BARRIERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The higher education bestows abundant benefits both to the individual and to the general public as a whole. It offers superior income, less unemployment, low pressure on government and more civic responsibility. Moreover higher income leads to higher taxation, increases the revenue of the government of that state. But a reach to higher education is always a challenge in India due to many economic problems such as poverty, inequality, existence of parallel of economy, regional imbalances. In addition to this the discrimination on the basis of cultural values, religion and social position is also acting as a barrier towards the path of higher education. Some of the obstacles are discussed under:

College access: after getting out of the schools, one main question in the minds of each and every student is to reach at college level. In today’s time students are required to clear entrance tests and they have to show a particular level of promptness for college studies. Further a hike in college prices (fees), is leading towards a rise in the loans taken by the parents from the banks. It has made it difficult to get enter into a college for higher education, even for a well deserving candidate.

Cost of living: For those students who are getting admissions into their choice of institutes have to cope up with peer pressure. Again to maintain their image among the fellow students, undue amount is spent on the unproductive things such as branded clothes, smoking, use of alcohol, luxury cars. This increased cost of living has created an obstacle in the way of higher education especially for those families and their children who do not have enough resources.  For those who move to different cities, cost-of-living expenses are a major barrier and are borne by communities where wages are lower than the average and the main constraint is capacity to pay. Even when a campus is nearby, many students commute long distances to access their course of choice. Therefore, a considerable space between what is measured for a minimum cost of living for a student and support available for him is a major obstacle.

Smaller campuses and less choice: Considering the importance of easy availability some of the universities have established regional campuses to bring higher education. , regional campuses servicing smaller population catchments cannot offer the breadth of courses that are available in major cities. Getting those regional school leavers with high grades to stay in regional areas is also a challenge. The IT revolution in this field has no doubt solved this problem, but again the new problem highlighted recently, that students who study online are less likely to complete their degrees.

Cultural Discrimination: In India where people belong to different castes and communities, different religion, access to higher education is getting difficult. Schools, colleges and institutes are giving priorities for the admission to the students on the basis of specific caste and religion they belong to. Language differences are also playing a vital role in this respect.

Lack of other facilities: Getting an entry into a higher education institute does not guarantee a reach to post secondary education as other facilities are also required to maintain a minimum standard of effectiveness. Smart education facilities, role playing, case study approach, student centred teaching methodology, faculty development programmes, research activities have their own importance, the absence of which, is also an obstacle for the students who wants to have higher education in real sense.

 Ms. Raghvir Kaur

Assistant Professor
Deptt. of Management Studies