Coimbatore: The Indian higher education system is a sort of hybrid with more or less equal participation from government and private players and would benefit exponentially if both start complementing each other in their respective roles, Chairman and Managing Director of Skoda Auto India Ltd, Sudhir Rao, said here on Wednesday.
Stating this at the National Higher Education Conclave 2015, organised by CII here, he said the higher education system has been commendable in creating leaders who now rule the world.
Rao said that in the global arena, protecting the nation and its reputation was of paramount importance to bring in development. In this scenario, government has a legitimate role to play in supporting the stakeholders of the education sector without compromising on quality, he said.
Though regulation was important in keeping a tab on the quality of education, its nature should vary depending on the institution, keeping in mind the social objectives to be met when compared to the costs of education, he said.
As mature institutions have self-correcting mechanisms to maintain quality standards, the government, instead of regulating them, should focus on developing deserving institutes and it students, Rao said.
CII Coimbatore Zone chairman Dr K V Srinivasan stressed the importance of developing a strong linkage between industry and academia to bring in a transformational change in the higher education landscape.
Event chairman C R Swaminathan spoke of current trends affecting the higher education sector like employability of graduates, issues in accreditation and quality standards, policy changes, leveraging technology in course delivery and development of start up ecosystem.
In his inaugural address, Navas Meeran, past CII Chairman, (Southern Region), said promoting industry-institute interaction was of critical importance in harnessing the demographic dividend of the country.
S Malarvizhi, conclave co-chairperson and chairperson and managing trustee, Sri Krishna institutions, said stakeholders from across the sector would work together to bring in a transformational change in the higher education landscape.
The theme of the two-day conclave was 'Governance and Quality Systems in Higher Education.'
