Indian Higher Education system has seen drastic changes over the years especially after the 1995 when government passed the Private Universities Establishment and Regulation Bill to encourage the establishment of private universities in India. The University Grants Commission list of private universities as on 5th March 2021 lists 369 private universities which is playing a pivotal role in providing quality education in India.
These private universities are not only facing tough competition amongst themselves but also are developing new infrastructure to maintain high standard of education. They are altering their syllabus according to industry demands and are creating job ready students by providing them with current digital skills. These private universities have more freedom in deciding their curriculum and are going an extra mile for industry partnerships to get their students placed.
Post the setting up of National Assessment & Accreditation council (NAAC) government has set up a system of overall ranking of these universities based on various infrastructural parameters including various courses on offer and placement records. Currently we have 19 private universities amongst the top 50 universities in India which ratifies the fact that these private universities are leaving no stone unturned to be amongst the best in the country.
With Government of India setting up the ambitious target if increasing the current Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in Higher Education from 26% to 50% these private players must play a very important role. Even though there are more options available with the students there is still a very important challenge that the institutions face in addressing the placement and employability challenge.
Currently only half of the graduates are considered employable thought this trend is improving but still a lot needs to be done in creating employable graduates that can fulfill the requirement of the current industry trends and digital requirements.
Overall, the New Education Policy 2020 has envisaged lot of changes in Higher Education and the role of private players in Higher Education and its time will tell how these changes would bring India in the global map of higher education.
Online Education and EdTech 