Privatisation of Higher Education in India: Forms and Patterns

Abstract

This paper examines the trajectory of policy changes and increasing significance of the private sector with regard to higher education in India. The phenomenon of privatisation of higher education, its forms and patterns in India, is discussed in this paper. The concept of education privatisation, its pattern and trend are discussed using evidence from secondary data. It is argued that privatisation in the education sector differs from the concept of privatisation in general due to the fact that this process can take place without the transfer of ownership from the public to the private sector. The Indian version of education privatisation may be characterised as a by-product of response to the economic crisis that happened in the late eighties, which shifted the overall policy towards privatisation due to the adoption of neoliberal policies in the aftermath of the 1991 crisis. It has progressed gradually over the three decades post-1991 and consequently converging towards the international consensus. Notably, the shift towards privatisation is witnessed both in policymaking and by the judiciary, which further confirms that education privatisation in India cannot be classified as an abrupt move under the pressure of simply an economic crisis. The private sector has been dominant in stand-alone institutions and deemed universities in the initial phase. The increasing presence of the private sector in universities is the most recent phenomenon. However, government’s commitment towards financing higher education is an instrumental factor in determining the size of the private sector. Thus, the prime reason behind privatisation is largely a policy choice, either proactive measures towards education privatisation or low priority given to the expansion of higher education in the government sector.