Higher Education in India Growth Expansion and Issues

Name of the book: Higher Education in India Growth Expansion and Issues

Writer: Dulumoni Goswami

Publisher: D.V.S. Publishers

Pages: 150

Price: Rs 425

The 21st century has brought along new challenges and opportunities for the country’s educators and education planners. The challenges and issues before the education planners in this century lies in solving the problems of access and equity, quality, international dimensions, job-oriented education, and financing, among others.

Dulumoni Goswami has presented an analytical discussion on various issues confronting development of higher education in the country in his book Higher education in India: Growth Expansion and Issues.

The book is an attempt to put across 10 relevant themes for higher education in a simple but exhaustive way. The author needs special appreciation for documenting the history of Indian higher education from the ancient period to the 21st century.

In the second chapter, the author presents a comprehensive discussion on the recent reforms in the higher education sector.

While discussing quality issues in the third chapter, the author stresses development of quality in higher education to make it relevant.

The role of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in maintaining quality higher education is also critically discussed.

Globalisation and its impact on education have been comprehensively documented in the fourth chapter.

The author raises issues like commercialisation, internationalisation and privatisation of higher education from a critical angle.

The fifth chapter contains an analysis on the financial issues of Indian education in relation to public expenditure on education. He opines that public expenditure on higher education should be enhanced for access and equity in higher education.

Extension, the third dimension of higher education, plays a decisive role for disseminating useful information and ideas to the people outside the regularly organised schools and classrooms.

The UGC’s initiatives are elaborately discussed and a brief picture of the current scenario of extension education is discussed in the sixth chapter.

The last chapter is devoted to the status of college education in Assam. The author, while noting that the NAAC visit has compelled Assam colleges to develop their infrastructure and academic activities, says that the state’s colleges are far behind from a global point of view.

Overall, the book’s presentation is admirable, It is also affordably priced. A good pick for researchers, teachers and students of social science, especially those involved with research on higher education.

MOYURI SARMA

Published on November 4, 2011