A spate of articles in editorials and opinion pieces regularly bemoans the deplorable state of the higher education system in our country. Common criticisms include a lack of infrastructure, insufficient teaching staff, a skewed PTR (Pupil Teacher ratio), and the perceived hasty rollout of the New Education Policy (NEP). These charges, often led by a section of the teaching community, are typically rooted in long standing legacies. However, the deeper issue lies not just in these surface complaints, but in a reluctance to address fundamental, structural challenges within higher education.

While many criticisms focus on surface-level problems, more critical, foundational issues are undermining the effectiveness of our education system. Sharpening our understanding of the core challenges is essential to meaningful reform. To assess the veracity of the much-touted allegations, it would be fair to begin by looking at some numbers. As per the AISHE (All India Survey on Higher Education) Report 2022-23, the number of universities, both State Public and State private, has increased to 1,168 in 2021-22, up from 903 in 2017-18. While student enrolments have increased, there has also been an increase in the teaching population from 1,284,755 to 1,597,688. Optically, the numbers do not create a fire alarm. The issue is more layered and therefore deserves a further drill-down.

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A deep dive into the available information on inadequate infrastructure and teaching resources reveals an interesting paradox. It shows that the groundswell in student enrolment is mainly happening in district colleges where first-time learners are filling up classrooms, creating an infrastructure shortage. Contrastingly, in prestigious institutions like JNU, Jadavpur University, Presidency University, to name a few, seats in subjects like Economics and Chemistry are going empty. Clearly, infrastructure is........

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