Privatization of Technical Education is Good-But not Good Enough

The paper presents in brief, the desirable and not so desirable aspects of the unaided engineering education institutes in India. An analysis of the performance of these institutes is made and presented along with suggestions so as to make most of them.

Privatization is a global phenomenon. It facilitates more productive utilization of national resources, and hence is the trend, world over. In technical education its success, however, depends on the condition that it is accompanied by professionalism and without which, it may prove damaging. The paper advocates introduction of professionalism and adherence to academic norms and standards in the management of education.

Every change is essentially accompanied by turmoil. The transition from Governmentalization to privatization in technical education can not be an exception. The paper identifies the factors which need to be controlled so as to make privatization successful. Introduction of "Accreditation" forthwith, without any loss of time, is the crying need of the hour.

The attitude and role of AIGTE, University, State Directorate has not to remain the same as before but to change in the response to world wide phenomenon of privatization. The role has to be of regulatory, co-operative and developmental in nature instead of controlling. Establishing separate Universities for them, so as to shape these institutes in a better way, is strongly advocated.

In today's context, when export is the order the day, the technical education institutes have to think going global. The question which immediately comes to our mind is of global competitiveness of Indian Institutes. They have themselves to become competitive by world standards and pave the way for industry. Our institutes have to think to export technical education, which is both a cultural exchange, besides, business strategy. The unaided institutions with innovative entrepreneurship may respond favorably.

The dynamic environment of India and the world calls for a rethinking among the key people in technical education, as to how they can develop and reshape themselves to explore more and better opportunities globally for themselves and also for the countrymen. With this in view, the article examines the role and the response of unaided engineering colleges in the country.