GS-2 Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Governor of Tamil Nadu left the assembly session of house while chief minister was point out that governor skip the certain portion of the speech which he was suppose to read. This has again raised the questions over powers and functions of governor.
History about powers of governor and assembly address
Non-interference of Governors under British: A good governor must stay above politics and manifestly be seen as impartial and fair. In 1937, when the Congress won elections in seven provinces, it took office on the condition that the British governors would not interfere in the functioning of its ministries and refrain from exercising “discretion and special powers”.
Special powers under the constitution: However, after Independence, India conferred the same special powers on governors.
Yogender Singh Handa v. State of Rajasthan (1967): In 1967, Rajasthan Governor Sampuranand skip a part the speech. In Yogender Singh Handa v. State of Rajasthan (1967), the Rajasthan High Court held that some portion read by the governor was good enough to deem the whole address as read.
Governor Padmaja Naidu case: On February 8, 1965, when her request for “silence, silence, permit me to address” was ignored, West Bengal Governor Padmaja Naidu left the assembly without delivering the ceremonial address. The Speaker took the chair and announced that the governor had been pleased to make her speech and lay a copy of her speech on the table of the House.
Integral part of assembly: The governor is an integral part of the legislative assembly. He calls its sessions and he dissolves the House.
Right to address first session of the house: Under Article 176(2(b), he has the right to address the first session of the House. This address is an integral part of constitutional symbolism and has huge significance.
Powers of cabinet, not Governor’s: The Constitution gives no discretion to governors in the matter of convening the session of the assembly. Parliamentary democracy being the basic structure of our Constitution, this is the prerogative of the Cabinet though Article 174 does say that the governor from time to time summons the assembly to meet at such time and place “he thinks fit”.
Nabam Rebia (2016) case: Governors have no business to question the purpose of convening the sessions of the House. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in Nabam Rebia (2016) had observed that the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, J P Rajkhowa, who advanced the session of the assembly without the advice of the chief minister, had exceeded his jurisdiction as he had no discretion in convening the assembly session.
Legality of governor skipping the mandatory speech to assembly
Governor cannot decline to give a speech: Justice B N Banerjee of the Calcutta High Court in Andul Gafoor Habibullah v. Speaker, West Bengal Assembly (1966) held that the governor cannot decline to deliver his address and refuse to fulfil his constitutional duty.
Failure to address is irregularity not legality: The address under Article 176 is mandatory. However, the HC held that when the governor fails to deliver his address under Article 176 and walks out of the House after laying down the address on the table of the House, this is mere irregularity, not illegality.
Non-judiciable in court: It cannot be questioned under Article 212, wherein the validity of the House proceedings cannot be challenged on the ground of mere irregularity in the procedure. The petitioner’s claim, in this case, was that since the House did not start its proceedings with the customary address by the governor, it has vitiated the proceedings of the House.
Implications: If governor refuses/fails to deliver assembly address?
Possibility of constitutional crisis: Governors editing/deleting the speech may indeed create a constitutional crisis. The chief minister may refuse to defend the address in his response at the end of the debate on the governor’s address and with the chief minister commanding a majority, the House may reject the resolution on the governor’s speech.
CM may need to resign: When the governor’s/president’s address faces such a defeat, it is considered a no-confidence motion and the chief minister or the prime minister as the case may be, needs to resign.
Resignation over irregularity: Such a resignation for something that the government did not include in the ceremonial address but the governor had said on its own would not only be grossly unjust and unethical but absolutely undemocratic.
Past precedence of resignation: Chief Minister Gurnam Singh of Punjab in 1967 had resigned when the governor’s address was defeated on the floor of the House. UP CM C B Gupta too had to resign in similar circumstances when a resolution thanking the governor was defeated in the UP assembly. Thus, the governor has no discretion in editing the address.
Conclusion
Governor is neither a decorative emblem nor a glorified cipher. His powers are limited but he has an important constitutional role to play in the governance of the state and in strengthening federalism. He is the head of the state and all chief ministers, including the Tamil Nadu chief minister, must remember it. All governors too must remain true to their oath of preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution.
Mains Question
Q. What are the functions of the Governor with respect to addressing the assembly of the state? What may be the implications of the Governor skipping the address to assembly?
FHS)-4 (2015–16) and the fifth round (2019–2020), there has been a considerable increase in the number of malnourished children in India, and the progress made during the first half of the decade appears to have been undone. Malnutrition in the North-eastern states of India is worse than the country average.
Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.
For a child’s motor, sensory, cognitive, social, and emotional development, malnutrition has substantial long-term effects. It impedes productivity and academic progress.
The term malnutrition covers two broad groups of conditions
Undernutrition: Undernutrition includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals).
Overnutition: The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer).
Did you know?
Stunting, or low height for age, is a recognized risk factor for children’s delayed development.
According to a study, a 1% reduction in adult height as a result of childhood stunting is linked to a 1.4% reduction in economic productivity.
Children who are stunted, earn 20% less as adults.
Upsurge in stunting: Four states in the Northeast Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura have seen an upsurge in stunting among children under the age of five. Stunting is highest in Meghalaya at 46.8 %, followed by Nagaland (32.7%), Tripura (32.3 %), and Mizoram (28.9%). In Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, the percentage of kids who are stunted, wasting, underweight, or overweight has increased
Levels of stunting decreased in Assam: The NFHS-5 shows Assam, Manipur and Sikkim have shown a drop in stunting levels. In Assam, stunting has decreased by almost one percentage point, although rates of overweight (2.3% to 4.9%), underweight (29.8% to 32.8%), and stunting (17% to 21.7%) have all increased, whereas that of wasting and underweight have decreased by more than 2% in each instance.
Sikkim performs better than other NE states: As the number of stunted, wasting, and underweight children has dropped, Sikkim has done considerably better than other NE states so has Manipur, with a decrease in wasting from 6.8% to 9.9% in under-five children.
Increase in no of overweight people in every NE state: Every state in the Northeast saw an increase in the number of overweight people, which amplifies the growing double burden of malnutrition in the states.
Appropriate foods and feeding practices show Higher immunity
Feeding practices adequate only in Meghalaya and Tripura: The percentages of breastfeeding children receiving adequate complementary foods have improved only in Meghalaya and Tripura. Early initiation of breastfeeding is on the decline in six out of the eight northeastern states, with highest levels in Sikkim (33.5%) and Assam (15.3%).
Reduction in exclusive breastfeeding rates (EBF): Sikkim, Tripura, and Manipur all exhibit a notable reduction in exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates. EBF in Sikkim is the lowest at 28.3 percent, far lower than the national average of 63.7 percent. Tripura demonstrated a gain of 39.5 percentage points in the practice of timely introduction of semi-solid food, whereas Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh showed a slight fall.
All NE states except Assam performed well on diet adequacy: Minimum Adequate Diet (or diet adequacy) is a combined indicator of feeding frequency and diet variety. From 8% to 29.8%, there is a significant range throughout the northeastern states. All states, with the exception of Assam, have performed better on this measure than the nation as a whole.
The situation with obesity is more complicated: Only Meghalaya and Nagaland have seen decreases, while the other six states have seen increases. It is heartening to see a declining trend in underweight women (BMI < 18.5) in all eight northeastern states.
Anaemia is increased: In six of the eight northeastern states, anaemia among women of reproductive age has increased, with Tripura worst at 67.2%, and Assam at 65.9%.
How malnutrition can be tackled in NE?
Finding out the causes: Stunting among children in the Northeast is caused by a number of factors, including poor maternal health, a lack of antenatal care, inadequate infrastructure and healthcare facilities, inadequate feeding and nutrition for women, and limited access to education, clean drinking water, and sanitary facilities.
For instance: Lack of toilets, drinking water and cooking fuels in the home environment have an impact on child malnutrition, according to a 2015 study on indigenous peoples in the Northeast.
Improving the maternal nutrition: Manipur, Mizoram, and Sikkim fare better than the national average in most measures. Newborns’ chances of being stunted are decreased by better maternal nutrition prior to conception, throughout pregnancy, and after delivery. According to data for Sikkim, Manipur, and Mizoram, the risk of stunting decreases as the number of underweight mothers decreases.
Upgrading the service availability: In the northeastern states, the use of supplementary food at the anganwadi centres (ANC) varies greatly, from about 35% in Arunachal Pradesh to 70% in Tripura. A low of 20.7% in Nagaland and a high of 79.4% in Manipur is the ANC coverage across the Northeast.
Improving the required intake of Iron and Folic acid: All states have lower percentages of iron and folic acid (IFA) intake than the national average of 26%, with the exception of Manipur where 30.3% of pregnant women completed the full 180-day course of IFA tablets. Nagaland has the lowest rate, at just 4.1%. Overall, the NE states show a wide variation in service availability and uptake.
Note it down: The innovative programmes to enhance mother and child health
Nutrition gardens: For example, the Assam government encouraged women in rural communities to develop “nutrition gardens” where they could grow vegetables.
My school my Farm: “Kan Sikul, Kan Huan (My School, My Farm)” programme in the most impoverished and disaster-prone area in Mizoram-Lawngtlai.
Lunchbox exchange: The “dibbi adaan pradaan (lunchbox exchange)” initiative in Hailakandi district of Assam for promoting better nutrition and variety in menu.
Conclusion
Malnutrition in the Northeast has to be addressed holistically through the scaling up of direct nutrition interventions and the coupling of them with nutrition-sensitive measures to close the nutrition gap. In the long run, it could be beneficial to improve the monitoring and evaluation of current interventions by building on the POSHAN Abhiyaan and health projects.
Mains question
Q. What is Malnutrition? Malnutrition in the North-eastern states of India is worse than the country average. Discuss.
The Parliamentary Committee on Education has suggested in its report that textbooks should inculcate constitutional values in children and promote national integration.
The committee believes that books should be free from prejudice.
This report has been presented in the Parliament on 19 December 2022.
Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include:
(1) Quality of textbooks
Multidisciplinary approach: The Committee recommended that while creating content for textbooks, inputs by experts from multiple disciplines should be sought.
Imbibe pedagogy: Further, mandatory standards for content, graphics and layout, and pedagogical approaches should be developed.
Interactive learning: The Committee noted the need to have more child-friendly textbooks. It recommended the use of pictures, graphics, and audio-visual material.
Local language curriculum: The Committee recommended that textbooks should be published in all the languages mentioned in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Further, efforts should be made to develop textbooks in local languages.
(2) Updating syllabus
Internal committee to review: The Committee recommended to set up an internal committee to examine suggestions received from teachers, students, and institutions for updating syllabus of NCERT textbooks.
Nationwide common syllabus: Further, it recommended the Ministry to explore the possibility to develop a core class-wise common syllabus for various subjects for implementation.
Reducing number of textbooks: Ex. Maharashtra’s Ekatmik Pathya Pustak- a single book for several subjects for class one students in order to lighten the school bag. The Committee recommended that other states should also follow a similar approach.
(3) Representation of women in textbooks
No stereotyping: Women are underrepresented in school textbooks and are depicted in traditional and voluntary roles.
Recognition of women’s contribution: NCERT should undertake efforts to (i) make textbooks gender inclusive, (ii) portray women in emerging professions, and (iii) adequately represent role of women in the Indian freedom movement.
(4) Depiction of history
No distortions: The Committee noted that many historical figures and freedom fighters in history textbooks have been portrayed in an incorrect manner as offenders.
No undue dynastic glorification: Further, it noted that there is unequal representation of various periods and dynasties in history textbooks.
Focus on national issues: Ideas of ‘national history’, or conflating the ancient and medieval periods of Indian history as indigenous and foreign respectively, are some examples of this.
Focus on nation-building aspects: The Committee recommended: (i) updating history textbooks to include certain details (such as post 1947 history and world history), (ii) reviewing depiction of freedom fighters from various regions and communities.
(5) Others
Information on drug and internet addiction: The Committee noted that drug addiction is cutting across class divide and has adverse effects on the socio-economic structure of the country.
Higher ethical standards: via character-building and good citizenship values.
Broader Issue: Attempts to re-write History
The Home Minister has pitched for decolonizing history textbooks of India.
Why did he say this? Here is the answer-
Disproportionate allocation of spaces in history: It is observed that school textbooks (at present) do not give adequate coverage to some of the great Indian empires like that of Cholas, Chalukyas, Vijayanagar, Gondwana or that of Travancore and Ahoms of the northeastern region but glorifies Mughal history.
Glorification of selective leaders and events: Leaders like Motilal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and Abul Kalam Azad find elaborate mentions — and nothing objectionable about that — other great leaders like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Gopinath Bordoloi or revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh are either ignored or at times are mentioned as offenders.
Depiction of Women: Notable women in all fields, and their contributions, like that of Ahilyabai Holkar, Abala Bose, Anandi Gopal Joshi, Rani Ma Gaidinliu, Captain Prem Mathur, Cornelia Sorabji, Durgavati Devi, Janaki Ammal, Mahasweta Devi, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Kittur Chennamma, Savitribai Phule and many others have not found adequate mention in NCERT textbooks.
Way forward
School textbooks need to reflect historical scholarship that is methodologically rigorous and based on primary research, while also keeping in mind pedagogical considerations.
There is a constant need to question, revisit and revise our understanding of the past through rigorous examination of historical and archaeological sources.
Equally important for us is to be cautious about the use of present-day ideas to construct and bolster history and historical consciousness.
School textbooks need to reflect historical scholarship that is methodologically rigorous and based on primary research, while also keeping in mind pedagogical considerations.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has come up with draft guidelines on the preliminary assessment of whether certain minors are to be tried under law as adults in particular cases, under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Adults
The JJ Act, 2015 replaced the Indian juvenile delinquency law, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
It allows for juveniles in conflict with Law in the age group of 16–18, involved in Heinous Offences, to be tried as adults.
The Act also sought to create a universally accessible adoption law for India.
It came into force from 15 January 2016.
Preliminary assessment as per the JJ Act
Assessment of the offender child: The Act directs that the Board shall consider the mental and physical capacity of the child for committing the alleged offence, the ability to understand the consequences of the offence, and the circumstances in which the offence was committed.
Psychological ‘trial’: It states that the Board can take the assistance of experienced psychologists or psychosocial workers or other experts. The Act also gives a disclaimer that the assessment is not a trial, but is only to assess the capacity of the child to commit and understand the consequences of the alleged offence.
Arriving at conclusion: After the assessment, the Board can pass an order saying there is a need to try the said child as an adult and transfer the case to a children’s court with the relevant jurisdiction.
Penalty: If tried as a minor, the child could be sent to a special home for a maximum of three years. If tried as an adult, the child can be sentenced to a jail term, except being sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
Why has the NCPCR come up with draft guidelines now?
The Supreme Court is hearing a case related to the murder of a Class 2 student in Haryana, allegedly by a 16-year-old.
The task of preliminary assessment under the JJ Act is a ‘delicate task’, concluded SC.
It said that the consequences of the assessment on whether the child is to be tried as an adult or a minor are “serious in nature and have a lasting effect for the entire life of the child”.
It said that the assessment requires expertise and directed that appropriate and specific guidelines be put in place.
It had left it open to the Central government and the National and State Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights to consider issuing the guidelines.
Major draft guidelines by NCPCR
The draft relying on already existing provisions in the Act says that the preliminary assessment has to determine following aspects:
Physical capacity of the child: To determine the child’s ‘locomotor’ abilities and capacities, particularly with regard to gross motor functions such as walking, running, lifting, throwing…such abilities as would be required to engage in most antisocial activities.
Mental capacity: To determine the child’s ability to make social decisions and judgments. It also directs assessments pertaining to mental health disorders, substance abuse, and life skills deficits.
Circumstances in which the offence was allegedly committed: Psychosocial vulnerabilities of the child. This is to include life events, any trauma, abuse, and mental health problems, stating that the offence behaviour is a cumulative consequence of a lot of other circumstances.
Ability to understand the consequences of the alleged offence: To determine the child’s knowledge or understanding of the alleged offence’s social, interpersonal and legal consequences. These include what others will say or perceive him, how it might affect his personal relationships and the knowledge of relevant laws, respectively.
Building a rapport: It also states that the experts must be given an optimal opportunity to interact with the child to build a rapport. Experts can be from the field of child psychology and psychiatry. It also states they must undergo regular training.
Others: Other reports that the Board is to rely on include the Social Investigation Report, Social Background Report an Individual Care Plan, statements of witnesses and interaction with parents, guardians, school staff, peer groups and neighbours.
Way forward
Government should amend JJ Act 2015.
Such an amendment would go a long way in providing the requisite balance between the rationales underlying the juvenile justice system and the criminal justice system and realizing the objectives professed by both.
The Supreme Court has grilled the Centre on how the settlement can be reopened, when Union Carbide has already paid over $ 470 million to the Bhopal gas tragedy victims, and also expressed concern over Rs 50 crore undisbursed funds.
Why in news?
Union Carbide, now a part of Dow Jones – has not fulfilled its responsibility in terms of providing just compensation.
Around 19 years after compensation was agreed upon, the Indian government filed a curative petition in 2010 to seek additional compensation from Dow, of more than ten times the amount it gave in 1989.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
On the night of December 2, 1984, one of the biggest industrial disasters to ever take place began unfolding in Bhopal.
Harmful Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas started leaking from a nearby Union Carbide pesticide plant, eventually resulting in the Bhopal Gas tragedy.
An estimated 3,000 people died within the first few days.
Over time, similarly horrifying numbers of those who suffered life-long health issues would become known.
Health hazards of the disaster
Its effects were such that apart from killing thousands of people in a short span of time, it led to disease and other long-term problems for many who inhaled the gas.
The sources of water around the factory were deemed unfit for consumption and many handpumps were sealed.
To date, the reproductive health of many of Bhopal’s women has been affected.
Children born to those exposed to the gas have faced congenital health problems.
How did govt respond to the disaster?
The incident pointed to the lack of specific laws in India at the time for handling such matters. This changed after Bhopal.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: It authorised the central government to take relevant measures and regulate industrial activity for environmental and public safety.
Public Liability Insurance Act of 1991: It was also passed to provide public liability insurance for providing immediate relief to the persons affected by an accident occurring while handling any hazardous substance.
The ozone ‘hole’, once considered to be the gravest danger to planetary life, is now expected to be completely repaired by 2066, a scientific assessment has suggested.
What is Ozone and Ozone Layer?
An ozone molecule consists of three oxygen atoms instead of the usual two (the oxygen we breathe, O2, makes up 21% of the atmosphere).
It only exists in the atmosphere in trace quantities (less than 0.001%), but its effects are very important.
Ozone molecules are created by the interaction of ultra-violet (UV) radiation from the Sun with O2 molecules.
Because UV radiation is more intense at higher altitudes where the air is thinner, it is in the stratosphere where most of the ozone is produced, giving rise to what is called the ‘ozone layer’.
The ozone layer, containing over 90% of all atmospheric ozone, extends between about 10 and 40km altitude, peaking at about 25km in Stratosphere.
Why need Ozone Layer?
The ozone layer is very important for life on Earth because it has the property of absorbing the most damaging form of UV radiation, UV-B radiation which has a wavelength of between 280 and 315 nanometres.
As UV radiation is absorbed by ozone in the stratosphere, it heats up the surrounding air to produce the stratospheric temperature inversion.
What is Ozone Hole?
Each year for the past few decades during the Southern Hemisphere spring, chemical reactions involving chlorine and bromine cause ozone in the southern polar region to be destroyed rapidly and severely.
The Dobson Unit (DU) is the unit of measure for total ozone.
The chemicals involved ozone depletion are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs for short), halons, and carbon tetrachloride.
They are used for a wide range of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam packaging, and making aerosol spray cans.
The ozone-depleted region is known as the “ozone hole”.
Tropical Ozone Hole
According to the study, the ozone hole is located at altitudes of 10-25 km over the tropics.
This hole is about seven times larger than Antarctica, the study suggested.
It also appears across all seasons, unlike that of Antarctica, which is visible only in the spring.
The hole has become significant since the 1980s. But it was not discovered until this study.
What caused an ozone hole in the tropics?
Studies suggested another mechanism of ozone depletion: Cosmic rays.
Chlorofluorocarbon’s (CFC) role in depleting the ozone layer is well-documented.
The tropical stratosphere recorded a low temperature of 190-200 Kelvin (K).
This can explain why the tropical ozone hole is constantly formed over the seasons.
Try this PYQ
Q.Consider the following statements:
Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances are used:
In the production of plastic foams
In the production of tubeless tyres
In cleaning certain electronic components
As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The necropolis of noblemen dating from the Asaf Jahi era known as Paigah Tombs Complex in Hyderabad is set to be restored with funding by the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Who were the Paigahs?
Paigah tombs are 200 years old and represent the final resting places of the Paigah Nobles of several generations.
During the conquest of the Deccan region by Emperor Aurangzeb, the Paigahs came along with him.
The House of Paigah was founded by Shams-ul-Umra I also known as Nawaz Abul Fatah Khan Tegh.
Their ties with Nizams were further cemented through matrimonial alliances.
They also constructed several palaces in the city and the notable amongst them are the famous Falaknuma Palace, Asman Garh Palace, Khursheed Jah Devdi and Vicar-ul-Umarahi palace.
They were believed to be rich than the average Maharajah of the country.
Paigah Tombs
Paigah Tombs are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them.
They are among the major wonders of Hyderabad State which known for their architectural excellence as shown in their laid mosaic tiles and craftsmanship work.
Its architecture
These tombs are made out of lime and mortar with beautiful inlaid marble carvings.
It consists of marvelous carvings and motifs in floral designs and inlaid marble tile-works.
It depicts Indo-Islamic architecture, a mix of both the Asaf Jahi and the Rajputana styles of architecture.
There is fabulous stucco (plaster) work, representing the Mughal, Persian and Deccan style too.
The 2020 National Education Policy (NEP) was a pathbreaking moment in the annals of Indian higher education. The policy envisions a complete overhaul and re-energising of the higher education system. The just announced University Grants Commission (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023, have re-ignited debates on the internationalization of Indian higher education.
Prohibitive costs of higher education, especially in developed countries: Indian students must pay approximately Rs 70 lakh per annum to study at Harvard, Yale or Stanford and over Rs 55 lakh per annum to study at Oxford or Cambridge. Tuition fees alone would be about 15 times more expensive than Indian private universities. The new proposal vitiates the NEP’s vision of equity and inclusion as it envisages higher education only for the super-rich.
The establishment costs of top university campuses make the project unviable: The vision of uniform academic standards in both the parent university and its international campus is a noble aspiration. However, the reality is international campuses have become a second-rate option, primarily accessible to those unable to get admission to the main campus. The quality and excellence in teaching and research on overseas campuses cannot match those in their primary location.
The landscape of global higher education has dramatically changed post-Covid: The idea of brick-and-mortar international campuses has given way to building solid partnerships, student and faculty mobility, exchange and immersion programmes, joint teaching and research opportunities, collaborative conferences and publications and the development of online and blended degree programmes. The global thinking around international collaborations has changed.
Steps to become a global leader in international education
Greater autonomy to Indian universities as well as Institutions of Eminence (IoE): Indian universities, both public and private, are generally highly regulated and poorly governed. The ingrained institutional habit of regulatory bodies instructing universities on what they should be doing must stop. The government must pay greater attention to the IoEs and expand their scope and scale so that they become natural destinations for international students.
Establishing universities more of global orientation and outlook: Establish global universities in India led by the public and the private sector to cater to the needs and aspirations of international students. India’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is lopsided. The national GER is approximately 22 per cent but there are states, such as Tamil Nadu, with a GER of 52 per cent. We must build more public and private universities across the country, with greater autonomy, resources and better governance structures, minimising the role of the regulatory bodies.
Provide more resources to all the Indian universities: Indian universities face acute resource scarcity. The NEP has envisaged a six per cent annual investment in higher education and a National Research Foundation to allocate additional resources. Government must encourage CSR and philanthropic initiatives with more tax incentives to enable private sector contributions to public and private universities.
Breaking the barriers, bias and prejudices and hierarchy: The NEP envisages breaking the long-standing barriers between public and private institutions. But many biases and prejudices persist. An institutionalised hierarchy in the Indian higher education system replicates the caste system. First, the IITs and the IIMs are placed high in the pecking order, followed by the central universities. Next come the IISERs, NITs and much lower down are the state public universities.
Establish a liberal and progressive regulatory ecosystem for Indian universities to attract international students: Much more than reforms in the education sector will be needed if India is to become a sought-after international destination for students from developing countries. Government must reform its visa processes and the FRRO registration procedures. There must be a significant improvement in the quality of infrastructure and hostels on university campuses. The safety, security and well-being of the students, especially women, must be ensured. Other forms of university towns and education cities can create a comprehensive ecosystem that will enable students and faculty to study, work and live in these communities.
What should be the India’s approach?
Focus on becoming global higher education destination in our own right: Instead of enabling the creation of international campuses of universities from developed countries, we need to focus on becoming a global higher education destination in our own right.
Assume leadership role to realise Vishwaguru aspiration: We will not realise the Vishwaguru aspiration by inviting prestigious foreign universities to locate campuses. We must assume the leadership role we had over 2,000 years ago when Nalanda, Takshashila, Vallabhi and Vikramshila attracted faculty and students from around the world.
High quality education in affordable cost: We can be truly global leaders in providing high-quality education at an affordable cost. Likewise, we can produce high-quality research at a relatively lower cost.
For instance: Indian scientists made a successful mission to Mars with a modest budget of $74 million, less than the production cost of $108 million for Gravity, a Hollywood film.
Conclusion
The vision of India becoming a Vishwaguru cannot be achieved by outsourcing Indian higher education to international universities. Instead of enabling the creation of international campuses of universities from developed countries, it must focus on becoming a global higher education destination in its own right.
Mains question
Q. India strives to become a global leader in international education. Discuss what steps need to take and what should be the India’s approach?
