Mahatma Gandhi's Contribution to Education

Chaman Lal Banga, Assistant Professor (Education), Department of Education, ICDEOL,

Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, Email: profchamanlalbanga@gmail.com

Dr. Pardeep Singh Dehal, Assistant Professor (Education), Department of Education,

ICDEOL, Himachal Pradesh University Shimla. drdehal@gmail.com
Abstract
Mahatma Gandhi ‘Generations to come will scarce believe that such a ones this ever walked
upon this earth in flesh and blood'. -Albert Einstein.
Education certainly is a means to all-round progress of man. In other words, the pathway to
human-development goes through the lanes of education. Moreover, true education is the
sole basis of achieving one’s purpose in life. It is education, which can ascertain ultimate
peace for a human being. In addition, the essence of all the ancient scriptures, messages of
scholars and thinkers of repute have always categorically expounded the significance of
education in human life. He utility, significance and importance of education are inevitable
at all levels in all walks of life. It develops into the most beautiful and valuable ornament of
human life. Education as expounded through Gandhi’s imagination and explanation is a
means to guide and lead a human-being from his birth to death. It helps man achieve his
goal. Gandhi believed that the way modern education was structured; it essentially served
one low purpose. He also believed that education had to deal with the moral and spiritual,
not merely with the earthly or mundane. The “whole person” was to receive an education.

Introduction

“By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body, mind
and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education or even the beginning.” –M. K. Gandhi
[Harijan: July 31, 1937]

As such, education becomes the basis of personality development in all dimensions—moral,

mental, and emotional. Therefore we can say that in the long run education forms the
foundations on which the castles of peace and prosperity can be built. The English meaning
for education is derived from the Latin word ‘Educare’, which further relates to ‘Educere’,
the symbolic of manifestation or expression. This definition reveals the inner capability of
man that guides him continuously at various levels. The whole process which leaves an
impact upon the mind, character and physical strength, plays a vital role in human
development. It accords continuity to intellect, knowledge and values, which provides the
base and scope of education. Education means, “To nourish” “To bring up” and “To raise”
This means educating a child, nourishing or bringing out a child in accordance with norms,
ends or aids. It also implies to lead out or to draw out. This means educating a child or
drawing out what is ingrained in child or to lead out of darkness into light. Education not only
moulds the new generation, but reflects a society’s fundamental assumptions about itself and
the individuals which compose it.

Gandhi devoted his life for a great mission and worked for the upliftment of the missions of
down trodden, poverty stricken, half naked and semi-starved masses of India. He performed
miracles of Indian socio-political life without any magic wand but with his mystical life,
magical speeches and whiting human, philosophy and winnowing personal qualities. He was
a man with mission: freedom for India - political, economic, social, intellectual and spiritual
freedom; freedom from exploitation, oppression, wants, hunger, poverty, ignorance, evil-
social practices falalism etc. His economic institutions, educational experiments, political and
social activities were directed to this end. Being aware of the life and achievements of
Gandhi, Einstein observed that; Generations to come will scarce believe that even a man, in
flash and blood, walked upon this earth".

Mahatma Gandhi, who led India to freedom from 150 years of British rule, had prescribed a
democratic system based on village self-government. He called it Gram Swaraj where
political parties would have no role. Unfortunately, the framers of Indian Constitution
ignored it and opted for the British model of parliamentary democracy based on the party
system. This has proved to be most unsuited to the Indian ethos. Where religion, caste and
ethnic rivalries prevail, political parties tend to exploit them to gain dominance and
perpetuate themselves in power.

The real difficulty is that people have no idea of what education truly is. We assess
the value of education in the same manner as we assess the value of land or of shares in the
stock-exchange market. We want to provide only such education as would enable the student
to earn more. We hardly give any thought to the improvement of the character of the
educated. The girls, we say, do not have to earn; so why should they be educated? As long as
such ideas persist there is no hope of our ever knowing the true value of education.

As Time rolls by, Gandhi's global stature is growing. Gandhism is taking roots all over the
world and will eventually sprout into a Universal Religion based on Gandhian Spirituality.
Then Gandhji's place will be among the prophets of the world, after Moses, Buddha, Jesus
Christ and Mohammed. The Prophets had laid down Commandments, edicts and sacred
duties to be performed for individuals. So has Gandjhiji without giving them directly.
 "My life is my message," he has said when asked for one. Anyone can derive these
dictums from his own life, so vividly recorded in his autobiography, "The Story of My
Experiments with Truth." Be truthful. Truth begets trust. Trust begets respect, recognition
and rewards. You may not always follow truth, but if you find truth stand by it. And make it
your business to find Truth. Don't do anything in secret that you cannot divulge in public.

Gandhiji influenced the lives of our countrymen for more than half a century. His approach to
most issues was down-to-earth and holistic-be it social, cultural, economic, health or
education. Gandhiji's model was not only holistic and practical, it was highly decentralized
and integrated, with ademonstrated capacity to motivate the entirecommunity and place
responsibility and accountability at the community level versus the State. According to M.K
Gandhi ; True education is all-round development of the faculties, best attained through
action. It bases itself on the fact that knowledge and understanding develop in relation to
problems set right by action. Information thrust on the mind only burdens the memory and
causes intellectual indigestion, casting learning into oblivion.

Gandhi's Views On Education

Character cannot be built with mortar and stone. It cannot be built by hands other than your
own.

- Gandhiji in Ceylon by Mahadev Desai. P.89

An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the
one and eschew the other, is a misnomer.

- Harijan, 18-2-1939 and 4-3-1939

Basic education links the children, whether of cities or the villages, to all that is best and
lasting in India.

- Constructive Programme: Its Meaning and Place

Is not education the art of drawing out full manhood of the children under training?

- Young India, 12-3-1925

Mahatma Gandhi and Basic Education

According to Mahatma Gandhi, education is an unending exercise till death. For him,
only education can act as a means to a successful life. Likewise, “education can help mould
and shape the human body, mind and character in such a manner that they may act as the
means to achieve joy and efficiency.”

Gandhi states that English cannot and ought not to become the National language. In this
connection Gandhi refers to the requirement of a national language.
The Agenda, formulated by Gandhi, contained four propositions, which may be summarized
as follows:

1. “The present system of education does not meet the requirements of the country....”

2. “The course of primary education should be extended at least to seven years and should
include the general knowledge gained up to the matriculation standard, less English and plus
a substantial vocation.”

3. “For the all-round development of boys and girls all training should as far as possible be
given through a profit-yielding vocation.”

4. “Higher education should be left to private enterprise and should be to meet national
requirements whether in the various industries, technical arts, belles-letters or fine arts”
(Varkay 3-4).

Mahatma Gandhi wrote many articles on education from time-to-time. On several

occasions, besides addressing students and teachers, he issued worthy statements
regarding its meaning, purpose and importance in life. The prime aim of education is to
make a man self-dependent; The purpose of education is to make the one efficient and skilful;
and The objective of education is to guide and lead him to the pathway to progress in the
prevailing situation of space and as per the demand of time so that he could ascertain his
physical and mental development to achieve a goal in life for himself on the one hand and he
could equally contribute to the society, nation and the globe on the other.

Mahatma Gandhi believed that education is very important for development and well of
individuals as well as of a society. He also had very specific views about methods of
education. For example he believed in education that aims at overall development of
individual rather than just learning of facts and figures relating to different subjects. At the
same time he did not favour religious instructions as a part of formal education system of a
nation. He believed that imparting of religious education should be left to religious
organization. He favoured making education job oriented. He believed that the education
system should prepare individuals to take up useful jobs in the society Mahatma Gandhi
explained the concept of Basic Education through a series of articles in his Harijan magazine
in 1937. In the conference at Wardha after a detailed discussion about Gandhiji's articles the
scheme of Basic Education took shape under the leadership of Dr. Zakir Hussain. The
following four resolutions were passed.

(i) Free and compulsory education should be given to all children for a period of seven years.

(ii) The medium of instruction should be the mother tongue,

(iii) The process of education should be centred round some form of manual production work
in the shape of a craft.

(iv) This education should be self-supporting to some extent.

The Central Advisory Board of Education set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Sri
B. G. Kher to suggest measures for implementing these resolutions. Then another Committee
was appointed under the same Chairman to recommend action coordinating the Basic
Education with higher education. The recommendations of both these Committees were
approved by the CABE and included in the Report on Post-war Educational Development in
India. In 1944, although Govts, both at the national and state levels accepted Basic Education
as the national pattern, progress in its implementation was not satisfactory.

Merits of Basic Education

Since work occupies a central place in life, it had an important place in Basic Education.
Dignity of labour was emphasized by him and work was made an integral part of this
education. Through Basic Education Gandhiji introduced a new method of teaching. This
method is to teach all subjects through crafts and taken as activity-centred meant to free
children from tyranny of words and cramming. As a corollary to craft-centred education, it
was visualized by Gandhiji that schools need be self- supporting. The carfts organized
scientifically would result in more production and the sale-proceeds must fetch a good
income. Basic education was sound sociologically. The then class-labour and chasm between
mental and physical labour and the spirit of dependence on others were required to be
removed from the society. In short, Basic education was intended to eradicate many ills of the
society. Basic education was providing for training students in democratic living and
practices. It was aiming at forming positive attitudes, creating interests and appreciation,
developing understanding and imparting skills in citizenship. On the whole, it was a training
citizenship.

Drawbacks in Basic Education

Since craft was occupying an important place in Basic school curriculum, selection of a
suitable craft was determining the success and efficiency of Basic Education. But most of the
schools followed the trodden path or stereotyped process without bothering for the local
conditions and needs. For example, in the areas where cotton was not grown and had to be
brought from a long distance, weaving was introduced as a craft even in those areas. In Basic
schools every subject was being taught through a craft. The principle of correlation was tried
to be adopted in all subjects, but in real situation it was done as a ritual without any sincerity
or seriousness. In fact, correlation was a slogan and fiction. It was complained that the
schools cannot be made self-sufficient with the production by children. The concept of self-
sufficiency was thought to be idealism and was not emphasized by most of the teachers and
inspecting officers. Products by unskilled hands were not selling well and fetching adequate
income. Rather Basic Schools were more expensive than traditional schools. Although Basic
Education was visualized to be socially sound for removing the existing disparities, it was
rather aggravating the situation. It was tending to be meant for the children of poor labourers
and farmers only and children of high class families were not going to these schools. The gulf
between poor and rich classes rather widened due to Basic Education. Basic schools called
for highly qualified and well-equipped teachers for properly teaching subjects through
correlation and organizing crafts with efficiency. But in fact many teachers employed in such
schools were lacking proper understanding of the Basic Education principles and desired
orientation with the idealism or values impregnated in the system.
Present Condition

Although Basic Education faced a sorry state of affairs many of its principles are still
appreciated for their practical value and psychology as well as sociological importance. The
Kothari Commission, 1964-66 endorsed a large number of its essential features like work
experience, community living, community service, citizenship training, world brotherhood,
social and spiritual values and integrating knowledge with experience and so no.

After a lapse of more than three decades a National Education conference was convened by
Shriman Narayan at Sevagram in 1972 where Basic Education was praised by many. A
resolution was passed with consensus of all Education Ministers and Vice Chancellors who
attended the conference, "education at all levels should be imparted through socially useful
and productive activity, linked with economic growth and development in both rural and
urban areas".

The Iswarbhai Patel Committee supported most of the principles of Basic Education with
great stress on work education or socially useful productive work. The UNESCO
Commission Report "Learning to Be" also used the term Basic Education for Primary
Education and laid emphasis on many forms of social and economic activities to be organized
in the schools.

The Basic Education system has been hailed as "the ideal solution for the reform of teaching
methods in Indian Schools" by Dr. Gunnar Myrdal, the celebrated author of "Asian Drama"
and as "one of the most interesting and promising developments in Indian Education" by
Prof. Castle the renowned writer of "Education for self-help". It goes without saying that
India would have been a happier place at present, if the useful features of Basic Education
had been given effect to with sincerity of all concerned.

He was also of the opinion that manual work should not be seen as something inferior to
mental work. He felt that the work of the craftsman or labourer should be the ideal model for
the ‘good life’. Schools which were based around productive work where that work was for
the benefit of all were, therefore, carrying out education of the whole person - mind, body
and spirit.
Gandhi’s basic education was, therefore, an embodiment of his perception of an ideal society
consisting of small, self-reliant communities with his ideal citizen being an industrious, self-
respecting and generous individual living in a small cooperative community.

Gandhi’s proposal intended to stand the education system on its head. The social philosophy
and the curriculum of what he called ‘basic education’ thus favoured the child belonging to
the lowest stratum of society. in such a way it implied a programme of social transformation.
It sought to alter the symbolic meaning of ‘education’ and to change the established structure
of opportunities for education.

Gandhi’s Scheme of Education

In the Gandhian constructive program, the most important element is Nai Talim or the new
education, which in the words of Acharya Kri-plani, “... is the coping stone of Gandhi’s
social and political edifice.” Gandhiji regarded his scheme of education as spearheading the
silent social revolution and expected it to provide a healthy relationship between the city and
the village, which would go a long way in eradicat- ing the poisoned relationship between the
classes. This view was affirmed by various other scholars and thinkers in the field of
education.
Zakir Hussain once commented on Gandhi’s views on education. He wrote, “... Gandhi
socially considered the introduction of such practical productive work in education to be
participated in by all.” The children of the nation will tend to break down the existing barriers
of prejudice between manual and intellectual workers and harmful elites to both. Such is the
social significance of the so-called new educational concept of Gandhi, but it does not entail
any sacrifice of the individual goal of education or its social goal. Gandhi laid the foundation
of a scheme of national education that was suited to our needs, requirements, genius, and
aspirations for the future. It is left up to us to perfect it and extend it to cover the entire field
of education. In this process, adjustment and adaptation may be necessary, but these actions
must be undertaken in the spirit of the total philosophy of Gandhi, that is, for the individual
and the society. Whatever may be its merits and demerits, we should not forget that education
to Gandhi meant inspiring the children with a new ideology based upon personal
purity and unselfish service, resulting in the creation of a society based upon truth and love.
This is precisely the Buddha’s concept also.
Gandhi ji says that we must draw out the best in adult and child, as I mentioned earlier. This
radical scheme was geared up, checking the progressive decay of our villages, reviving the
village economy, laying the foundations of a just social order, in which there is no unnatural
division between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ and everybody is assured of achieving
acceptable standards. The basic educational scheme was an essential ingredient of Gandhi’s
plan to eliminate the rural-urban divide and redress the structural and socio-economic
imbalances that were abound in Indian society. Gandhi also addressed the issue of free
education. By free education, Gandhi did not mean an education fully sup-ported and
subsidized by the state or other outside agencies. Instead, he implied a system that had the
maximum possible capacity of self-sup-port from the people’s work experience, which is
both an instrument of education and a source of income. The Gandhian system was free in
another sense also: It did not regard formal, full-time schooling of the pupil as essential. He
had very specific views about secondary and higher education. There is a feeling that Gandhi
was against research, higher education, etc.

Goals of education as per Mahatma Gandhi

In his own words, Gandhi felt that "...under ideal conditions, true education can only be
imparted by the parents...with a minimum of outside help." (Gandhi, M.K. 1957) .

Gandhi felt that the goals of education were to develop and prepare Indians for society. Given
Gandhi's values and his vision of what constituted a truly civilized and free India, it was not
surprising that he developed firm views on education. Gandhi believed that education not
only moulds the new generation, but also reflects a societys fundamental assumptions about
itself and the individuals that compose it. (Burke, 2000).

Gandhi's experiences in South Africa not only changed his outlook on politics, but also
helped him see the role that education played in that struggle. He became so opposed to all
aspects of English education that he consistently referred to it as "rotten." (Burke, 2000).

In order to strengthen morality and ethics in students, Gandhi advocated the introduction of
religious education. He believed that this kind of education brought the values of forbearance,
tolerance, and reverence in ones character. In turn, these values are an indivisible part of
ethics. Explaining the importance and need of religious education, Gandhi wrote in "Young
India" in December, 1923,
"a curriculum of religious instructions should include a study of the tenets of faith other than
ones own. For this purpose, the students should be trained to cultivate the habit of
understanding and appreciating the doctrine of various religions in the world in a spirit of
reverence and broad-minded tolerance." (Kumar, R., 2008) .

Education as Per Mahatma Gandhi

The medium of instruction should be alerted at once, and at any cost, the provincial
languages being given their rightful place. I would prefer temporary chaos in higher
education to the criminal waste that is daily accumulating. Education through a foreign
Language entails a certain degree of strain, and our boys have to pay dearly for it. To a large
extent, they lose the capacity of shouldering any other burden afterwards., for they become a
useless lot who are weak of body, without any zest for work and imitators of the West. They
have little interest in original research or deep thinking, and the qualities of courage,
perseverance. bravery and fearlessness are lacking. That is why we are unable to make new
plans or carry our projects to meet our problems. In case we make them to fail to implement
them. A few who do show promise usually die young. English is today studied because of its
commercial and so called political value. Our boys think and rightly in the present
circumstances, that without English they cannot get Government service. Girls are taught
English as a passport to marriage. I know several instances of women wanting to learn
English so that they may be able to talk in English. I know families in which English is made
a mother tongue. Hundreds of youth believe that without the Knowledge of English. freedom
of India is practically impossible. The canker has so eaten into the society that in many cases
the only meaning of education is Knowledge of English. All these are for me signs of our
slavery and degradation. It is unbearable to me that the vernaculars should be crushed and
starved as they have been. I cannot tolerate the idea of parents writing to their children, or
husbands writing to their wives, not in their own vernaculars but in English.

Among the many evils of foreign rule, this blighting imposition of a foreign medium upon the
youth of the country will be counted by history as one of the greatest. It has sapped the
energy of the nation, it has estranged them for the masses, it has made education
unnecessarily expensive. If this process is still persisted in, it bids fair to rob the nation of its
soul. The sooner, therefore educated India shakes itself free from the hypnotic spell of the
foreign medium, the better it would be for them and the people. Mahatma Gandhi calls upon
all teachers to impart proper education of morality and ethics to students both at school and
college levels. In this regard suggesting some guidelines for teachers, he says that it is the
duty of teachers to develop high morals and strong character of their students. If teachers fail
to do so, it means that they depart from their social and national responsibilities and as such
they are also insincere towards their noble profession. He said that a teacher should lay an
example, to be followed, before society and students. This can only be done when he himself
leads his life with high standards of morality and strong character. An ideal teacher should be
free from any addiction. He needs to be polite and should set an ideal example of simple
living and high thinking. He should also remember that wasting time is a sin; therefore, he
should be aware of his duties towards students and society. Moreover, he should have a good
reputation in the society. Therefore, it is the foremost duty of students, as well as of teachers
to make it certain that moral and ethical knowledge continues to be the integral part of the
education process. By doing so, they can contribute in the development of Value Education.

Conclusion

Lastly, it was an education that aimed at educating the whole person, rather than
concentrating on one aspect. It was a highly moral activity. In Gandhi’s scheme, higher
education performed the essential function of providing training and properly motivating
human power for national needs and there was an urgent need for the purposive expansion of
such education. To Gandhi Education is a potent tool for social reconstruction. His interest in
education was the outcome of a revolt against the defects of the then British system of
education was purely literacy in content. It neglected the vocational and aesthetic dimensions
of education. Mass education was not possible through English medium. Learning of English
brought up a separate class of English educated Indian people who were known to be
intellectual elite of the country but cut off from social stream of Indian life. As lord Macavlay
stated in his 'Minutes; he "wanted a class of people Indian in bold and colour, but English in
taste, in morals and intellect, in opinions," etc. Gandhi believes, "by education I mean an all-
round drawing out of the best in child and man - body, mind and spirit". He laid stress on the
all - round development of the child.
 References

Basic Education (1941), Two years of work. Report of the Second Basic Education
Conference. Jamianagar, Delhi, April, Hindustan Talim Sangh, Sevagram, Wardha.

Basic National Education (1938) – Complete Syllabus for Grades I to VIII. Hindustan Talim
Sangh, Sevagram, Wardha, 2nd Edition.

Burke, Barry (2000). Gandhi on Education: Excellent Collection of Quotes from the National
Council for Teacher Education Mahatma Gandhi, Retrieved November 4,2009, from
www.infed.org/thinkers/et-gand.htm#education

Chadha, Y. (1997) Rediscovering Gandhi, London: Century.

Dhawan, G. (1997) - prospects and challenges of financing more and better education,
Employment News, August Vol.XXII, No.21.

Dhawan, G and Bhat C.M. (1995), Education : The Harbinger of change for Women, Girl
Child and the family : Action for Equality, Development and Peace. Centre for Social,
Economic and Educational Evaluation, Research and Development, Delhi.
Gandhi, M.K. An Autobiography: The Story of my Experiments with Truth. 1957. pp333-335.
Gandhi, M.K. (1937) - Basic Education, Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad.Gandhi,
M. K. (1997) Hind Swaraj and other writings, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gandhi, M. K. (1977) The Collected Works, Ahmedabad: Navajivan.

Gandhi (Mahatma), ( 1968 ), The Selected Works of Mahatma Gandhi: The voice of truth,
Navajivan Pub. House.

http://www.preservearticles.com/201105066341/contribution-of-gandhiji-in-education.html
http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/value_edn.htm.

Kumar, K. (1994) 'Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi' in Z. Morsy (ed.) Thinkers on Education

Volume 2, Paris: UNESCO.

Kumar, Ravindra. 1999. Essays on Gandhism and Peace, page 10. Meerut [India]: Krishna
Publication.

Kumar, Ravindra Dr. (2008). Gandhian View on Morality and Ethics. Retrieved April 3,
2008, from www.globalpolitician.com

M. K. Gandhi True Education on the NCTE site.

Mahatma Gandhi and higher education:
Where are we today?
Father of the Nation once mused about a mania for establishing universities. That
was in 1947. Has the scenario changed?

“There seems to be a mania for establishing new universities in the provinces,” Mahatma
Gandhi said in an article in November, 1947, while writing on the topic of ‘New
Universities’. India today has more than 850 universities across the country, comprising
Central, State, Deemed and Private universities. Many more are on the anvil.

Is the “mania for establishing new universities” continuing today? What do our top
educationists feel about the views expressed by Gandhiji? An HT Special on the occasion of
the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi today.

Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts on education

India had only seven universities when the British quit India in 1947. These were in
Serampore, Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Madras (Chennai), Aligarh
Muslim University and Allahabad University. There was the Indian Institute of Technology
in Roorkee, Uttarakhand. These institutions offered education in English as medium of
education. The orientation was Western. The Poona (Pune) University was yet emerge on the
scene.

However, the clamour to setting up new universities had already started. Educationists,
freedom fighters, and politicians had begun pressing for the demand for new universities in
the Indian subcontinent. It was mainly on the linguistic considerations.

He wrote in Harijan on New Universities on November 2, 1947 and said, “There seems to be
a mania for establishing new universities in the provinces.”

He reasoned in the article that there should be a proper background for setting up new
universities. They should have feeders in the shape of schools and colleges which would
impart instruction through the medium of their respective provincial languages. Only then
can there be a proper milieu. University is at the top. A majestic top can only be sustained if
there is a sound foundation.

He said, ‘In my opinion, it is not for a democratic State to find money for founding
universities. If the people want them they will supply the funds. Universities so founded will
adorn the country which they represent.’

He espoused ‘Nai Talim’, a principle which states that knowledge and work are not separate.
Gandhiji promoted an educational curriculum with the same name based on this pedagogical
principle.
It can be translated as ‘basic education for all’.

However, the concept has several layers of meaning. It developed out of Gandhi’s experience
with the English educational system and with colonialism in general. In that system, he saw
that Indian children would be alienated and ‘career-based thinking’ would become dominant.
In addition, it embodied a series of negative outcomes: the disdain for manual work, the
development of a new elite class, and the increasing problems of industrialization and
urbanization.

The three pillars of Gandhi’s pedagogy were its focus on the lifelong character of education,
its social character and its form as a holistic process. For Gandhi, education is ‘the moral
development of the person’, a process that is by definition ‘lifelong’. There’s quantity but no
quality in education today. - Kiran Thakur, Adjunct Faculty, Flame School of
Communication

Number of quality graduates in country not increased

The Indian higher education system, in the last few decades has undergone various
metamorphic changes, at various stages. And, the changes are bound to come with the
changing times. The mania to open new universities is also influenced by these changes. It is
not the story of tomorrow or today, it’s has been there and will continue to be, to coincide
with the rising population of the country.

Dr Arun Nigavekar ( HT Photo )

The rise in the number of universities was seen majorly post-independence, majorly because
India was getting prepared for establishing its independent global identity, which would be
possible only through widespread education. However, a robust movement from the changing
governments, to establish quality educational institutions was always lacking, although to a
lesser extent today.

I agree with Gandhiji, when he points out the existence of such a mania, especially when the
increasing quantity of these educational institutes is failing to cater to the masses with quality
substance. The penetration of political corruption in the sector is one of the major reasons
why despite the large number of universities and colleges, we have failed increase the
number of quality graduates in the country.

Another point concerning the sector is ‘transparency’. Universities today have evolved from
umbrella bodies, supervising the proceedings of educational institutions, to active educational
centers and that requires a substantial level of transparency between the stakeholders,
including the students and the professors. It is supposed to be the reflection of our democratic
system in India. - Arun Nigavekar, former chairman, University Grants Commission

Profit-oriented privatisation of universities is destructive

The increasing number of universities is not a problem in India, but it can become a ‘mania’
when the objective is to transform the education sector into any other profit-centered business
sector. As long as we are able to churn out quality education from the institutions, the number
is of a lesser importance, mostly because, with the rate of population growth, we do need
more universities to cater to the masses.

Nitin Karmalkar, vice-chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University ( HT PHOTO )

However, there are a few problems with the existing model which contributes to the lack of
quality over quantity. The 2-tier system of universities in terms of central and state
universities is an issue and has its shortcomings. These central universities hardly have a few
thousand students, while it is the state universities that get the bulk of students, both from
rural and urban areas. So, the government should rather dedicate maximum concentration to
state universities than central ones.

Rampant privatization of education, is one of the major problems in the sector stifling the
quality over quantity. Creating an university not just involves creating a monumental
structure, but a platform which has up-to-date infrastructure, phenomenal professors, research
scope, etc., to ensure that the education imparted is of the best quality.Unfortunately, for most
private universities, it is mostly about the money and not the kind of education they provide.
And, sadly the rise in the number of universities in India, has a lot to do with privatization.

Another factor very important while maintaining an university, is to observe absolute

transparency with the major stakeholders, students and the faculty body. Few city institutes
have shown the consequences of the lack of this transparency. After all the main objective
should not be profit-making through money but through a well-educated human resource. -
Nitin Karmalkar, vice-chancellor, Savitribai Phule Pune University

Private bodies must impart quality education

Education at any time is the oxygen for development and therefore it is of great importance
for India to promote and propagate quality education at primary, secondary and tertiary level.
When we talk about new universities, we are discussing tertiary education or higher
education. In India, barring the two ancient universities, Takshashila University and Nalanda
University, the concept of universities was rather not very popular. These two were also
destroyed eventually. It was only after the Britishers established the three universities,
Mumbai, Calcutta and Madras, that the concept of formal universities became more familiar
in the mainstream. These were essentially affiliating universities and not for teaching, and
they were responsible for affiliating colleges, frame syllabi, conduct examinations, deliver
results and award degrees. In the following years leading up to 1947, there was hardly a
consolidated effort from the government to bolster education in the country through the
universities. It was only later after independence that the sector began to get its due.

So, I do not know in what context Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of a mania for universities, might
have come. Because when I see the statistics, in 1947 India had 20 universities and almost
500 colleges catering to at least a lakh of students, in a total population of around 36 crore.
Today the college student base in India has increased to exponentially to 3.66 crores in a total
population of more than 1.34 billion, then isn’t there a need for enough universities to cater to
their education?

In comparison to this, USA has a total population of 32.6 crores, of which 1.99 crores are
college students, and there are more than 5,300 universities and colleges to cater to them.
Even the Gross Enrollment ratio (GER) is much higher in the US (85%) than India, which
has only 24% GER.

S B Mujumdar, founder and president, Symbiosis Society ( HT PHOTO )

Hence, in such a scenario it is not possible for the government to single-handedly fill the gap
in education in India. Private organisations dedicated to impart quality education need to
come forward in this mission. However, it is also true that the multiplying breadth of
universities in the country is always not imparting quality education, and that needs to be
regulated and made sure by the government. One of the major places that Indian universities
miss out to make their mark in the global scenario is the lack of original research.

Sadly, in India, there exists a dichotomy of research and teaching. Having separated these
two in two different kinds of institutions, the potential of college and university students is
remaining untapped. That gap needs to be filled very soon.

At the end of the day, in Mahatma Gandhi’s words again, “A university never needs a pile of
majestic buildings and treasurers of gold and silver. What does it need most of all is the
intelligent backing of public opinion. It should have a large reservoir of teachers to draw
upon and its founders should be far-seeing.” It is correct vision after-all which serves the true
purpose. - SB Mujumdar, founder & president, Symbiosis Society

Immediate priority is to raise standards of education

Latest demographic and population data indicates that India will become one of the youngest
nations in the world by 2030 with around 140 million people in the college-going age group.
As a result, India’s student population is and will be a force to reckon with in the next decade
and beyond. Against this background, we definitely need a large number and most
importantly high quality educational institutions that will impart education that is relevant
and cutting-edge to ensure India’s future generation is equipped with the right skill sets.

Over the years, we have created students to become good managers by promoting only
certain disciplines. It is high time we re-think about imparting education in silo –
specialisations and brings back the spotlight on liberal arts, as it allows multi – disciplinary
learning and prepares students for diverse career choices by opening up multiple career
opportunities across sectors. In addition, strengthening the case for liberal arts in India will
give our universities a greater chance to be ranked among top global universities.

Dishan Kamdar, vice-chancellor, Flame University ( HT PHOTO )

The immediate priority for our educational institutes is to focus their attention on raising the
standard of teaching by hiring good faculty and conducting research- which will bring value
to classroom learning. Research, teaching and hiring high calibre faculty continue to be a
challenge as they are expensive propositions. However, institutions must explore options of
raising funds from philanthropic organisations, industry and HNIs to support their research
and teaching strategies, instead of only depending on government funds. The present
government too has embarked on an ambitious agenda to advance the standard of education
in the country and I expect to see several growth-oriented changes happening in the Indian
higher education system in the next few years. What will further help this agenda is a
collaborative working model between the Government(s), industry and educational institutes.
- Dishan Kamdar, vice-chancellor, Flame University

Increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio

The etymology of the word ‘university’ is Latin word Universitas (the whole, aggregate). The
social responsibility and inclusiveness and all-encompassing approach is the essence of it.
The qualitative education is in today’s knowledge economy needs to be nourished with
inclusive and contextual innovation that includes bottom billions and appropriate
handholding. This is the social responsibility of education system to prepare human resource
in the context of societal needs and prepare students for life and livelihood.

In the context of India, it is necessary to establish universities since we need to match up with
the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of developed countries. We definitely need more
universities / educational facilities to increase GER. India aims to attain GER of 30 per cent
by 2020 wherein present GER (2016-17) is 25.2 per cent.

Siddharth Jabade ( HT PHOTO )

As per the statistics available, it is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be
29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan. This is a massive latent intellectual
capital that needs to be well groomed in the context of societal needs. To put it in a
perspective, we should look at another parallel interesting happening. As per the World
Economic Forum report [Engaging Tomorrow’s Consumer; World Economic Forum: January
2013], Asia pacific will have 54% of middle class of total world population by 2020 and is
estimated to be 66% by 2030. Share of Asia Pacific in the middle-class spending will be 42%
of the world’s share by 2020 and is estimated to be 59% by 2030. In addition, 37% of the
world’s millennials live in India and China! Millennials are influential, have growing income
and are receptive to global issues. Urban Asian millennials present the greatest opportunity.
This all translates to greater consumer demand and thereby business opportunity in Asia
Pacific region.

The businesses would need well-groomed human resource and here comes the role of
educational institutes. Enable development of understanding, interpretation, logical reasoning
capability, creativity and ability to apply what is learnt are some of the facets of effective
learning, which should be incorporated in the university system.

Use of technology in teaching-learning process and capacity building of faculty members are
other factors that will bridge the quality gap. With the advent of technology that enables
individualization, keeping transparency has also become possible and easier with all the
stakeholders that include parents, society, students, regulatory authorities and so on.

The current generation / millennials have come of age along with the internet. They are the
digital natives. There is democratization of information owing to proliferation of mobile
devices and access to information through internet. What all is needed is to spur the thinking
ability and innovation spirit in the young minds and channelize the thinking and energy in the
appropriate direction through an enabling environment creation- the University system! -
Siddharth Jabade, vice-chancellor, Vishwakarma University
Universities in India today

Total universities in India: 868

State Universities : 390

Deemed to be Universities : 124

Central Universities : 47

Private Universities : 307

Year-wise data on Universities

1916-2008: 453

2008-2013 (5 years) : 685

2013-2018 (5 years): 868

Year with the highest number of new universities: 2008 with 67 universitie