ishita rawat | Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar (original) (raw)

Papers by ishita rawat

From time immemorial, India has excelled as a centre of learning. Ancient universities of repute,... more From time immemorial, India has excelled as a centre of learning. Ancient universities of repute, like the Nalanda, Takshashila attracted scholars from different corners of the world. The ancient system of education in the Vedic period was marked by the Brahmanical and the Buddhist systems of education. The Medieval era led to blending of cultures and to the advent of the Madrasa as an important centre of education. The British colonial rule in India grafted into the Indian society the system of education which was designed by the British for the maintenance of their imperial administration in India, called the Macaulay scheme of education. This forced inheritance made India feel the need for reconstruction far before independence, but it took effect post-independence. Motivated by the able leadership of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian system of higher education started expanding and was nourished time and again by various public policies and formation of different commissions and committees, like the University Education Commission (1948-49), foundation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 1956, Kothari Commission (1964-66), formulation of the first National Policy on Education (1968), and so on, till today, when an initiative of the Government of India is on to usher in and implement a New Education Policy. Sincerity has always reflected on part of the Government of India at all times to improve the higher education system through apt policies. However, despite the efforts, issues of access, equity, quality have frequently jaundiced the system, thereby raising the question of effectiveness of the policies. This paper intends to study the question of how conducive and effective the policy environment has been when promoting and improving higher education in India, by critically analyzing the different policies that have sometimes nourished, sometimes afflicted the system over time. Being on the brink of constructing a New Education Policy, it is essential to identify, isolate and hence rectify the erroneous policies, and by taking a critical and analytical journey through the higher education policies since independence, this paper fruitfully attempts to provide a clear picture of the advantages and disadvantages of the different policies that have been prevalent in India at different times since independence.

From time immemorial, India has excelled as a centre of learning. Ancient universities of repute,... more From time immemorial, India has excelled as a centre of learning. Ancient universities of repute, like the Nalanda, Takshashila attracted scholars from different corners of the world. The ancient system of education in the Vedic period was marked by the Brahmanical and the Buddhist systems of education. The Medieval era led to blending of cultures and to the advent of the Madrasa as an important centre of education. The British colonial rule in India grafted into the Indian society the system of education which was designed by the British for the maintenance of their imperial administration in India, called the Macaulay scheme of education. This forced inheritance made India feel the need for reconstruction far before independence, but it took effect post-independence. Motivated by the able leadership of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Indian system of higher education started expanding and was nourished time and again by various public policies and formation of different commissions and committees, like the University Education Commission (1948-49), foundation of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 1956, Kothari Commission (1964-66), formulation of the first National Policy on Education (1968), and so on, till today, when an initiative of the Government of India is on to usher in and implement a New Education Policy. Sincerity has always reflected on part of the Government of India at all times to improve the higher education system through apt policies. However, despite the efforts, issues of access, equity, quality have frequently jaundiced the system, thereby raising the question of effectiveness of the policies. This paper intends to study the question of how conducive and effective the policy environment has been when promoting and improving higher education in India, by critically analyzing the different policies that have sometimes nourished, sometimes afflicted the system over time. Being on the brink of constructing a New Education Policy, it is essential to identify, isolate and hence rectify the erroneous policies, and by taking a critical and analytical journey through the higher education policies since independence, this paper fruitfully attempts to provide a clear picture of the advantages and disadvantages of the different policies that have been prevalent in India at different times since independence.