Sunday, October 16, 2011

Indian Higher Legal Education Needs Reforms

Higher education in India is suffering from many deficiencies and irregularities. These include lack of practical training, academic nature of education, absence of skills development, corruption, lack of research capabilities, etc.

Universities and colleges are engaging in all sorts of undesirable behaviours and practices and this is affecting the higher education and research oriented courses like PhDs. Indian government is also not very much enthusiastic in curing these deficiencies and eliminating the irregularities.

This guest column is analysing all these irregularities and illegalities happening in the higher education field in India. Law minister Salman Khurshid and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal must urgently intervene to save higher education in India in general and higher legal education in India in particular.

There is no second opinion about the fact that legal education in India needs urgent reforms. This is more so regarding higher legal education in India that is in really bad shape. Despite many suggested measures, higher legal education in India is still in a very poor state.

This is also the reason why continuing professional legal education in India has failed miserably. Further, this is also the reason why PhDs in India are almost extinct as far as legal education is concerned.

Naturally, higher legal education in India is in doldrums. Vast spread corruption has destabilised the higher education in India. These are serious issues that must be resolved by both the education minister and law minister of India.

Higher legal educational reforms in India must comprise of many essential elements. Transparency to support for higher legal research and education in India are essential components of the same.

These days news of international cooperation in the field of education between India and other nations is in abundance. However, that is just stressing upon the outer shell without curing the diseased inner core of decaying educational system of India.

India needs to urgently take care of the fallacies and deficiencies of its educational system that is not serving any purpose except brain drain. The sooner we do this the better Indian education system would be.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Is Corruption Undermining The Higher Education In India?

India is projecting itself as a global education hub. This claim seems to be exaggerated and far from realities. Before claiming India as a global educational hub we must have a reality check. Do we have qualitative education in India? Do we encourage research and novelty in India? Do we discourage corruption and arbitrariness in India so that education can be qualitative?

The answers to these questions seem to be in negative. Neither have we qualitative education in India nor our educational system is free from arbitrariness and corruption. Our educational system is academic in nature that is far from developing skills and practical acumen in our educated masses.

The truth is that PhDs in India are dying despite our boastful claims. Higher education in India needs to be rescued from arbitrariness, lack of transparency, corruption and other vices.

Take the example of higher legal education in India. The truth is that higher legal education in India is in jeopardy. The same is so tardy, troublesome and difficult to be successfully achieved that a majority of researchers do not wish to engage in the same. Even if some dare to go for higher education in India, the flawed educational system of India does not allow successful completion of the same.

While India is making lots of efforts to make Indian educational system qualitative in nature yet till corruption and arbitrariness is eradicated all such efforts would be futile.

Time has come to question and punish those who have made Indian educational system a menace and breeding ground for corruption. Unless this is done, all educational development initiatives of India would fail.

Higher Legal Education In India Is Dying

In this guest column, Praveen Dalal, managing partner of India’s exclusive techno legal ICT and IP law firm Perry4Law, has shared his recent communication with Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid. This communication has drawn the attention of these two ministers towards the decaying standards of higher legal education in India.

Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid are two of the most Important and Learned Politicians of India. If we have to take care of the “Deteriorating Conditions” of Higher Legal Research and Education in India, their “active participation and continuous attention” is a must.

While Kapil Sibal has been working hard in the field of Higher Education Cooperation with United States and other Countries, yet in our own Nation Higher Education Standards are not upto the mark and are prone to various “Corrupt Practices” and “Arbitrary Decision Making”.

Recently, I sent E-Mails to both Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid and brought to their notice the deteriorating conditions of Higher Legal Education in India. This is the excerpts/relevant portion of the same.

“I hope this E-Mail would find you in the best your Health and Strength.

Although I can wish a Good Health for You but I am afraid I cannot expect the same from our Dying Educational System, especially our Legal Educational System. I am personally acquainted of this decaying of our Legal Education in India.

Higher Legal Education is a must for Country like India. Being a Pioneer in Legal Fraternity and then as a Productive and Useful Member of Parliament, You are Yourself aware of the importance of Legal Education in India. However, Higher Legal Education in India is in “Doldrums”.

Corruption and Lack of Transparency has eaten up the Good Legal Standards and quality that was once a “Benchmark” of our Legal Education. Whether it is the “Funds” for PhD Candidates or other Financial and Non Financial Facilities, Legal Researchers are finding it really difficult to do PhD except by “Compromising” with Moral and Ethical Standards.

A person like Me, who believes in Transparency and Lack of Corruption, is seldom satisfied with the Legal Education of India. While I would prefer a Foreign University to do my PhD due to these “Irregularities” yet I hope You would not allow this “Negative Precedent” to repeat in the future. I hope You can do a “Great Service” to this Nation by eliminating the “Factors” that are responsible for the deaths of PhD in India”.

If PhD is a “Breeding Ground” for Corrupt Practices and Irregularities, there is no scope for Higher Legal Education in India. I hope the two Learned Ministers would take an immediate and urgent note of this “Precarious Situation”.