Higher education in India: challenges ahead

S. MUMTAJ BEGUM, LADY DOAK COLLEGE, INDIA
S. PUSHPARAJ, MADURAI-KAMARAJ UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, INDIA
India is a key player in the knowledge race of the present century. It has a large higher education sector – the third largest in the world in student numbers after China and the United States. Envisaging education as a source for modernizing the nation, the Government of India accorded serious attention to the cause of education in general and higher education in particular in the post independence phase. This led to the expansion and promotion of higher education particularly scientific, technical and professional education. However, higher education has undergone tremendous changes in the era of Globalisation. In this context, the present paper traces its history from pre independence era till date, evaluates the present higher education system in India, discusses the socio-economic and gender issues related to it, identifies the challenges ahead of developing economies like India and suggests measures to face them.
Keywords: Higher Education; Education System; Social Justice; Government Funding; Private Higher Education