Madurai Kamaraj University

Here's another story about higher ed in India

High cut-offs push students to take up distance learning - Indian Express

 

(Sigh.) Looks like India now operates on the same theory that most Western nations now espouse. Everyone must go to University. Well, let's wait a few years and see how that works out for them, once everyone needs a degree, even to get a job cooking/serving bhindi masala!

Johann

 

I guess so, Steve. The real problem there is that so much of India is poor and mostly rural - 700,000+ villages. There are nearly 150 million young kids that are working - on labour contracts, when they should be in school. No - they have to worry about food - not University.

India does have a middle class approaching 200 millon -- plus many millions right below it hoping to crash the gates. That's where the "everybody must go to university" philosophy is. And this is why Indian Universities are rapidly creating distance education, teaching centres etc. The numbers are overwhelming. Sadly, it's also becoming an education fraud centre as well, these days. You know, I'm sure, we get enquiries on Indian less-than-wonderfuls here on DI.

Growing pains. :sad:

Johann

 

What is interesting to me is the impression that overseas universities in third world countries may be looked down upon. The US education system overall has been ranked fairly low in pre-college surveys. In personal experience with a few third world countries their standard of education in high school higher than here- I know quite a few parents who have had their children in american schools and when they return to their countries they have to repeat 1 or even 2 years of school to catch up. At the bachelor level more complicated, but I hardly get the impression at the bachelor level ( and I have seen this with employees) that US colleges are necessarily superior.
For some odd reason that i dont grasp, it appears at Master's level in several disciplines better US universities can be top notch- I say odd because before that level in my personal experience they dont seem that advanced before that level. Maybe a weeding out process occurs.
So in this global age I do not know why a school in India would be looked down upon- and someone attending such a school could be well-justified from a cost standpoint alone.
I have a B.Sc,MBA and MA, I might consider an Indian school for a PhD if the darn application process was smoother !

 

Indeed they could. And I think you'd likely find most of the usual suspects here would agree. They have good standards - and DL and British-style tutorial centres are becoming necessary to handle the huge influx. Everyone (who can) wants to go to university there. The country, although it has a middle class approaching 200,000,000 still has huge problems - e.g. nearly 150 million children who should be in school are working on labour contracts - so they and their impoverished parents can eat.

The problem (I think) is not how we in this forum generally view Indian universities. Our view may not be representative of that of some employers, who might look askance at an American who obtained a (perfectly good) distance degree from India -- although that same employer might jump at the chance to replace half his workforce with qualified Indians, brought over on contract at 60% to 70% of the going rate.

Johann

 

BTW - my endorsement of Indian Universities doesn't include the "less-than-wonderfuls," of which they have a few. The record numbers of Indians wanting to attend University has increased opprtunities for, and numbers of fraudulent schools in India considerably. This board gets a fair number of queries on those.

I hope that India can maintain its high University standards, now that "everybody" feels he/she must attend. It's certainly presented challenges for other countries.

Johann

 

more DL updates from India: IGNOU starts up new DL program involving food production.

Ignou offers distance learning certificate programme in organic farming - Times Of India

Ignou offers distance learning programme in cereals processing - Times Of India

Ignou offers distance learning programme in Fish Processing - Times Of India

and then this

Ignou offers distance learning programme in watershed management - The Times of India