Quest for World-Class Institutions in India

Prof. Philip Altbach defined India as "A World-Class Country without World-Class Higher Education." Recently, World Bank released a report entitled The Challenge of Establishing World-Class Universities (Jamil Salmi). It highlights that "Becoming a member of the exclusive group of world-class universities is not achieved by self-declaration; rather, elite status is conferred by the outside world on the basis of international recognition" (p. 15). This is critical as numerous institutions in India have declared themselves to be "world-class." For example, IIPM defines itself to be India's Global B-School; proposed Vedanta University aspires to be a world class and even Prime Minister of India has announced establishment of 14 world class universities in XIth five-year plan. Going by the number of "self-declared" world-class institutions in India, we may end up having more world-class institutions in India than in any other part of the world. This implies that:
1. Definition of world-class university is contextual and subjective at one level

2. At another level, there is a need for defining world-class university in the Indian context for better execution of the vision

World Bank report provides a interesting framework for building world-class universities by leveraging three complementary sets of factors:

(a) a high concentration of talent (faculty and students)

(b) abundant resources to offer a rich learning environment and to conduct advanced research

(c) favorable governance features that encourage strategic vision, innovation, and flexibility and that enable institutions to make decisions and to manage resources without being encumbered by bureaucracy

Likewise, Altbach suggested a combination of conditions and resources for creating world-class universities:

1. Sustained financial support, with an appropriate mix of accountability and autonomy

2. The development of a clearly differentiated academic system—including private institutions—in which academic institutions have different missions, resources, and purposes

3. Managerial reforms and the introduction of effective administration

4. Truly meritocratic hiring and promotion policies for the academic profession, and similarly rigorous and honest recruitment, selection, and instruction of students

Indian institutions need to recognize that achieving world-class standards requires strong committment to global best practices adapted to the local context.