Forestry Education in India: Retrospect, Prospect and Recommendations for Improvement

The analysis of history of forestry education is documented to illustrate the evolutionary aspects of forestry education in this country. A keen review of challenges of forestry education with respect to demand of the forestry professionals and the continuing educational packages have revealed ever widening gap in terms of required knowledge and skills th vis-à-vis the actual course modules being followed. The intervention of 4^th Dean's Committee of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), New Delhi, is discussed to demonstrate the inadequacies of the course modules and impracticality of the proposals for reorganization of departments of forestry faculties. Cogent recommendations, based upon new perspectives of forestry education, aimed at mitigation of the mismatches between the existing forestry education system and national requirements of forestry professionals/ scientists and teachers are recorded to provide sound backup for better planning of the forestry education system in India.