Governance and Autonomy in Higher Education in India : Challenges and Opportunities

This edited volume explores the changing dynamics of systemic and internal governance in higher education institutions in India. It discusses governance practices for institutions facing extreme challenges in meeting the growing accountability requirements. The book examines governance from a macro standpoint looking at the crisis of the universities and issues in reforming university governance. It uses a microlens to explore flexible learning pathways, academic freedom and institutional governance. It elaborates on topics such as institutional autonomy in higher education, accountability in higher education institutions, the influence of diversity in university functioning, equilibrium in governance, quality in the Indian agricultural university system, leadership in higher education and the effect of financing on institutional governance. By discussing experiences from various international contexts and empirical research, this edited volume brings together the recent policy discourses that greatly influence the higher education systems. This book is of interest to academics, researchers and practitioners working in the governance of higher education.

N. V. Varghese was Vice Chancellor, NIEPA, New Delhi and Founding Director of the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education (CPRHE/NIEPA), New Delhi (2013-2019); Head of Governance and Management in Education at the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP/UNESCO), Paris (2006- 2013). He was responsible for managing an Asian regional network – the Asian Network of Training and Research Institutions in Educational Planning (ANTRIEP). He has been a member of several International Boards/Committes and editorial Boards of Journals. He has directed several national and international research projects; carried out research projects in several countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and CIS region; published more than 30 books and research reports, and more than 200 research papers and articles in academic Journals in the areas related to educational planning, financing and higher education.

Garima Malik is currently an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (CPRHE/NIEPA), New Delhi. She holds a PhD in Economics from Ohio State University in the USA. She has published in journals and presented papers at national and international conferences. Her publications include a co-edited book India Higher Education Report 2015, Routledge, 2016 (with N.V. Varghese). She has also co-edited Governance and Management of Higher Education in India (with N.V. Varghese), Sage, 2020. Her current research focuses on governance and management in higher education. She also led the India research team of a multi-country UNESCO-International Institute for Educational Planning, Paris project on SDG4: Planning for Flexible Learning Pathways in Higher Education.