Page 602 - SSB Interview: The Complete Guide, Second Edition

The Governing Body – MHRD

The Department of Higher Education, MHRD is the main governing body

responsible for the overall development of the higher education sector.
MHRD decides all the policies and implementation. This department is the

authority for expansion and improvement in higher education through top-
notch universities and institutions.

Challenges in Higher Education in India

We got independence in 1947 and have progressed a lot in the field of higher
education since then. Yet, none of our institutions is ranked amid the top 100

institutions in the world. Here are some of the important factors contributing
to this failure:

Enrolment: The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has increased at the school

level, but most of the students leave education as they progress towards
higher education. Only 15% of all students enrol for higher education; this
number is very low when compared with other developing nations.

Equity: Indian society has made significant development in gender equality,
but the number of female candidates compared to male candidates is still low.
There has been un-equity in GER amid various states and social groups too.

GER shows a notable imbalance in higher education.

Quality: UGC is trying its best to increase the standard of Indian institutions.
There are many colleges and universities that fail to meet the minimum

necessary requirements. Our universities need to go a long way to secure a
place amid the top 100 institutions in the world.

Infrastructure: Many Indian colleges lack both advanced as well as basic

infrastructure; hence, it is one of the major challenges in front of the higher
education system. UGC provides grants to all of the government institutes,
but private colleges lack basic facilities due to a shortage of funds. Lack of

funds results not only in poor infrastructure but a degraded quality of
education.