Are we making Education in India "Prohibitively Expensive"​ in order to compete Globally?

"Growth & Development of Higher Education in India" has been one of the most inked sentences you will find in official documents of the Government of Republic of India.

Higher Education has always been a priority for any government that has governed this sub-continent since its independence may it be during the year 1950 when we had ~20 Central Universities and today during 2019 when the count has reached ~960 Central Universities. The nation has seen a drastic increase in number of Universities over these years owing to the demand and requirements of the nation.

Of late we see that in the context of Indian Education, the vision has slightly changed from "Creating / Establishing Higher Education Institution" to "Creating / Establishing Higher Education Institutions of Excellence". This is due to a drastic developments globally and in the way Global Universities are competing for recognition attributing to various parameters like Research, Academia, Infrastructure, Placements etc.


Almost all the Institutions/Universities in India are seeking to follow their counterparts globally and invest heavily in Research & Development, International Collaborations, Exchange Programs etc. In order to achieve this; majority of think tanks on Higher Education have been recommending CHANGES IN GOVERNMENT POLICIES i.e. increase in Research Grants, additional funds for establishing state of Art campus buildings etc. In many cases the Tuition fee has increased at an alarming rate. For instance, an MBA program in a top institution in India costs not less than 15L to 20 L. A Bachelors Degree in Engineering costs around 8L to 10L in the Government Funded Institutions. Such high range of tuition fee makes higher education in India prohibitively expensive for a large section given India's economic disparity.

The think tanks and policy makers needs to note that though there are variety of social welfare schemes based on social categories, our policies doesn't provide for any support based on economical condition of the aspirant. A major section of the society remains deprived of pursuing higher education because they have no means to meet the expenses required for either joining or completing their programs. In many cases, students are not able to get financial aid from banks and financial institutions as they are not in a position to submit required documents (again owing to their economical standing). Though the banking policy allows for an education loan until Rs 4,99,000/- without any security/guarantee; yet the tuition fee being substantially higher restricts this students (aspirants) from pursuing their preferred courses.

This makes me wonder whether the concept of inclusiveness, equity and education for all ever be achieved?? What do you think?