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There were 166 universities in 1996, including thirteen
central universities which are the oldest, best known, and
best funded. The rest are run by state governments or
religious foundations. Funding, hiring professors, and
setting educational standards in all universities are
centralized through the University Grants Commission, which
was established in 1956.
About a hundred colleges throughout the country have
an autonomous status, but others are branches of major
universities within their states. In 1996 there were 6.4
million university students enrolled throughout the country,
of whom 5.7 million were undergraduates and 2.2 million were
women. There are 418 institutions that grant degrees in
engineering and technology and 1,029 that award diplomas.
Adult education programs combat illiteracy, lack of
knowledge about family planning, and inadequate
understanding of new farming techniques. Such programs tend
to be more accessible in urban areas. A major hurdle has
been the language of university instruction. The central
universities generally teach in English and produce
graduates with internationally acceptable credentials, but
most of the smaller universities teach in the local (state)
language so that their students' skills are not easily
transferable even to other parts of the country. The
opportunities for graduate study overseas are much reduced
for this category of students, and even the acquisition of
up-to-date textbooks can be a problem.
Etiquette
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Indians are usually very hospitable even when poor and go to
considerable lengths to make a visitor feel comfortable.
Women normally adopt a deferential attitude toward men,
especially to their husbands and fathers-in-law. All the
people tend to show deference to religious figures and
government officials. |
India
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Rajasthan
Travel Guide
Kerala Travel Guide
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India
by
Cecilia dos Guimaraes
Bastos
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