Higher Education and Development
India has a rural economy; thus its rural fixtures are the country’s backbone in every aspect. Hence for sustainable development, the conditions of rural India in terms of the state of law, technology, infrastructure and health have to be improved. This will strengthen the base of the country’s economy, which in turn will further help businesses grow and thrive in urban areas. Hence, development in the villages can have a direct and positive impact on the cities and towns.
However, most activities of development start in the urban worlds as compared to the rural regions. Moreover, the effects of such development rarely trickle down to the villages from the cities. This is due to the large disparity between the urban and rural worlds in India. Thus, this gap must be bridged for the development in the cities to have a positive impact on the villages, resulting in a holistic development of the nation.
Hence, higher education in India can lead to good sustainable development of the nation if, the aforementioned requirements are met.
Research and invention are the fundamental requirements for any act of development. Higher education is one of their greatest proponents. Students pursuing higher education have the chance to explore new domains of study and hence have a greater probability to break into new frontiers, thus solving real world problems that effect real people. This is a rarity in the industrial world, where projects are on a stringent time constraint and are often driven by financial gains. For instance, a college student can work on a non-profit community project which attempts social welfare. However, in his career he is more likely to work on, stereotypical, high earning assignments which will secure his life, financially. Higher education, thus gives us the opportunity to try new things, hence propelling development.
Good College education provides good employment opportunities. Beyond inventive thinkers we require skilled professionals who can execute a given task successfully in their respective domains of work. Hence, education is instrumental in creating a skilled work force and reducing the levels of unemployment of the nation. College level education also gives students great exposure in their areas of study and prospective careers. This allows students to start up their own businesses and contribute to the overall economy of the country. Beyond the economic gains, such new businesses also create new jobs and employment opportunities.
While the disparity between the urban and rural worlds might be economic in nature, there are various social schisms within our nation as well. However, education in any form is the key to reducing those differences. In the contemporary world, any individual with good education can do well and rise up in the social and economic strata. It brings everyone on a level playing field.
Moreover, in order to develop a strong system of education, which can help development as I have just highlighted, well educated and trained individuals are required who, can further assist the process of educating others. Such systems of education have to come up at all levels, i.e. from primary schooling to college studies. Higher education without a strong system of primary schooling, especially in rural India, can have only a limited impact in any area of development.
Good inventive thinkers, skilled working professionals, successful entrepreneurs and thorough educators are the results of a strong culture of higher education in a country. And they indicate the development a country has made, primarily in its economy and social structures.