Academics warn of deepening crisis in higher education sector in India

Senior academics and policymakers have warned of a deepening crisis in higher education across India, even as they lauded Kerala’s efforts to strengthen publicly funded universities at the National Research Conference, which concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

Former Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru Director S. Balaram said higher education in the country was witnessing a steady decline in publicly supported universities, faculty strength and research programmes, thereby leaving many departments depleted. In contrast, Kerala has emerged as a potential model for rescuing higher education through sustained public funding.

Describing both school and higher education as public goods, he cautioned against increasing privatisation, which has reduced many universities to “teaching shops” focussed on degree production rather than knowledge creation. He also flagged the growing problem of educated unemployment, including among PhD holders.

Research standards

Economist Prabhat Patnaik delved into the sharp deterioration in research standards nationwide, particularly in social sciences. He said critical areas such as income inequality research has virtually disappeared within the country, prompting scholars abroad to lead such work.

He attributed the decline to two key factors, viz., fear of contradicting the dominant official narrative and the commodification of education driven by shrinking public funding. When degrees become market commodities tied to employment and loan repayment, fundamental and critical research suffers, Prof. Patnaik cautioned.

Kerala State Planning Board vice-chairperson V.K. Ramachandran elaborated on the State government’s policy initiatives during the 13th and 14th Five Year Plans, including a 30% increase in higher education allocation during a period of financial stress. He pointed out that investments made in infrastructure, teacher training, curriculum reform and governance restructuring has led to measurable improvements in institutional rankings and standards.

He also warned of the Central intervention in university administration, particularly through the role of Governors as Chancellors and the influence of the University Grants Commission, as a crisis that threatened secularism, democratic functioning and academic freedom on campuses.

Higher Education Minister R. Bindu, who chaired the valedictory session, said the State’s higher education sector is passing through a transformative period with substantial funding and paradigm shifts in curriculum and research methodology.

Scholar Connect

She also launched ‘Scholar Connect’, a digital platform designed to facilitate structured engagement between higher education institutions and the global academic diaspora. Certificates were also distributed to the Chief Minister’s Nava Kerala Post-Doctoral Fellows on the occasion.

Kuvempu University Vice-Chancellor Sharath Ananthamurthy, Kerala State Higher Education Council vice-chairperson Rajan Gurukkal and member secretary Rajan Varughese also spoke.