. may be considered as opportunity. So, opportunity is a chance which may occur due to happening or non-happening of an event. The opportunities which are now facing Indian higher education system are defined below:
1. From the perspective of higher education, India is now considered as the second largest country all over the world but only about 6% of it has access to higher education as compared to 88% in Canada 81%in USA, 52% in UK, 19% in Thailand and 11% in Indonesia. So the necessity of higher education in India is beyond the question.
2. To meet the global challenges as well as to ensure prevailing performance with greater accountability to main stakeholders – students- in the field of higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) came forward and set up National Assessment and Accreditation council (NAAC) – an autonomous institution in 1994 with an object to cater quality education at affordable cost.
3. Indian education policy now directs that the institutional activities needed to be oriented to the five core values and theses are contribution to national development, fostering global competencies among students, inculcating a value system among students, promoting the use of research and technology, and quest for excellence.
4. NAAC declared 2006 as the year of students’ participation in quality assurance of Indian higher education. There is no denying the fact that students’ are the main stakeholders of every level of education and their satisfaction is the only source of institutional success at every level.
5. The concept of promotion of women’s participation in Indian higher education is being considered now seriously by the NNAC also. It is a fact that women constitute around half of the total population of the World and simply they are considered as the better half of the society. So, only the active participation of women in academic world can give a complete shape of Indian higher education system.
6. The UGC has decided to invite proposals from institutions that are keen on ‘exporting Indian education to foreign learners under a ‘Study India programme’ (SIP).
7. The Indian Govt. belatedly started the process of constituting a Committee for the Promotion of Indian Education Abroad (COPIE) under the ministry of human resources department, dept. of education, Govt. of India.
Threats of Indian Higher Education System: A Threat is a major unfavourable situation in the firm’s environment. It is the main impediment to the firm’s current or desired position. The entrance of a new competitor, slow market growth, major technological changes, appearance of a substitute product etc. is the examples of threats which are usually being faced by an enterprise or by an organization. The lion’s share of global effect on Indian higher education is nothing except threats and these are:
1. The global effects challenge the traditional ideas of the Indian academic institutions as well as to the national and even institutional control of education.
2. The global effects restrict contributions of academic institutions for national development, research relevant to the local needs and for participation in strengthening of civil society.
3. The global effects create a differentiation among the same degrees obtained from foreign universities, from costly private domestic institutions and from govt. funded institutions.
4. The global effects on many occasions generate a great possibility of cheating of Indian students from the sub-standard courses of abroad.
5. The global effects raise a possibility of loss of foreign exchange due to increasing interest of parents to get their children admitted to foreign educational institutions.
6. The global effects establish swiftly the branches of Global Alliance for Transnational Education (GATE), a profit making institution in the USA, with an object to capture the market of higher education in foreign countries aggressively by opening new universities.
7. The global effects introduce the concept of commodification of education and it changes our culture, ethics of social welfare and even the quality of Indian higher education.
Now, if we draw a SWOT analysis diagram then we may get a 2-2 matrix and it comprises of four different situations as under: Situation one (Strengths – opportunities), Situation two (Opportunities – weaknesses), Situation three (Weaknesses – Threats), Situation four (Threats – Strengths)
Situation one represents a combination of ‘Strengths - Opportunities’. It is the most deserving situation because it blends internal strengths with external opportunities which may assist to take aggressive strategy for achieving the goal or goals.
Situation two represents a combination of ‘Opportunities-Weaknesses’. Hence, external opportunities are to be used to minimize internal weaknesses for achieving the goal or goals.
Situation three represents a combination of ‘Weaknesses- Threats’. It is the most undesirable situation where every one is to be forced to opt for defensive strategy for the question of survival.
Situation four represents a combination of ‘Threats – Strengths’. Hence, internal strengths are to be utilized for minimizing the threats of external affairs for achieving the goal of goals.
Under the regime of GATT-GATS, the higher education system of India is not either under situation one or situation three. But at the same time the introduction of GATS creates some opportunities as well as some threats in front of Indian higher education system. To face global effects situation four is more appropriate than situation two for Indian higher education because the external threats are to be minimized by the internal strengths which may also be regulated according to needs. On the contrary, situation two is more risky because internal weaknesses almost all times fail to capitalize external opportunities properly. But in the long run, situation two is to be considered Lastly, we may suggest some measures to upgrade the internal strengths of Indian higher education system for facing the waves of globalization, liberalization and privatization under situation four.
1. India being a signatory to the WTO as also to the GATS, we have too very many cautions about the functioning of the foreign educational institutions.
2. A minimum of 6% of the GDP, 10% of the Central Budget and 30% of the State Budget should be set apart for education, of which higher education should receive its due share.
3. Convergence of conventional and open and distance leaning education system is essential to bridge the gap between two modes of education.
4. In order to cope with the western countries, the measures required include the adoption of a credit based semester system with continuous internal evaluation, a cafeteria type option to the students for the course to be offered and facilities of credit transfer.
5. To make Indian higher education system more effective through introducing liberalized education policy viz, eliminate research restrictions on foreign scholars; encourage foreign and private collaboration with the Indian universities etc.
6. The democratic transformation of the system of higher education to counter the debilitating impact of globalization cannot be ensured unless the rights and responsibilities of higher education stakeholders are properly defined and acted upon. So in brief, until and unless we become true to ourselves as teachers, students, administrator and guardians no strategy should be sufficient enough to protect Indian higher education system in the long run.
References:
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