India has seen a proliferation of private universities established under state enactments in recent years. The incident, critics fear, received an official stamp with the tone of last year’s National Education Policy. But as the country recovers from the Covid-19 crisis, the open embrace of very expensive private higher education could come in the way of creating skilled jobs, say experts.
India had 327 state private universities as of 2019-20, a jump of 66% in four years and a 32% share among all universities, government data shows. Only one other category saw comparable growth: institutions of national importance such as IITs, IIMs, AIIMS and IISERs. The total number of public universities increased by only 26%, bolstering concerns of already growing privatization.
A private degree is not affordable for everyone. Lower-income groups were hit harder by the pandemic, causing disability alike great concern . Professional degrees offer better employment but are four times more expensive than general degrees, and can quickly become out of reach.
“The government is focusing on building model public institutions, but their limited intake pushes an overwhelming majority in private universities in the state,” said educationist Rohin Kapoor, who founded edtech app Wonk. He expects that financial uncertainty will force poor students to postpone higher education schemes.
Privatization is not new to the sector, but the method has evolved as private capital increases, which does not always mean a reliable upgrade in teaching quality or job prospects. The NEP’s answer to commercialization concerns is “true philanthropic private partnership”, but many do not see this as enough to move troubled youth closer to jobs.
inequality risk
To begin with, higher education already has a poor track record of ensuring fair representation. disadvantaged group , who are more likely to encounter job losses during the pandemic. Even in public universities, Dalit and tribal representation is less than the mandatory quota. In private, the situation is even worse. If public education does not get funding and private education becomes expensive, it can deprive the most disadvantaged.
Many private institutions adhere to reservation quotas for marginalized communities in accordance with local state laws, but the lack of central legislation to apply to private entities has failed to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Association of Indian Universities general secretary Pankaj Mittal said private universities should find ways like cross-subsidy to offer fee waiver to socio-economically disadvantaged students after the pandemic. He said that the merit-based freeship offered by some private institutes is not enough.
distressed finance
In earlier decades, private higher education primarily referred to university-affiliated private colleges that developed into “deemed” universities. Today the boom is driven by corporate funding and exorbitant fees. But like other sectors, higher education has also been pressed for funding due to the pandemic.
A January 2021 survey of 132 senior leaders in higher education institutions by the Global Institute of Risk Management and FICCI found that the liquidity crisis is the most serious risk for the sector due to delayed fee payments and fall in enrollment. The high drop-out rate in private colleges has forced teachers in some cases to quit teaching and focus on business development, Kapoor said.
Situation did not increase government spending: To Centre’s budget Higher education 2021-22 is just 4% higher than 2019-20. With a lack of corporate funding and student fees, private institutions have even less chance, making it difficult to ensure infrastructure and quality.
Jobs sad
Higher education is probably the most reliable upstream mobility Tools available to youth with professional degree holders a better shield from the unemployment crisis during the pandemic. But anecdotal evidence suggests that college placements have been disappointing—while jobs for fresh graduates with technical degrees have declined, there were also reports of job offers being withdrawn.
The India Skills Report 2021 by Wheebox states that only 47% of employers are planning to hire in 2021, compared to 56% in 2020 and 64% in 2019. If private institutions grow in the coming years, they have a greater-than-usual burden of ensuring good placements: the return on investment of students matters far more to them.
Worse, low-end jobs may have fewer prospects than top-tier jobs with more bargaining power in the near term, said Vidya Mahambare, a professor at the Great Lakes Institute of Management.
As we come out of the current crisis, higher education may require more government spending to ensure that the most affected demographics realize their full earning potential in the coming years.
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