Role of higher education in the Third World

摘要

David E. Bloom and Henry Rosovsky from USA (Curr. Sci., 2001, 81, 252-256) have highlighted the role of higher education in the future development of Third World countries, including India. The Task Force on Higher Education and Society (TFHE) kept three interlinking factors in view: first, the burgeoning demand for higher education; second, the growing importance of knowledge in the modern world and third, the impact of globalization. TFHE has brought out the strengths and weaknesses of the higher education system in India. While some of our top scientific institutions are comparable with the best in the developed world in scientific productivity, but they are also considered as exceptions to the rule. Leaving aside IITs, most of our universities produce poor quality of research work and our post-graduate (M Sc) degrees are considered equivalent to Bachelor's degree only in USA and Europe. India is far below USA, Europe and Central Asia, and only comparable with African countries, in the matter of enrollment to higher education.