INDIA: Only students who score 100% need apply

The requirement of a perfect score - 100 % - to get admission into one of India's leading colleges for commerce has highlighted the severe shortage of good quality higher education institutions in the country.

It has also highlighted the problems of the school leaving examinations across India, where students who score 90 % and above are unable to get admission into the top colleges of the country.

Last week, Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), one of the leading commerce colleges of the country set a cut-off (minimum marks required to be eligible for admission) of 100 % for students with science subjects. Anything less than a perfect score would disqualify them. The move has not only left students outraged, it has also sparked a debate about access and quality in higher education.

"Who gets a perfect score anyways? They (SRCC) might as well have said outright that science students are not welcome," said Srinivas Balachandran, who scored 98% in Grade 12 and was unable to apply for SRCC.

The move has also been critisised by Education Minister Kapil Sibal, who at a press conference in Delhi said that the cut off was an irrational decision and would affect the credibility of the entire education system.

"We don't intend to interfere but we should change the situation through legislation. It is an irrational decision and the vice chancellor and colleges should take note of it. This is a systemic and policy issue and should be looked into," Sibal said.

SRCC principal P.C. Jain, however, justified the cut off, and said the problem lay in the supply and demand for higher education.

"The number of students who score 90% and above is increasing every year. But we have a limited number of seats. If everyone applies for SRCC then we have to find a way to limit the number. We need more quality higher education institutions since the number of students graduating school with good performance is surging every year," said Jain.

In 1987, when one million students took Grade 12 exams, SRCC had 800 seats. In 2011, 10.1 million students wrote Grade 12 exams, but SRCC has the same number of seats. "We need more colleges and more competition," Jain said.

The number of top performers has also gone up, creating pressure on the handful of quality institutions across the country. The number of students with over 90% marks from the Central Board of Secondary Education, one of the leading school boards in India, is nearly 22,000, up from about 17,000 last year. Among these top bracket students, those with over 95% marks have shot up from about 1,200 last year to over 2100 this year.

Trends over the past five years show that the number of students getting over 90% marks has exploded from just 5,412 in 2006 to 21,665 this year. Those with over 95% have increased from an exclusive club of 199 students in 2006 to 2,097 this year.

"When there are a limited number of quality institutions and the number of aspirants is increasing, the cut-off for admission has to be high. We need more universities and colleges so that students have more choice," said former Delhi University vice-chancellor Deepak Pental.

The now-disbanded National Knowledge Commission had suggested as far back as 2007 that India needed another 1,500 universities. Two years later, the Committee for Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education, headed by renowned academic Yashpal, had quoted exactly the same figure.

"These proposed 1,500 universities should be created by upgrading existing colleges that are good in teaching and research," Yashpal had said.

This month, the University Grants Commission suggested that autonomous colleges identified as "colleges with potential for excellence" be converted into universities.

The shortage of colleges means that despite roping in private players, and boosting the distance education system, only one in ten of the relevant age group (18-24 years olds) manages to get into any institution of higher education. This means that over 85% of India's youth is unable to access higher education. Compare this to the world average of 23%, the developing country average of 36.5% and an advanced country average of 45%.

"The government has created 12 new central universities in the last two years. But it will be years before they can establish themselves and attract the best students. Meanwhile, state universities are suffering due to lack of funds, shortage of teachers, and lack of academic innovation. So the best students shy away from these universities and make a beeline for the handful of good institutions that the country has," said Pental.

Students have also highlighted the average infrastructure in many of the leading colleges and universities across India.

Shukla Benerjee, who studied at London Metropolitan University for a year as an exchange student, said: "I did my undergraduate from Jadavpur University in Kolkatta, and am applying for a postgraduate at Delhi University. The truth is that both universities have average infrastructure. The classrooms are nothing great, hostels are less than average and facilities for students is lacking. Even our best do not compare to average universities in the West."

Many of the hallmarks of a world-class institution such as an extensive library network, cafeterias for students, work room for teachers, wi-fi enabled campus, clean toilets, and lounges are absent in a majority of colleges and universities across India.

The lack of quality and shortage of seats is a major reason why many students prefer to study abroad. In 2009, the number of Indian students in the US crossed 100,000.

"The government is trying its best to create capacity. But higher education has been ignored and underfunded for a long time. We are therefore looking at alternatives such as the Foreign Educational Institutions Bill, which will enable foreign universities to set up quality infrastructure and courses inside the country," said a senior government official, not wanting to be quoted.

Meanwhile, those clamouring for private investments in education see this as a perfect opportunity. According to Shantanu Prakash, MD, Educomp Solutions, a 100% cut-off is a reflection of an urgent need for capacity building in higher education.

"There is a need for high-quality institutes. This is where private participation becomes important," said Prakash, who is from SRCC's class of 1986.

The private universities in India are facing questions of quality and the government is mulling legislation to regulate the private sphere better. The Foreign Educational Institutions Bill will first be debated in Parliament before it becomes legislation. And it will take yeas for new universities to become high-quality institutions. In the meantime, the government needs to invest heavily in existing higher education institutions, expand capacity, and improve quality to ensure that India's best are not left out in the cold.