Does the west have better education than the south?

What exactly is wrong with the Indian college education system? What can we learn from the university education system in the West?

• Answer:

  Over the years, higher education is one area in which we have not seen much reforms. We do have some world class institutions in India and yet aprrox. 300,000 students go abroad each year to US, UK, Australia for higher studies. We have less than 20% gross enrollment ratio for higher studies in India. Foreign universaties are in China but not in India. India's education system is being stifled due to the monopoly of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the HRD Ministry, fewer reforms in this sector and limited resources of the state. UGC is authority which decides which degree can be given, course curriculum. Abroad, the curriculum, the course structure and are very flexible which gives more options for the students. Initially, post independance, when the colleges and universities were lesser this system, where everything is regulated by UGC, worked effectively. However as per the 2011 statistics there are close to 650 universities and 33000 colleges. A single institution at the central level can,t micromanage these. The entry of the universities should be eased up, this should encourage more foreign universities to enter India.  The monopoly of UGC and its various bodies has to go in order to reform the education system. Eminent Economist Arvind Panagariya believes that India's education system is being stifled due to what he calls the monopoly of the University Grants Commission and the HRD Ministry. Watch the complete interview with Vivek Law from Bloomberg TV India: http://www.btvin.com/videos/watch/8147/end-monopoly-in-education:-arvind-panagariya