HEAL-India (Higher Education And Learning - India)

2007-05-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

India is all set for an impressive economic growth and technological advancement trying to cope with and manage a host of challenges including ever-widening socio-economic and socio-political gaps, infrastructure issues. It will be certainly a BIG challenge for India to manage change and lead that change because any change will bring not only opportunities and prosperity but also confusion, chaos and pain.

A lot of time this happens; Common people loose focus (amidst news and noise) on priorities, and facts and figures.

Higher Education is one such area which deserves high priority and importance. This blog has been created as a focal point to connect thinking people from around the world who are interested in the subject of "Higher Education In India

Literacy levels in India seem to be going up although India is one of the less literate countries in the world (in comparison with economically well developed countries such as USA, Japan, Canada, Australia and European countries.) Therefore, any discussion "Higher Education In India" has to be in the backdrop of this reality.

As per the 2001 India census, India's national literacy is only 65.2 percent.^[6] ^[7] Literacy drive is spreading slowly to other states.^[8] India's youth (age 15 to 24) literacy rate was 76.4% between 2000 and 2004.^[9] At current rates India will take no less than 20 years for a literacy of 95%.^[10]. Literacy in India is not homogeneous, some states in India have more impressive literacy rates than others. Kerala, a south-Indian state widely recognized as the most well-educated state in India, recorded an impressive 90.92% literacy rate in 2001. ^[11] On the other hand the north-Indian state of Bihar lags behind with 47.53%.^[12] India's adult literacy rates (61.3% in 2002), is just a little better compared to other nations in South Asia except Sri Lanka's 92%, ^[13] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy)

What is Higher Education And Why Does It Matter?

Higher education is education provided by universities, vocational universities (community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and technical colleges, etc.) and other collegial institutions that award academic degrees, such as career colleges. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education).

Higher education adds value to the individual and the society in which he or she lives and works. Several of the benefits of higher education are as below.

a) It gives the experience of going to a higher level of thinking, perspective and vision. Some scholars also think that it helps understand the complexity of the world and brings humility.

b) It gives the individual greater freedom to think, ratiocinate and communicate.

c) It equips the individual with certain tools, methods and techniques which are often not available at lower levels of education.

d) It boosts confidence, competence, courage to promote oneself in career and social life.

e) Increased financial prospects often follow higher education.