Page 1 of 7

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 356

Origination, Fertilization and Recommendation of

Indian Higher Education

Dr. Dhruv Shankar

Department of Applied Science and Humanities

Krishna Institute of Technology, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract:

India has been a paradise of learning

since the immemorial span of the 5th

century. In ancient India, education

whether it is higher or lower was imparted

under the umbrella of Gurukul system. All

the gigantic milestones of literary

achievement ‒ The Vedas, The Puranas,

The Ramayana and The Mahabharata etc.

‒ sing the songs of ancient glory that was

originated from the parameters of Indian

higher education. In addition, the ancient

universities of higher education such as

Takshashila and Nalanda were the

surviving sources of fascination and

acquisition for the scholars of the whole

world. The Britishers can be traced for

launching many renowned institutions ‒

Madras University, Bombay University

and Kolkata University which are

noticeable for procuring a significant

modification in the field of higher

education. Nowadays, both the central

government and the state governments are

striving to nourish the endowment of the

country through the dilatation of higher

education. In 1951, India had 30

universities and 695 colleges. This number

has been aggravated to 634 universities

and 33023 colleges upto 2011. In the same

sequence, India has acquired the third

largest higher educational structure in the

world, next to China and the United States

of America. However, the number of

universities and colleges has been

extended, there is inequality as well as

dissimilarity in the maturation of Indian

higher education. Moreover, poor

infrastructure, scarcity of skilled man

power and malpractices are the

impediments of qualitative higher

education. Therefore, it is the duty of the

U.G.C. and A.I.C.T.E. to form more

efficacious rules and regulations over the

standard of higher education so that the

tree of higher education may flourish with

the fruits of versatile growth and produce

qualitative force of learning, training and

gaining. Thus, this paper, fundamentally,

aims at origination, fertilization and

recommendation of Indian higher

education.

Keywords: Education, higher, origin,

fertilization, growth, barrier and

recommendation etc.

Meaning and Definition of Education:

The term ‘education’ ‒ originated from the

Latin word ‘Educare’ ‒ has assumed a

wider meaning in the 21

st century.

Education is the process by which children

are brought up under the dominating

influence of particular manners, habits and

ways of life so that their mental and

physical abilities may be developed.

Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines

the term ‘education’ as ‘the systematic

Page 2 of 7

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 357

instruction, schooling, or training of

children and young people, or, by

extension, instruction obtained in adult

life; the whole course of such instruction

received by a person’.1 Furthermore,

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged

Dictionary specifies the term ‘education’

as ‘the act or process of imparting or

acquiring general knowledge, developing

the powers of reasoning and judgement,

and generally of preparing oneself or

others intellectually for mature life’.2

Considering very well the theme of

education, Swami Vivekananda said:

“Education is not the amount of

information that is put into your brain and

remains there, undigested, all your life. We

must have life-building, man-making,

character-building, assimilating fine ideas

and making them your life and character,

you have more education than any man

who has got by heart a whole library.”3

Thus, education is the movement of human

development that strengthens and richens

global environment. In fact, it is the

fundamental principal that develops an

individual at both spiritual and material

level.

Meaning of Higher Education: Higher

Education (higher + education) is a

compound word. It indicates the education

that is imparted at the higher stages of

teaching-learning process. Moreover, it is

‘the education beyond high school, esp.

that provided by colleges and graduate and

professional schools’.4 As a matter of fact,

Higher education is the process of

developing and training the powers of

human nature and the keystone of all

nationalistic undertakings which are

carried out for the welfare of the whole

humanity. Sustainability and prosperity of

a nation depend on the healthy atmosphere

of higher education. Apart from primary

and secondary education, higher education

is the principal implement for

multidimensional growth and

modification. Moreover, it has an

operative and generative force that builds

the skilled human race and face.

Origination and Fertilization of Indian

Higher Education: The process of Indian

education originated with the Gurukul

system. This kind of school in India was

residential in nature with the Shishyas

(students) and the Guru (teacher) living in

the vicinity of the same dwelling place.

The word ‘gurukul’ is contraction of the

Sanskrit word ‘guru’ (teacher or master)

and ‘kula’ (extended family). Although the

guru did not long to get any fee from the

Shishya studying with him, at the end of

the studies, the shishya offered the guru

dakshina before leaving the gurukul or

ashram. The gurudakshina was a

traditional indication of acknowledgement,

regard and gratitude to the guru which

might be pecuniary or functionary. In

addition, the gurukulas were supported,

donated and activated by both public and

political dominations. Gurukul was a

prevailing method of education even in the

Vedic era.

Takshashila University, founded

around 2700 years ago, is considered to be

one of the earliest universities in the world.

Indeed, it was a renowned centre for

higher education which continued to

attract the students from all over the world

to obtain the knowledge of different

disciplines such as Vedas, philosophy,

ayurveda, agriculture, archery, astronomy,

Page 3 of 7

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 358

futurology, music and dance etc. About its

height, it is a widespread fact that

Takshashila had achieved a kind of

“intellectual suzerainty” over other Indian

higher universities. The prominent and

most celebrated achievers of this

university include Chanakya, Panini,

Charak, Vishnu Sharma and Jivaka etc.

The praiseworthy factor of the university

was that it provided education not only

rich students paying something as a tribute

or acknowledgement but also poor

students coming from different parts of the

globe.

Other than that mentioned, Nalanda

University was established during early 5th

century and blossomed for 600 years till

12th century. Nalanda was the world’s first

university that had residential quarters for

both students and teachers. In addition, it

had many spacious lecture-halls designed

for effective higher education. Students

from countries like Korea, Japan, China,

Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey came

to study in this university. The library of

this university was the largest one that had

thousands of manuscriptal volumes on

various subjects ‒ grammar, logic,

literature, astrology, astronomy and

medicine. In 2010, Indian government

passed a bill to revive the ancient Nalanda

University as a modern Nalanda

International University. Many East Asian

countries ‒ China, Singapore and Japan

have stepped forward to fund for the

construction of this university. Moreover,

there are some other universities ‒

Vikramashila University, Valabhi

University, Pushpagiri University,

Odantapuri University and Somapura

University etc. ‒ that played a vital role for

the improvement and betterment of the

ancient higher education. All these

universities intensify the well-known fact

that the ancient India was the golden bird

not only in the field of monetization but

also in the state of higher education.

Furthermore, all the prodigious milestones

of literary production ‒ The Vedas, The

Puranas, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, The

Ramayana and The Mahabharata etc.‒

highlight the scholastic glorification of

pedantic India.

In the field of Indian higher

education, the Britishers also played a

discernible role as they established a

number of higher universities and

institutions. The noteworthy universities

among them are Kolkata University,

Bombay University, Madras University

and Aligarh Muslim University. In

addition, some engineering colleges were

also founded such as Thomson College

(now IIT Roorkee) in 1847, Bengal

Engineering College (now Bengal

Engineering and Science University) in

order that civil engineers might be trained

for Indian Public Works Department. In

furtherance of this reference, in 1909,

Indian Institute of Science was established

by philanthropist Jamshetji Tata for the

technical upliftment of Indian Higher

Education. By the 1930s India had got 10

institutions proffering engineering and

technological courses.

Since 1947, central government

and state governments have been trying to

rear Indian talent through extending the

number of Universities and Colleges of

higher education. In 1951, there were 30

universities and 695 colleges in India. This

calculation has been enlarged to 564

universities and 33023 colleges upto