Privatization of Education in India

Decision of Indian government to encourage private sector to participate in education along with other sectors, has proven disastrous for cadmic education in India. Unlike privatization of banks and airlines, experiment in education line has given reverse results. Recently there is boost in opening of technical colleges in the name of technical education. Colleges have been opening like mush rooms. Business houses and politicians having no experience of education, are putting their black money in this field to make money only. They have no interest in education. Everyone wants to become an engineer. As a result it has become difficult to find teachers in basic sciences like physics and Mathematics. Government institutions like All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) is too liberal in giving approval to new colleges, what ever is the background of financers of these colleges. It seems education has become a flourishing business in India.

Procedure for giving approval to technical colleges is well laid down. For example faculty to be appointed has to be in the ratio of 1:15. That one teacher to be appointed for 15 sanctioned intake of students. Colleges have to send complete documents of selected faculty to AICTE, along with their photographs and finger prints. A group photograph of the faculty is to be submitted every year.

With the increasing number of engineering colleges every year, number of students for taking admissions in colleges is declining. As a consequence revenue of the management is also decreasing. To bridge this gap, managements give less salary to faculty and thus recruit inefficient and inferior quality faculty. In order to reduce the expenses, less number of faculty members are recruited, thus overloading the faculty and reducing the education standard. Some times a teacher has to teach 25-30 hours in a week, which is practically impossible. As a result teachers also donot teach carefully and play with the carrier of students. Universitis are very casual as is shown in the following slide where a paper is checked by teacher given full marks.

AICTE is supplied fictitious data in annual compliance reports. If AICTE is careful, it is very easy to find out that a faculty member is shown in more than one colleges. Even group photograph required by AICTE is constructed with photographic tricks. To enhance the college income, students are recruited who work in different colleges as lab attendants and also study in colleges as non-attending students as regular students. They are given assurance by the management that they will be passed in internal exams and also will be allowed to copy in University exams. Management involves itself in active copying by such students. As a consequence, the sincere students, who want to study, are also demoralized. Due to low pay and high workload faculty also do not teach properly. Figure gives a paper checked in one of the reputed university. One can see this as an example of education in India.

Practical work in engineering education is the back bone of the education. Without practical experience, an engineer will get only bookish knowledge. Laboratory in most of the engineering colleges are ill equipped. Generally practical work is ignored and students do not get opportunities to do practical due to lack of equipments,, which are mandatory for examinations. Maintaining a laboratory is very costly affair and managements try to cut short the expenses on this.

Money on student welfare is rarely spent, where as good amount of fee is taken on the name of student welfare funds.

AICTE has well laid down procedure of inspecting the colleges. The teams of experts are sent to colleges every year to check the infrastructure of the colleges and status of new labs. They satisfy themselves by checking fictitious documents and give approvals. As a reward they are given hefty packets as a bribe from the management. Some times such teams are pre fixed by the management in connivance with the concerned University. Every college has fix touts in the University, who execute the wishes of the management.

Under these circumstances, education standard in technical institutions is declining day by day. A vita example of our engineers is the Asian games , where our country had to face humiliations.