THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 14, 2018 - Topic 1
In its report on higher education for the Twelfth
Plan, the working group of the erstwhile Planning Commission identified
expansion, inclusion and excellence as the three pillars for growth. The NDA
government had the theme of excellence in its 2016 annual budget, with a
proposal to make 10 institutions each in the public and private sectors
globally competitive. The challenge of excellence is to develop liberal
institutions founded on academic rigour, high scholarship and equitable access
for all classes of students.
Quite ambitiously, the Ministry of Human Resource
Development has taken the decision to give Institution
of Eminence (IoE) status to six institutes, three
each from the public and private sectors. Potentially, this will help the
select few rise above the many State, Central and private universities,
national-level institutes of technology, science, management and humanities,
and attract talent. While it is a creditable achievement, the recognition
raises the bar for the chosen few: the IITs at Mumbai and Delhi and the IISc in
the public category, and BITS Pilani and the Manipal Academy of Higher
Education, which are private. Giving the tag to Jio Institute, which is yet to
come up, generated understandable controversy. It should be ensured that this
conditional recognition is fulfilled transparently, and that it meets the
requirements on governance structure, infrastructure and faculty within three
years.
The idea of developing centres of higher learning
advances the Nehruvian vision of building ‘temples of modern India’. The IoEs
can become models of autonomy, academic innovation and equity of access, and
lead to a transformation of higher
education. That there is need for urgent reform
became clear during the selection process: the empowered committee found that
State universities had a low output because some of them had several faculty
members recruited on contract basis, with no incentive to do research. Such ad
hocism must end, and public universities should be insulated from political
pressures. Vice-chancellors should be appointed on merit, free of ideological
biases. With good governance structures and significant new financial grants,
the selected public institutions will be able to innovate on courses and
encourage research. The growth of these and other national institutions will
also depend on policies to raise the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of
GDP. Among countries with a comparable research output, India with 0.8% R&D
spending trails Russia, Brazil, South Korea and even Singapore, according to
Unesco data. Islands of eminence can inspire, but the long-term goal should be
to raise the quality of higher education in all institutions through academic
reform. The quality is uneven, and at the bottom levels, abysmal. At the same
time, initiatives by charitable trusts — which have declined due to political
support for commercialisation and aid cuts — must be welcomed, as this would
help open more affordable colleges and universities.
Vocabulary
Erstwhile: former.
Example: His
erstwhile rivals
Synonyms: former, old, past, one-time, sometime, ex-, late, then, previous
Expansion: the
action of becoming larger or more extensive.
Example: The
rapid expansion of suburban Washington
Synonyms: growth, increase
in size, enlargement, extension, development
Excellence: the
quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
Example: The
award for excellence in engineering
Synonyms: distinction, quality, superiority, brilliance, greatness, merit, caliber
Rigour: the
quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate.
Example: His
analysis is lacking in rigor
Synonyms: meticulousness, thoroughness, carefulness, diligence, scrupulousness
Ambitious: having
or showing a strong desire and determination to succeed.
Example: His
mother was hard-working and ambitious for her four children
Synonyms: aspiring, determined, forceful, pushy, enterprising, motivated, enthusiastic
Creditable: deserving
public acknowledgment and praise but not necessarily outstanding or successful.
Example: A
very creditable 2–4 defeat
Synonyms: commendable, praiseworthy, laudable, admirable, honorable
Controversy: disagreement,
typically when prolonged, public, and heated.
Example: He
sometimes caused controversy because of his forceful views
Synonyms: disagreement, dispute, argument, debate, dissension, contention
Innovation: the
action or process of innovating.
Example: An
alliance allows its partners to speed up the processes of innovation and market
expansion.
Synonyms: change, alteration, revolution, upheaval, transformation, metamorphosis
Autonomy: the
right or condition of self-government, especially in a particular sphere.
Example: Tatarstan
demanded greater autonomy within the Russian Federation
Significant: sufficiently
great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.
Example: A
significant increase in sales
Synonyms: notable, noteworthy, worthy
of attention, remarkable, important
Eminence: fame
or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or profession.
Example: Her
eminence in cinematography
Synonyms: fame, celebrity, illustriousness, distinction, renown, preeminence, notability
Affordable: inexpensive
Example: Affordable
housing
