Education for global economic prosperity
For centuries India has been a leading center of learning. As of now, India has the second largest higher educational system in the world offering quality education in a wide spectrum of areas like engineering, technology, medicine, management, humanities, social sciences, biotechnology, agriculture etc. Although the quality of education in India is globally recognized, the majority of our educational institutions are yet to achieve acceptable quality standards to become international players.
Among the countries in Asia, India has the best opportunity to become a global destination for quality education at international standards, capable of attracting students from all over the world. Today global education is a huge market dominated by the US and the European countries, especially the UK. By making use of the enormous potential in India to become a hub of education, India could easily tap the education market in Asia. Education is not to be seen anymore just as a means to get a job or to make a livelihood, but we need to embrace the philosophy that education is for the economic growth of the society.
To me this is the right time for us to think of building our brands, by substantial improvements in terms of quality, professionalism and competitiveness. Perhaps, off-shoring India’s higher education is going to be the next big thing for us to watch.
Today, for the majority of the average middle class population in India, education has become one of the top most priority areas. They spend almost 15-20 percent of their income on education and career building of their children. A foreign degree and a career abroad have always been a dream and will continue to be so in future for our people. Realizing this great opportunity, foreign universities and institutions are competing in every possible way to enter the Indian market. The HRD Ministry at the center is flooded with applications from foreign universities looking for Indian tie-ups. While going for foreign collaborations our emphasis should be more on strengthening our system to meet world standards than just to help our youth to get global exposure. The right choices and the right partnerships can make a lasting difference and help transform our higher education sector to become an international player.
SCMS Group is now actively involved in expanding opportunities for international academic collaborations that will not only help keep SCMS competitive, but will also drive global innovation and economic prosperity.
Dr.G.P.C.Nayar
Chairman, SCMS Group
