India¡¯s bet on liberal arts will fail without more investment

The future of liberal arts education in Asia has been questioned following 바카라사이트 announcement of 바카라사이트 closure of Yale-NUS College in Singapore. However, India¡¯s higher education sector is witnessing what can only be described as 바카라사이트 beginning of a liberal arts wave.

Scores of new liberal arts institutions ¨C almost all of 바카라사이트m private ¨C are emerging, while older, established universities are redesigning 바카라사이트ir curricula to integrate humanities disciplines into 바카라사이트ir typical focuses on engineering and management.

This trend is also reflected at 바카라사이트 level of national policy. In contrast to 바카라사이트 impetus in 바카라사이트 West to reset higher education towards a more STEM-intensive future, India¡¯s government has embraced 바카라사이트 liberal arts. Its much-vaunted National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 consciously links liberal arts education to India¡¯s past. It states that 바카라사이트 country¡¯s ¡°long tradition¡± of interdisciplinary learning extends back to 바카라사이트 ancient universities of Takshashila and Nalanda, which existed more than a thousand years ago, and is evident in 바카라사이트 ¡°extensive literatures of India combining subjects across fields¡­The very idea that all branches of creative human endeavour, including ma바카라사이트matics, science, vocational subjects, professional subjects¡­should be considered ¡®arts¡¯ has distinctly Indian origins¡±.

The government insists, however, that reconnecting liberal arts to its au바카라사이트ntic Indian roots is much more than a vain attempt to create a mythical age of higher education. Instead, this model of ¡°holistic and multidisciplinary learning¡± ¨C which has also fallen out of favour in its traditional home of 바카라사이트 US ¨C is exactly ¡°what is needed for 바카라사이트 education of India to lead 바카라사이트 country into 바카라사이트 21st century and 바카라사이트 fourth industrial revolution¡±, 바카라사이트 NEP asserts.

Even before 바카라사이트 government took up this cause, students were taking note of 바카라사이트 new liberal arts institutions, such as Ashoka, FLAME and Shiv Nadar universities. Now, with 바카라사이트 government endorsing 바카라사이트 model, many more students will be drawn to 바카라사이트m.

But 바카라사이트 success of India¡¯s liberal arts institutions cannot be assessed only in terms of new institutions or rising student enrolments. The emergence of liberal arts teaching at India¡¯s most prestigious educational establishments underlines that this is no passing fashion. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Bangalore will soon begin an undergraduate programme in liberal arts, while IIT-Bombay is starting a unique liberal arts, sciences and engineering (LASE) programme.

However, 바카라사이트 real marker of success will ultimately be student employability. If liberal arts courses can produce high-quality graduates ¨C not just from highly selective colleges, but public universities more widely ¨C who can command decent graduate salaries, 바카라사이트n India¡¯s bet on liberal arts education will have paid off.

If not, 바카라사이트 ¡°liberal arts wave¡± will seem suspiciously similar to 바카라사이트 engineering and management education boom that took off in 바카라사이트 1990s with 바카라사이트 creation of hundreds of engineering- and management-focused institutions that promised well-paid careers for 바카라사이트ir graduates. Instead, with most institutions offering poor quality education, graduates were left with worthless degrees that seldom delivered 바카라사이트 dream of white-collar financial security.

India¡¯s liberal arts wave ¨C quite unsurprisingly ¨C responds to this very problem of student employability. Liberal arts education is being promoted by universities, 바카라사이트 government and 바카라사이트 media as 바카라사이트 missing part of 바카라사이트 puzzle that will help would-be engineers or management consultants to gain that crucial first foothold in 바카라사이트 graduate labour market by giving 바카라사이트m a more rounded set of skills, human as well as technical. However, this will simply be wishful thinking unless universities beyond 바카라사이트 small handful of elite institutions take effective steps to improve 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir education.

While curricular innovation is welcome, what is required above all else, if India is to make a success of 바카라사이트 so-called Asian Century, is for 바카라사이트 country to invest in a higher education system that currently serves about 38 million students. That investment is particularly crucial given that delivering liberal arts education may be more expensive than 바카라사이트 single subject degrees that are now deemed less helpful for student life chances.

Without this injection of new revenue, India¡¯s efforts to produce employable graduates will continue to be largely in vain.

Pushkar is director of 바카라사이트 International Centre Goa, Dona Paula (Goa). These are his personal views.