If India has to progress, it is important that education is accessible to all easily. This means that more universities need to be set up in smaller towns and cities, says RAJUl GARG
A large majority of our population lives in smaller cities and towns. For us to have any hope for an equitable society, we need out education system to go deep into different parts of our country. In the developed world, students have a choice to pursue education in the local State university and some of them are world class. However, in our country a vast majority of educational institutes are relatively new and un-established and facing an uphill battle to create a quality option.
Hence, it’s of paramount and urgent importance to make quality education accessible to smaller cities and towns for us to progress over the next 50 years.
There are multiple things that the Government and local communities need to do to make this happen.
Greater use of technology: Just the way that mass media like TV and Internet are great equalisers, technology needs to be used in a greater proportion. Technology has inherent advantages of consistency, level playing field, quality and accessibility. E-commerce firms in India are increasingly finding deeper markets in smaller towns and cities and education can do the same.
For example, we at Sunstone use a mix of technology and physical classes. A student can pursue the programme from wherever they are and then come to major metro cities once a month for face time.
Re-regulation and de-centralisation: If we look at one model of education that has scaled in smaller cities, its that of coaching and test preparation. Whether, its JEE, CAT, Bank PO, IAS or other entrance exams, there are examples of chains that exist throughout the country that serve local markets. Kota, in Rajasthan is one example that became way bigger than even any of the metros. This is because these are free enterprise that is allowed to make a profit and scale. Teachers are people, after all and are motivated by growth.
This points to the fact that if more schools and colleges are de-regulated and allowed to compete with each other, multiple chains can emerge. Standardisation of syllabus and certifications removes the incentive to compete and improve quality. The pendulum is too much one side today and needs to be moved.
Greater connectivity to industry: The local community needs to try harder to reach-out to industry and be more outward facing. A small town like Ithaca in the US attracts people continuously from the New York. There is no reason that a town like Panipat can’t make a greater effort to connect to industry in National Capital Region. They have to appeal to locals who moved out and offer them incentives to do business in their home-town.
The risks of not doing this and the impacts of doing this are so high that it needs to be top priority for Government and non-Government bodies. This is the crux of inclusive growth. If we can’t be inclusive in education, we can’t be inclusive in any other sphere.