Abstract
The network of higher education institutions (HEIs) has grown at a phenomenal rate in post-independence India and poses wide-ranging challenges for educational leadership. There are other important factors that impinge on the functioning of educational leader who is not only a principal, a president, or a vice chancellor. In fact, he or she is an educational leader encompassing multiple roles. The chapter elucidates the present higher education scenario of India. It portrays the nature and extent of internal and external student mobility and the challenges posed therein. It identifies the major factors affecting the HEIs and their employees in the present changing realm by way of a study conducted in the HEIs and highlights the ethical challenges faced by the educational leaders in promoting and transforming the institutions to centers of excellence.
TopHigher Education In India: An Overview
The network and infrastructure of higher education institutions (HEIs) including the distance education institutions have grown at a phenomenal rate in the post independent India. At the time of independence of the country, there were 20 universities and 500 colleges, having student enrolment of 0.21 million only in the higher education system (UGC Annual Report 2017-18) which has increased to 851 total number of universities that includes 47 central universities, 383 state public universities, 123 deemed universities, three institutions under state legislation, and also 41012 colleges across the country. This mega setup of higher education institution has an enrolment of 36.64 million students in the year 2018. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) during the last five years has also risen from 21.5 in 2012-13 to 25.8 in 2017-18. The increase is more under the disadvantaged sections of Indian society i.e. Scheduled Caste (SC) Category which has increased from 16.0 in 2012-13 to 21.8 in 2017-18 and in case of Scheduled Tribe (ST) Category, the GER has increased from 11.1 in 2012-13 to 15.9 in 2017-18. (AISHE Report 2017-18). The growth of HEIs over the last five years is illustrated in Table 1 below.
The following section deliberates on the scenario of HEIs in India in terms of the number of such institutions, student enrolment, state wise share in the enrolment and level wise enrolment in the institutions which clearly implies the tremendous growth in the educational infrastructure and facilities in the country.
Table 1. Growth in number of HEIs in India
| Year | Central Universities | State Public Universities | State Private Universities | Deemed to be Universities | Institutions under State Legislation | Colleges | Total No. Of Universities |
| 31.03.2014 | 45 | 313 | 175 | 129 | 04 | 39671 | 666 |
| 31.03.2015 | 46 | 329 | 205 | 128 | 03 | 40760 | 711 |
| 31.03.2016 | 47 | 345 | 235 | 123 | 03 | 41435 | 753 |
| 31.03.2017 | 47 | 360 | 262 | 123 | 03 | 42338 | 795 |
| 31.03.2018 | 47 | 383 | 295 | 123 | 03 | 41012 | 851 |
(Source: AISHE Reports 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18)
Key Terms in this Chapter
Human Resource: The resources in terms of human capital, manpower, employees with a certain set of skill and competency for achieving the organizational objectives.
Student Mobility: Incoming or outgoing students within the country or across the border for education.
Educational Leadership: It is a combined process of converging the talents of teachers, students, and parents.
Competency Development: The process of improving, sharpening, enriching the talent and competency of an individual.
Strategic Planning: Long-term planning and development of strategies for fulfillment of organizational objectives.
Higher Education Institutions: Colleges, universities, and other educational institutions that are offering higher education after secondary education.
Transnational Collaboration: Multinational partnership or an association in order to fulfill an objective.
Support Services: It is a series of activities or functions aimed at completing a program or process successfully.