hss-seminar-05
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences |
HSS Seminar
Higher Education in Contemporary China in the Reform Era by |
Sreemati Chakrabarti
Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi |
Saturday, March 21, 2014 at 11 AM Venue : Lecture Hall 3
All are cordially invited |
Abstract
Economic globalization and the emergence of the need for a knowledge economy are the two driving forces which have led to the reorientation of the higher education systems and universities the world over. Since the 1990s large numbers of universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) have reshaped their style of governance, streamlined their functioning and readjusted their priorities. Emerging economies like India and China with the additional factor of rapid economic growth found themselves in a situation where change was required in their higher education system in a variety of ways. Liberalization has brought about several new challenges to tertiary education in both the countries. These challenges have led to a phenomenal transformation of the higher education sector. Since the liberalization of their economies beginning in the 1980s in China and a decade later in India, the two states have adopted a host of policies and measures to ensure that tertiary education keeps pace with the speedy development of the nation’s economy. This transitional process has led to, and also in turn is guided by four factors. There has been a rapid expansion in enrollment and in the number of higher education institutions. The structures and essence of governance and administration of universities have changed (more in China than India) and continue to change. Privatization of the HEIs is being viewed as the best alternative to meet the growing demand for tertiary education. To create world-class universities to meet the challenge of high quality education internationalization has emerged as an important component of the activities of HEIs. The outcome of these policies and measures are having far-reaching consequences, some already visible and some others still unfolding. |
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