Abstract
Vidya Yeravdekar and Gauri Tiwari have co-authored this excellent and timely book on the Indian higher education system. It is well researched and brings the reader up to speed on most issues around internationalization of higher education in India. The book is timely since the government in India has initiated a public consultation and debate on the new education policy in India (http://mhrd.gov.in/nep-new) and the book meticulously documents a plethora of information pertinent to higher education policy in India, as well as making several pertinent recommendations.
All chapters have an impressive bibliography and include a well-researched summary of peer reviewed research articles, books and technical reports. The book starts by making a case for ‘massification’ and ‘differentiation’ of higher education in India, with a planned ecosystem of education hubs. The second chapter defines both ‘internationalization’ and ‘globalization’ using up-to-date literature surveys, while the third chapter presents market principles that drive student cross-border mobility, the dynamics of the international education business and its impact on India and the world. Chapter 4 presents an excellent overview of the complex regulatory structure for higher education in India with suggestions on how international educational institutions could navigate this regulatory maze. Comparative performance data of Indian educational institutions follows vis-à-vis their counterparts abroad, and identification of gaps and opportunities, before Chapter 6 presents international data on cross border student mobility, China’s slow rise as a preferred host country and the several innovative policies and practices that have led to this outcome. The debate on online education and its impact on internationalization without physical mobility of students across borders are also presented here. Chapter 7 presents data on how education contributes to a nation’s ‘soft power’, and India’s role in capacity building in South & South East Asia and Africa. Finally, the book concludes with recommendations for Indian policy-makers and institutions on how best to make India an attractive host country for higher education.
Given its focus on higher education, the book does not delve too deeply into other areas and there is scope for the authors to consider education in a more holistic manner. Issues in higher education could also be linked to the problems of internationalization in school education which lays the foundations by shaping young minds. The University of Bath, for instance, has recently conducted a study on international-mindedness for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) which has pioneered internationalization of school curricula. Two common themes identified in the study were the ideas of ‘reaching out’ (how we interact with others) and ‘reaching in’ (how we understand ourselves in relation to others) (http://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2017/01/23/reaching-out-and-reaching-in-by-fostering-international-mindedness/). Using these ideas as an analytical framework, one would conclude that this book does a brilliant job on the theme of ‘reaching out’ in the context of higher education. Although the book mentions instances of India’s glorious past in the field of higher education, more research could be done on the ‘reaching in’ aspect, especially in the context of the debate on ‘saffronization’ of education in India (Mukul, 2015) and its potential impact on foreign students in this country. Since the author is part of a reputed private university that attracts several foreign students in one of India’s education hubs, there is scope in the future for some new empirical work on international students’ experiences in India. Research on the ‘reaching in’ aspect could also include an emphasis on a holistic and personalized approach to education, which is now being globally recognized. In Finland, for example, the concept of holism in education is captured by the phrase ‘education of the head, heart and hands’. Educators in India such as Rabindranath Tagore, Sri Aurobindo and J Krishnamurthi – all of whom have set up schools in India to experiment with and develop their ideas – have written extensively about their ideas on education in the English language, and these approaches may be better suited to the Indian ethos and culture. Higher education institutions could also develop a holistic curriculum that includes physical, emotional, mental, psychic and spiritual education (The Mother, 2002).
Although this book mentions the impact of international education on other areas of economic development, and recommends the inclusion of the commerce ministry along with human resources and external affairs, a more detailed view does not emerge; understandably so, given the book’s restricted scope and focus. While best practices have been identified from emerging economies, more research could be done on how India can learn from European and US universities. Europe and the US developed rural areas by locating reputed international universities in such areas close to large cities; location of educational hubs in rural areas close to but not in cities could contribute to rural development, capacity building and even decongestion of urban areas. However, such recommendations can come only with a holistic view of the interdependence of international education and larger economic development goals, and the authors admirably lay the foundations for a more holistic and systematic study.
On the whole, this book presents an excellent overview of higher education and makes a timely contribution to the debate on the new education policy in India.