Vedanta University: Building a 100,000 Student Top Level Research Institution from Scratch

Philip G. Altbach is quite pessimistic about Vedanta University's chances. Ouch:

The latest grandiose and probably unrealistic idea for establishing a world-class university is Anil Agarwal's Vedanta University, which is planned to be opened in 2008 in the state of Orissa, India. Mining magnate Agarwal has pledged an initial $1 billion for this project. International architects have been hired, the authorities in Orissa are on board, and a group of academic leaders is being hired from around the world. The idea is to create a university with 100,000 students, offering degrees in the major fields and stressing an interdisciplinary approach. While the details of the university's organization have not been revealed, it is intended to look like Harvard and Stanford. While it is always a good deed when one of the world's richest men takes an interest in higher education, it is unlikely that Vedanta University will achieve the desired results, no matter how much money Mr. Agarwal spends on it.

Big Plans for Higher Education in India

We really don't at the moment know how to better express this than by a relatively large quite from this article. Setting up 30 new central universities in 10 years? Changing student fees from covering 5% to covering 20 percent of operational costs during the same time frame? Just looking at the advertisements on the web page is illustrative of a culture gap:

These are exciting times for higher education in the country. The 11th five year Plan document proposes an almost 10-fold increase in outlay for higher and technical education. The planners have set ambitious targets — to attract 15% students passing out of class XII (from the current 10%) into higher education by 2012 and 22% by 2017. The way to do this, they say, is to expand and upgrade on an unprecedented scale.

In the new Plan, there’s more of everything — 30 new central universities are to be set up, seven IITs and IIMs, 10 National Institute of Technology, five research institutes to be called Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, 20 IIITs, two schools of architecture and 330 colleges in educationally backward districts. All this is in line with the PM’s announcement in his August 15 speech this year.

Infrastructure in existing universities and institutions is also in for major upgradation. Among the big beneficiaries of these special grants will be 17 yet-to-identified central universities which will get Rs 3,298 crore. Besides, 39 engineering institutes will receive a whopping Rs 6,749 crore, again for ramping up infrastructure. A good dose of funds has also been set aside for upgrading agriculture, management and medical institutions.

But this money comes with a plan. The document envisions wide-ranging reforms in the way higher education is imparted and much of the fund allocation has been tied up to the beneficiary institute carrying out structural changes. Some of these proposals are likely to trigger debate and attract controversy.

For instance, the document seeks to raise fees for higher education to up to 20% of operational costs, which is 5% at present. "Higher education is highly subsidized. The document seeks to reduce this subsidy to improve quality of education," said Bhalchandra Mungekar, member Planning Commission.