Page 62 - Education World November 2022

ANNIVERSARY ESSAY

Are China's universities

really better?

MAKARAND PARANJAPE

RE CHINESE UNIVERSITIES BETTER THAN If the primary purpose of a university is
Indian universities? If we go by hard facts, the
simple answer is yes. But the simple answer is not not merely to disseminate information
Aalways the correct answer. If the primary purpose and impart skills, but nurture creative
of a university is to not merely disseminate information and critical thinking, the superiority of
and impart skills, but nurture creative and critical thinking,
the superiority of Chinese universities over their Indian Chinese universities over their Indian
counterparts is questionable. counterparts is questionable
Not that Indian universities excel in creativity and critical
thinking. As a rule, they do not. But at their very best, at
the apex of India’s hierarchical higher education pyramid, For the past 20 years in particular, China has invested
our top-ranked universities, and IITs and IIMs do produce heavily in higher education. Therefore, investment,
critical and creative thinkers, even prodigies. Unfortunately infrastructure, and administration of China’s universities
most of the latter are exported out of India and fulfil their is generally far superior to their Indian counterparts.
true potential in advanced Western countries. But that’s a China has doubled the number of universities as well as
topic for discussion at another time. Yet the plain truth is the university-age enrolment. According to the Unesco
that the number of global CEOs awarded their first degrees Institute for Statistics, the gross tertiary enrolment rate
in India far outnumber those from China. (GTER) of China is 48.44 percent cf. India’s 26.93 percent
That’s because Chinese higher education institutions (2016).
excel in programmatic, not creative, thinking. As for ccording to QS World University Rankings (WUR),
criticism and dissent, their scope is severely limited in the AChina’s tally in the world’s Top 500 universities has
prevalent single-party dictatorship. Big Brother watches risen from 16 in 2012 to 26 in 2022. More remarkably, for
over all university agendas, even departmental meetings. the first time, two institutions — Peking University (#12)
Deviance is identified and punished. and Tsinghua University (#14) — have made it to the
Free thinking in China may be possible in limited safe Top 15. In the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings,
spaces, but competition and intrigue make it infrequent China’s share in the Top 500 has increased to 24 in 2022
and risky. On the other hand, India is a criticism-surplus from 11 in 2016. India compares poorly, with only seven in
society. Our campuses are hotbeds of discussion, debate, the QS Top 500 in 2012, and just one more added ten years
dissent, even anti-government protest and propaganda. later. In the THE Top 500 of 2022, India has only five, one
Though the latter has been restricted in recent years. less than the six that made it in 2016.
During my many visits to China and Chinese universities, Admittedly, China has done better than us when it
I found it very difficult to persuade faculty and students to comes to progress in higher education. But China envy is
speak about their work conditions, let alone express opinions unwarranted. We cannot be like them, either as a State or
about national or global issues. Discussion on politics and society. With our mixed state and private higher education
socio-economic conditions in China is totally out of bounds. muddle, we must blunder on, finding our place in the global
In general, people tend to mind their own business, sticking higher education system.
to their well-defined tasks and responsibilities. In Indian higher education, top-down dictation of policy
Ideas have utility only if they are useful to the and ideological interference in the cause of nationalism
100-million-strong CPC (Communist Party of China) which or other pious principles will prove ruinous. The forcible
rules 1.4 billion Chinese with an iron fist. In that sense, imposition of Hindi and regional languages as primary
China is devoid of public intellectuals, let alone gadflies that media of instruction is an example of an egregious error
hold up a mirror to the government or CPC. the BJP government seems to be on the brink of making.
Nevertheless unlike India, China is a meritocracy, albeit India’s floundering higher education institutions need
authoritarian. The best and most talented are spotted early less bureaucratic control in public universities and less
and promoted up CPC and government ladders based on commercialisation in the private sector.
performance. Competence is incentivised, incompetence Above all, our universities must strive to recognise,
penalised. In sharp contrast to India, there are no and reward excellence. Without that, India’s aspiration
reservations and quotas based on caste, religion, region and of becoming a visva guru or world teacher, will remain a
language. Moreover entrance exams of China’s best schools pipedream or worse, a foolish delusion.
are entirely merit-based with offspring of even powerful
CPC members denied special treatment. Contrast this with
India, where almost every seat in every government-funded (Makarand R. Paranjape is professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru
institution has an attached quota tag. University, New Delhi, author/editor of 50 books and a columnist)

62 EDUCATIONWORLD NOVEMBER 2022