Preparing for a Services Economy: An Evaluation of Higher Education in India

Abstract

This report is part of a larger study to examine the role of higher education in India's success in providing globally traded services. In this report, we assess the quality of software engineering education. We find that the institutional structure has the capacity to produce a quality of engineer suited to the current needs of the marketplace. This is a remarkable achievement considering the rapid change in both job requirements and the role of private provision in higher education. While it is too early to assess whether the currently emergent needs, particularly in research, project management and entrepreneurship, will be met by the current structure, we argue that the state's role as regulator will be critical. While the state has so far demonstrated its capabilities of being an effective regulator, we argue that new regulatory capabilities will be needed of the state to address the evolving demands.