Q. Indian higher education continues to suffer on three counts – access, equity and quality. How can the bottlenecks be successfully removed?
A. The bottlenecks can be removed by managing the supply side. It means liberalising the resources and making them attractive and available for investors and users. We have been restrictive in terms of quality, and in the process we have achieved neither equity nor quality, which is also a challenge.
Q. Today, people prefer private sector to public sector. What reasons do you attribute to it?
A. The education space is increasingly occupied by private sector because the overall space is increasing and public sector is vacating. Public sector is losing out because of poor quality.
Q. Has it anything to do with the fact that private enterprises offer greater variety of educational choices matching larger educational needs compared to government schools?
A. Private sector is generally market driven, so if in the process it offers diverse courses it is appreciable. But, it is universities that still offer cut and dry arts and science subjects. If left to private sectors, these might have disappeared. So, creating an overall ambience which would ensure diverse offerings is required.
Q. Imparting education is considered the responsibility of the government, but over a period of time, we have seen the quality of education in government schools deteriorating. Is it due to official apathy or lack of funds?
A. Government’s essential function is to encourage education, rather than imparting it. It should create an environment, facilitate and encourage players to invest in education. If it tries to provide education, it can result in crisis.
Q. The private sector participation in higher education has been mainly in areas such as engineering, management and medicine. How can it be extended to other career-oriented areas?
A. We are probably making a difference between market-oriented education vis-à-vis career-oriented education. These streams have poor cousins, i.e. arts and science which are even tougher to support. Somehow, career-oriented education in India is seen at lower end of the value chain in education. It is seen as a number game and does not depend on brand value. Fortunately, it is picking with large corporates announcing foray into the sector on the name of skill and capacity development. However, it is probably seen as CSR activity and will take off only if it is seen as viable scalable activity.
Q. There is a feeling that government must simplify the regulatory framework to encourage greater private sector participation in higher education. What is your take?
A. What is required is streamlining of regulation than simplifying it. The present regime seeks to tighten regulation in the absence of effective entry barriers and implementation of rules. A positive and enabling regulation with effective implementation is required. Education is a complex field to be regulated and that is why in many countries it is regulated through market mechanism, self-regulation and accreditation. It is also regulated by governments in other countries through funding which is used as leverage.
Q. The government allows 100 per cent FDI in the education sector under the automatic route. How do you see the investment opportunities for foreign players in local market?
A. The purpose of 100 per cent FDI in education is not clear. If the idea of FDI is to attract reputed institutions, we should make a direct offer. They should be provided all incentives and support to make it attractive for them to invest in India. If it is solely done to attract plain investment, it can be counterproductive and highly market driven, which can potentially lead to lopsided development.
Q. What are the major lessons the public sector can take from private sector when we talk of elementary and higher education in India?
A. Private sector, if at all it is succeeding, is doing so at a high cost. This is because of lack of any regulation. What can be imbibed from private sector is the commitment of their teachers and not the management or systems, which is quite exploitative.
