Affordability and Equity Concerns in Private Higher Education Institutions

ABSTRACT

Over last two decades, private higher education institutions have been making new inroads in the Indian education scenario. This phenomenon is marked by commodification of higher education and culture of capitation fee for admission in professional courses. This has raised major concerns with regard to affordability and equity in the higher education in India. Globally and in India, the discourse on commercialised higher education is polarised on the ground of inclusivity of aspiring students of the socio-culturally and economically marginalised sections on the one hand and opening the door of higher education for those who can pay ‘user fees’. Other philosophical questions are Is higher education a marketable product or a public good that needs to be supported by the state funding? Does higher education merit state support or ‘user fee model’ is most efficient for crowding out? How to make higher education affordable and accessible to meritorious students, who have been historically neglected, through affirmative action so that higher education markets do not throw them out? How to deal with paradoxical situation where private sectors in professional educational institutions have a large number of vacant seats and aspiring meritorious students do not get admission due to inability to pay highly inflated fees? Relative decline in budgetary allocations for higher education since 1991 and falling government expenditure in higher education and its implications for economic development of the region have been an important area of research in India in the millennium focused on economic growth through expansion of knowledge economy. Augmenting expenditure on education as well as better utilisation of allocated funds is an essential component of the developmental strategy of the state to fulfil its long-term priorities of human development that are essential for economic growth. The COVID pandemic has brought into foreground these perennials and developing issues that reveal the fact that education has been treated as a privilege or a commodity rather than a fundamental right. The pandemic has heightened existing injustices-push out of a large number of students due to circular migration, exposing and deepening of the ‘digital divide’, and profiteering by private managements. Along with the students, the teachers are also bearing the brunt of contractualisation of their services, pressurised to adapt to new technologies in the absence of sufficient support, working without remuneration, and facing job loss. The onslaught of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based market forces raise serious concern for the access to the socioeconomically marginalised at the intersections of class, caste, ethnicity, physical and cognitive disabilities, location, and gender. The health emergency has made it mandatory for India to increase seats in medical and nursing education as more doctors, nurses, and health administration personnel are required. Even in arts, commerce, and science degree courses, the platform-based education has forced out a large proportion of students who do not have access to digital education. Digital divide due to gender, class, caste, and location needs to be addressed seriously by the state and private higher education institutions mushrooming in the urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. In this context, a case for enhancing the public funding for higher education to 6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) as per the recommendation of National Education Policy 2020 needs immediate implementation. In the last two decades, India has witnessed some praiseworthy examples of support under corporate social responsibility (CSR) in terms of scholarships, fellowships, and freeships for the college and university students/scholars from the marginalised sections. Governments around the world are exploring different ways to involve the private sector in providing higher education. Contracting out educational services is controversial. One criticism that is often made of public-private partnerships (PPPs) is that these initiatives lead to the privatisation of education and thus reduce the government responsibility towards a public service. Another fear expressed is that increasing the educational choices available to students and their families may increase socioeconomic segregation if economically and socio-culturally better placed students end up self-selecting into high-quality universities further improving their outcomes. A third concern is centred on the poorer students that are left behind in the deteriorating state universities and getting ghettoised for general BA/BCom degrees resulting in unemployable degree holders. Currently, centres and departments of women’s studies, dalit studies, tribal studies, and disability studies are facing major crisis in terms of funds and positions. These disciplines are extremely important for creation of a responsible citizenry, still are marginalised in the academic hierarchy and are kept on oxygen. These disciplines need serious attention of not only the state and publicly funded universities but also of the private higher educational institutions. So far as the marginalised sections are concerned, distance education and Open Educational Resources (OERs) have proved to be a blessing with concerns such as recognition of such degrees at par with degrees offered under regular mode, employability of students graduated from distance education, learning of students, etc. Such limitations may end up with further marginalisation of student from poor social and economic background. Learning issues may be addressed through interactive sessions and face-to-face sessions. The supreme concern in the higher education must be equity, accessibility, and affordability for the historically neglected sections which demands affirmative action of the state so that they are not forced out of colleges and universities. For this, expansion, excellence, and equity in higher education are a must. This can be attained only by transcending binaries of profit and not for profit as well as meritocracy-based elitism and money-based elitism. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.