Page 10 - EW July 2025_Neat

Editorial

REGIME CHANGE NECESSITY IN GLOBAL VILLAGE tion fallout from Iran could waft across
national boundaries. Blockage of the
Hormuz Strait would disrupt inter-
lthough for most of the com- dictator who ruled from 1953-79 fol- national trade and crude oil supplies
mentariat who have opined on lowing an American CIA-engineered which will wreck economies world-
Athe causes and effects of the coup. After 80 years of suffering dic- wide. In the new global village, war
12-day Israel/US-Iran war resulting tatorial rule during which personal anywhere is dangerous everywhere.
in a tenuous ceasefire on June 24, the freedoms and women’s rights in par- In the circumstances this is an
issue of regime change is a no-go area, ticular, have been almost obliterated, opportune moment in world history
this consensus needs review. There is the long-suffering people of Iran de- to resurrect and revive the coma-
a strong case for regime change in all serve democratic rule, even if it has to tose 193-member United Nations. It
three combatant Middle East coun- be imposed upon them. might sound fanciful, but it is entirely
tries as a pre-condition for establish- Hamas, a militant group contest- feasible for multinational commit-
ing strong and durable peace in the ing under the banner of the Change tees appointed by the United Nations
region. Durable peace in the Middle & Reform Party won the Palestinian General Assembly — not the Security
East is vitally important for the rest of legislative election held in the West Council restricted to five great powers
the world, not least because of heavy Bank and Gaza Strip in 2006. Since — to constitute globally representative
international dependence on crude oil then there hasn’t been an election in committees to conduct fair and free
supply flowing from this war-disrupt- Palestine-Gaza. There is no evidence general elections in countries under
ed region. that the people of Iran and Palestine prolonged autocratic rule. Admitted-
For all its faults, Israel is a func- willingly support these dictatorships ly, this proposal will pose significant
tional democracy and regime change which have brought ruin and pro- procedural, constitutional and opera-
in this country is likely to be effected longed hardships upon them. tional challenges requiring the UN to
by ballot in the near future. On the In the newly emerged globalized disregard national boundaries and
other hand the plain truth is that Iran world transformed into a global vil- sovereignty. Yet it will ensure that na-
has been ruled by an unelected theo- lage by jet travel, real-time digital tions are not recklessly led to ruin by
cratic dictatorship of harsh religious connectivity and climate change, even ruthless dictators who after subjugat-
clerics for over 40 years since 1979, geographically contained wars pose ing their people, prolong their misery
after the ouster of Shah Reza Pehalvi, great danger to the global community. by leading them into bloody wars and
only a marginally less oppressive In the present instance, nuclear radia- conflict.

ACADEMICS NEED TO STOP BEING BYSTANDERS and 1,168 universities are subject to
tight regulation by the anachronistic
UGC (University Grants Commis-
ccording to an eye-popping re- 2x of USA. “We believe the Chinese sion). And although the new National
port in the US-based Time market has the best talent. Every year, Education Policy 2020 recommends
Amagazine (June 9), in 2001 the there are several million science and gradual autonomy for all HEIs, it
total number of passenger cars in the technology graduates,” who serve Chi- contradictorily mandates the estab-
People's Republic of China (PRC) was na Inc well, William Li, CEO of NIO lishment of over a dozen government
10 million. In 2024, the number of cars Inc, Shanghai, PRC’s top EV batteries committees (SSA, SSRA, HECI, NAS,
manufactured annually in PRC has manufacturer, told Time. UGC and AICTE) to supervise and
risen to 27.4 million. Currently, PRC It's pertinent to note that in sharp regulate schools and HEIs.
is the world’s largest exporter of pas- contrast with India Inc, business and Yet perhaps all is not lost. Belated-
senger cars, with 4.9 million per year industry leaders in China repose great ly a new generation of highly learned,
sold around the world. In new genre confidence in their universities to visionary, go-getting and unsung
EVs (electric vehicles), the country’s churn out highly qualified and readily privately-promoted higher education
domestic sales aggregate 66 percent employable graduates. Nor is this ad- leaders — Chancellors, Vice Chancel-
of global sales. In the quarter January- miration for higher education institu- lors, Presidents, Deans — have shed
March 2025, BYD, China’s giant EVs tions only within China. In the latest traditional diffidence and are provid-
manufacturer, produced 416,388 elec- Times Higher Education 2025 global ing industry-aligned, research and
tric cars (more than Tesla). ranking of universities, seven Chinese innovation-driven education to a large
Now China is using its primacy in universities are ranked among the Top and multiplying number of youth
the EVs manufacturing business as 100, and two among the Top 50. On countrywide.
a base to emerge as global leader in the other hand, India’s top-ranked For the past seven decades, the
generative AI, quantum computing university is Indian Institute of Sci- Academy has been a passive observer
and humanoid robotics. Last year, ence, Bengaluru numbered in the of post-independence India’s disap-
190,000 robotics companies were 251-300 band. pointing national development effort.
registered in PRC and this industry’s Hardly surprising. Instead of being Now it’s high time that academics be-
output is budgeted at $43 billion granted full autonomy and freedom come actively involved — perhaps lead
(Rs.370,870 crore) by 2035. Mean- to joyfully experiment, generate new — the race towards Viksit Bharat and
while the number of AI-related cited knowledge and ideate path-breaking attaining the $30 trillion GDP target
research papers of PRC last year were technologies, India’s 47,000 colleges set for 2047.

10 EDUCATIONWORLD JULY 2025