Higher Education in India: An Overview

Census 2011 reported that every third person is a young person and admitted that investing in this young population is the best way to leverage the nation's competitive advantage. It means that if India invests a reasonable amount in itself through education and training, surely it may achieve its sustainable development goals before the time. Following this, in country like India, the importance of education, especially higher education, has been constantly growing and knowledge-based industries are now occupying the centre stage in development. Various commission and policies set the relevant objectives for the higher education system in India that it equips young people with relevant skills for the labour market and the opportunity for social mobility, it prepares the young population for taking up profession at the different level of economy and reflect the new design of human resource development needed in the new environment. Thus, the nation creates an intellectual repository of human capital to meet the country's needs and shapes its future. Indeed, higher education is the principal site at which our national goals, developmental priorities and civic values can be examined and refined. Now government of India focuses in expansion with inclusion and ensuring quality and relevant education. To achieve all such goals government of India continuously taking much effort to promote higher education in the country. This study tries to analyse the efforts of the government in terms of financial allocation and physical expansion of the higher education system in the country and also highlights severe issues related to higher education. The study observed that changes in higher education taking place in India appear awesome both in quantum and size and central government give second priority to higher education after elementary education in terms of allocation. It may be suggested that quantitative expansion in higher education benefited to the country when qualitative improvement of higher education should be given highest priority in policy discourse.