Is it going to work?
Global India Newswire
WASHINGTON, DC: The concept of community colleges, which entails two years of state-funded low cost higher education courses after graduating from high school, with the choice to take it forward to a full degree program at an accredited college or university, is set to establish on a large-scale in India, with 200 such colleges in the offing, according to Dr. M. Mangapati Pallam Raju, India’s minister of Human Resource Development, speaking at a round table on US-India Academic Partnership, organized by the International Institute of Education.
The discussion here saw participation by India’s Ambassador to the US NirupamaRao, US Under Secretary of State Tara Sonenshine and Assistant Secretary of the State Department Robert Blake.
Raju also met with Arne Duncan, US Secretary of Education, and discussed issues relating to improvement of school education, teacher educators, assessment of schools and teachers and community participation in school education.
In his speech, Raju gave credit to Sonenshine who led a delegation to India in February,for participation in the International Seminar on Community Colleges, that he said helped in the establishment of community colleges in India.
“The collaborations under the Singh-Obama Knowledge Initiative have now consolidated and acquired a good momentum,” said Raju, adding that India hopes to establish 200 community colleges by the end of the year.
Raju also spoke about the need for quality of research and innovation in India. He said one of the most ambitious schemes conceptualized by India involves creation of a new vehicle to support the entities controlled or governed by the state governments. The National Higher Education Mission will be injected by $20 billion to ensure access and excellence in tertiary education.
However, it remains to be seen if the concept of community colleges in India produces only ‘half-baked,’ students in India, who would be forever classified as eligible to undertake lower paying jobs in India, if they are unable to ease themselves to regular colleges where there is tremendous competition for eligibility.
To contact the author, e-mail: editor@americanbazaaronline.com