Higher education in India requires autonomy with accountability to improve human capital: Ashok Vardhan Shetty

Higher education institutions in India require “autonomy with accountability and not control through compliance” if the country is to radically improve its human capital, Ashok Vardhan Shetty, former Vice-Chancellor of Indian Maritime University, said here on Saturday.

Delivering the Dr. M. Anandakrishnan Memorial Lecture on the topic ‘India’s Higher Education Needs a Systemic Overhaul’, Mr. Shetty lamented the excessive centralisation in the country that has been holding back development. Giving examples, he said the union government should not be running schools; rather, it should be focusing on high-class research institutions. “A decision that can be taken at the district level is being taken at the Government of India level. There are bound to be delays, inefficiency and corruption,” he observed.

“Why should there be a UGC nominee for selection of Vice-Chancellors of universities and principals of colleges,” he asked, pointing at over-regulation by the regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

As a way forward, he suggested the constitution of a State universities commission by the State government, on the lines of the State Finance Commission, consisting of eminent academic experts and finance experts, to recommend the staffing pattern and how much the State government should bear.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) redefining higher education across most disciplines, mostly engineering, there should be added focus on introducing AI tools, the ability to craft effective prompts, and courses on algorithmic bias and data ethics, Mr. Shetty remarked.

Mr. Ashok Vardhan Shetty presents Dr. M. Anandakrishnan memorial scholarship awards to the students studied from Tribal Government Higher Secondary School, Athanavur Yelagiri hills. D. Nedunchenzhian, Founder and CEO, Technocrats India College Finder and Journalist Vijayan Ramalingam are also seen.
| Photo Credit:
Akhila Easwaran

He gave away Dr. M. Anandakrishnan Memorial Scholarships to three students from Government Higher Secondary School, Athanavur, Yelagiri Hills, who belonged to the Malayali tribe, and another student from Government Higher Secondary School, Semmangudi, Thiruvarur district, Dr. Anandakrishnan’s hometown.

Satya Ananda Krishnan, former Director, James Webb Space Telescope; D. Nedunchezhian, Founder and CEO, Technocrats India College Finder; Vijayan Ramalingam, Senior Editor, Puthiya Thalaimurai; and Dr. Ilakya Devadas, Paediatrician, spoke.