There is need to renovate and restructure higher education curriculum so as to meet
the global challenges in terms of quality and relevance
Our higher educational system has not gone through substantial reforms
and changes vis-à-vis curriculum innovation over the past several years. We
continue to offer same post-graduate programmes in Science, Arts, Commerce,
Social Science and Education faculties since decades with little innovations
although their internal review and updation is carried out from time to time.
Consequently our curriculum is lacking in dynamism and flexibility and we are
failing to offer new programmes in tune with changing times and global trends.
On the contrary, multidisciplinary campuses of private universities that are
coming up across India are offering most innovative and modern courses to
students and we are terribly lagging behind in keeping pace with them. Rigidity
and paralysis of our course curriculum, improper selection, organization,
implementation and evaluation of curriculum content and its little relevance to
the needs of our society are some of the problems associated with our higher
education system. For any meaningful advancement to be made in our education
system a mid and long-term strategic orientation of our curriculum needs to be
undertaken and some time-bound goals need to be fixed to achieve the desired
results.
A core committee of experts from diverse fields needs to be framed that
will assume the responsibility of identification, design, restructuring and
renovation of the curriculum offered at college and university level in a
manner to make our courses learner-centered, problem-based and research-driven.
Curriculum renovation that is realistic and student-centered, that is quick in
rejuvenating and revitalizing hope and passion for acquisition of broad-based
knowledge that is worthwhile in a learner should be the focus of our higher
education structure. Methodology that will aid self discovery and
problem-solving ability which allows learners the opportunity for creativity
should be entrenched in our curriculum. Quality and relevance are the two main
features that curriculum development in our University system needs at present.
At the same time changes and innovations of our higher education system must
involve the emergence of elastic curricula models and educational policies
which emphasize interdisciplinary courses, open-ended systems, inter-generational
and inter-professional relationships and sustainability.
Lack of initiative, innovation, skills, independent constructive mindset
and creative ideals characterize today’s system of our higher education. We
need to shift from a system that encourages memorization in learning processes
and theoretical explanation to areas that need practical illustration. Our
present system favours cognitive development above other domains of education.
Therefore need of the hour is to keep pace with brisk technological
advancements in teaching learning process. There is need to modify conventional
teaching methodologies and introduce recent advances in technology into the
teaching-learning process. We must
switch over from chalk and talk to more interactive modes of teaching and
learning by making use of audio-visual aids, e-contents, databases, e-learning
objects etc. We should not lag behind in adopting the latest technology in
every sphere of our education system, be it in teaching, devising syllabi,
evaluation methods, certification and automation.
The
role of a teacher in our education should change from knowledge disseminator to
knowledge creator. At University level as well as college level, innovation and
greater diversification of our subjects is the need of the hour. For ages same
courses are being offered by our colleges and universities with little scope
for newer specializations and upcoming programmes. Therefore we need to offer
more specializations in all existing subjects and faculties and introduce new
subjects wherever not available at present, so that a broader choice is made
available to the students and they emerge as specialists in one specific area
rather than ending up being generalists.
There is need to start new courses like
industrial production, biomedical technology, nanotechnology, fashion
technology, microprocessor technology, embedded systems, nuclear science
technology, hotel management, microbiology, polymer chemistry, textile
chemistry, hydro-chemistry, petrochemistry, electro-chemistry, chemistry of
natural products, astrophysics, geophysics, nuclear physics, optical physics,
particle physics, economic botany, phytochemistry, phytomedicine,
phytopathology, entomology, paleontology, rural and urban management, hospital
management, investment management, education management, enterprise management,
entrepreneurship development, business law, e-commerce, corporate tax planning, consumer
protection, rural finance and credit, advertising, international business,
agricultural marketing, genetics, microbiology, cell biology, molecular
biology, biophysics and structural biology, immunology, biostatistics,
radiation biology, virology, privatization and deregulation, environmental
economics, political economy, public policy and regulation, resource economics,
visual communications, travel and tourism, interior design etc to name a few.
National
Knowledge Commission in its report for the period 2006-2009 has also stated
that innovation is a key driver of growth based on knowledge inputs and to ensure
quality, it has called for reform of existing universities to ensure frequent
curricular revisions, introduction of course credit systems, enhancing reliance
on internal assessment, encouraging research, and reforming governance of
institutions. The need for a paradigm shift from theoretical certification to a
practical application of knowledge necessary for skill development and self
employment should be the cardinal objectives of our education. Emphasis should
be on the changing needs of the society through reliance on the understanding
and application of new pedagogies and emerging technologies.
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