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“Education gives hope to even the hopeless”
Dr. Moodithaya has worked as the chairperson of Board of Studies, Board of Examiners and Research Committees of many Universities. He has completed research projects funded by organizations like Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, Karnataka State Agriculture and Marketing Board, NABARD, Ford Foundation, ICSSR, Sir Ratan Tata Trust etc. He is widely traveled in India and abroad and visited countries like USA, Japan, UK, France, Switzerland, Kenya, UAE, Ethiopia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Uganda, Germany, Belgium, Oman, Philippines, South Africa, Netherlands and China on research and consultancy assignments. The last three months of 2009, Dr. Moodithaya was invited to University of Pennsylvania, USA as a visiting Scholar.
E.P - Tell us something about your institution.
Dr. M S Moodithaya - Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management (JKSHIM) is one among the top ranking B-Schools of the country actively engaged in management education, research and consultancy services. The Institute is part of Nitte Education Trust, Mangalore, which is running 26 professional educational institutions from three of its campuses located at Nitte, Mangalore and Bangalore. Founded by late Justice K S Hegde, the Trust offers graduate and post graduate programs- including doctoral degrees in disciplines like Medicine, Dentistry, Engineering, Management and many para-medical areas. The research wing of the Institute has undertaken several evaluation and research assignments funded by organizations like Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT), ICSSR, NABARD, Government of India, Ford Foundation, IIBF etc.
E.P - What according to you is a real cause of concern for higher studies in the country?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - We need to appreciate that India is at a critical juncture today. On the one hand it is a fast growing economy waiting to take its position as a global force. On the other hand, it faces the challenge of leveraging its vast demographic potential by educating and training over 13 crore people in the age group of 18-23 years with skills and capabilities needed in a modern knowledge based economy. But it is unfortunate that the Indian higher education system is still struggling to address the challenges of expansion, inclusion and excellence. While the government of India has set a target of 21% Gross Enrollment Ratio (percentage of population enrolling for education from the age group of 18-23)) by the end of the 12th plan (2017) the same today is only at 12.4%. If this target is to be achieved we will need many more universities, colleges and qualified teachers.
E.P - Don’t you think that with the mushrooming of institutions in many parts of the country we are seeing many institutions which are lacking technical expertise in spite of charging extremely high fees?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - It is true that, in a sense there is mushrooming growth of educational institutions. We have more than 500 universities, 26000 colleges and 14 lakh students pursuing different courses in different parts of the country. But, we must also appreciate that while the global average of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) is 23%, India’s GER is at an abysmal 12.4% as discussed earlier. The average GER for Asian countries is at 22% and for developed nations at 54.6%. Therefore, to realize the great Indian dream in a globalised environment; we need many more institutions in the country. Added to this, there is a regional imbalance in the availability of opportunities for higher education. While Bangalore alone produces nearly 65,000 engineers almost equivalent to what is being produced in the United States, in some of the states, especially in the North East, the opportunities are really bad. Maintenance of Quality standards obviously is a daunting challenge. Several studies have revealed that more than 85% of our engineers are not employable! The short supply of quality education creates distortions in the market leading to even exploitation of students by charging exorbitant fees.
E.P - Can we comfortably say that higher education is only for the rich and privileged class of people as the trend suggests?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - It would be wrong to generalize that quality higher education would be the privilege of the “rich” and the “connected”. Through State intervention, we can ensure that higher education is accessible and affordable to the needy in this country. Considering the magnitude of the problem, the State alone can not be the player in the higher education space. Quality education, whether provided by the State or private sector would come at a cost. In the changed circumstances, the end users will have to bear the mounting costs leading to increased fees. Possibly in the days to come, like in other developed nations students will have to rely more and more on educational loans. With improving opportunities for the educated in the emerging knowledge economy, one would be in a position to reap rich dividends on his investments on higher education if the skills acquired are put to best use.
E.P - What is your impression of the North East?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - The Northeastern states, though blessed with natural endowments are short of advanced factors. They are crying for serious development interventions and good governance. Since there is a direct relationship between development, governance and higher education, these states should concentrate more on harnessing the human capital through quality education. There is a need for making higher education available within the states, based on the demands of the regional requirements. Education gives hope to even the hopeless.
E.P - What according to you is the real cause of migration of a large number of students of the North East to the metros?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - The socio, economic political compulsions, coupled by the attractions of well known centers of excellence in higher education outside the states is causing the migration of students from the Northeastern states. Moving out in search of opportunities is not a new phenomenon. Globalization has in fact strengthened this trend.
E.P - Do you have any specific suggestions for the policy makers of the North East for the development of the region with regard to education?
Dr. M S Moodithaya - If this trend is to be checked we need to create opportunities for both education and employment in these states. There is a need for starting some more universities and institutions with an emphasis on quality education in the Northeastern states. This should not be just the concern of the state governments but even a commitment of the central government. These states need special grants for capacity building, teachers training and public - private partnership in building centres of excellence in higher education. Through creation of special funds, the local institutions should be encouraged to collaborate with centres of excellence in India and abroad. Students, teachers and academic administrators too can gain from student exchanges, faculty exchanges and twinning programs through collaborative initiatives. With our cost advantages and talent pool we can certainly create a sustainable competitive advantage for our higher education system.
