Private university and privatization of higher education
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 18, 2014 -

It sounds sweet and soothing. The Government has at last woken up to the growing need for higher educational institutes in the State.

After the existing Manipur University and Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus Manipur (IGNTU-RCM) which are both central universities, the State Government, more precisely the State Cabinet has adopted a bold decision to set up two more universities; one at Imphal and the other at Churachandpur.

The State Cabinet has already named the two proposed universities.

One is Dhanamanjuri University and the other would have ‘Sangai’ in its name in accordance to the wish of the State Government though the exact name has not been finalized.

Interestingly, the university which would be named after Sangai is a private university.

Though it is not yet clear which foreign or Indian private universities or educational groups would be invited to set up a private university in Manipur, it would definitely open a new chapter in the State’s education sector.

A new chapter about privatization of higher education sector in the State.

Primary and high school level education has been already privatized to the core as testified by the ever diminishing number of students in Government schools.

Unlike in the colonial era, higher education is no longer an exclusive domain of select individuals, today there is a highly motivated drive to make our world a knowledge society as advocated by leading academicians across the world.

In another word, like primary education, higher education should be made accessible to all the people. Viewed from this perspective, the Cabinet decision to set up two more universities is highly commendable.

No doubt, tens of hundreds of graduates are going to different cities of India and abroad for higher studies every year.

Now a private university and a State funded university are coming up in the State. The private university would be making the first inroad into the State of Manipur.

This would be a totally new experience for the State as well as the university. Here one pertinent question arises.

Will the private university be cost effective enough for the larger sections of the students of Manipur? Or will it cater to needs of some selected, moneyed class?

Higher education entails huge expenditures. The expenditure multiplies manifold if the universities happen to be private institutes.

Most students would definitely love to live in their home town/State and pursue higher education.

But many would certainly choose to go outside the State if pursuing higher education in a private university in Manipur is costlier than pursuing higher education in a Government university outside the State.

Another reading is that existing colleges in Manipur and for that matter the entire North East region are failing to fulfill the academic and professional aspirations of the young scholars of the region.

The State’s lawmakers as well as policy planners must not, under any circumstances, under estimate the magnitude of the gap between demand and supply for higher education in the State.

The Government must not overlook the fact that education is the bedrock of all human civilization, and for uniform development of all sections of society, the opportunity for higher, quality education should be given to one and all.

At the end, we would like to say that the decision to introduce private university in the impoverished State of Manipur demands exhaustive studies and deeper analysis.