Reforming Higher Education in India in Pursuit of Excellence, Expansion, and Equity

Abstract

Abstract After decades of neglect, higher education in India began receiving public attention. Apart from continuing problems relating to quantitative expansion, quality, and inequalities, the system also faces serious challenges with shortage of teachers, public funds, governance, and a rapidly growing commercially motivated private sector. The unforeseen crisis caused by COVID-19 added further problems to higher education. Reforming higher education has been on the public agenda for quite some time: Some reforms have already been introduced, and some are at the stage of discussions and deliberations; the need for a search for new and innovative measures is also being realized. This chapter provides a critical review of on some of the recent reforms introduced and the reforms that are being proposed in the most recent years.