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Universities around the world are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the corona virus. There has been global devastation of the entire education sector with long-term closure of schools. The health crisis and the accompanying education crisis continue, and the end of the crisis is not certain. The immediate response everywhere to the outbreak of the virus was closure of university campuses, disrupting almost all academic activities everywhere. After the immediate reaction, as a short-term response, universities began offering some core programmes in education and research by adopting digital technology. While some feel that online methods have improved overall access, many argue that they exacerbate existing inequalities in access to higher education and research among several groups of population. As the global health emergency is still continuing, it is widely noted that we need to develop, after initial immediate responses, short-term, medium- and long-term plans for developing robust higher education and research systems that contribute to knowledge development, reducing inequalities, and which can face future uncertain emergencies. The paper reviews some of the important developments that have taken place, and different perspectives that are emerging on the responses needed for the transformation of higher education in the post-COVID era.

The article discusses the phenomenon of world-class universities and world university rankings in the global higher education system. Many countries have initiated reforms in their higher education systems to develop world-class universities and improve their rankings. These initiatives include heavy public investment, internationalization of higher education, developing research universities, and launching special projects focusing on selected universities. The article provides detailed descriptions of nine cases of academic excellence initiatives in countries such as China, Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, France, Denmark, Germany, and Russia. The success of these initiatives varies among countries, with some achieving significant improvements in rankings and research output. However, there are also concerns about the impact of these initiatives on other universities and the potential for creating differentiated systems. The article emphasizes the importance of cooperation, considering broader aspects of academic excellence, and not viewing these initiatives as substitutes for system-wide reforms. [Extracted from the article]

Higher education system in India facing daunting challenges from within--forces from within the institutions, and from outside within the country, and from global forces. The system needs major and somewhat pressing, if not emergency reforms. At the same time, we are confronted with a variety of dilemmas in reforming higher education. It is argued here that some dilemmas are redundant, a few valid and genuine, and some need a little bold re-thinking--drawing from traditional wisdom and contemporary world experience. The paper deliberates on these different types of education dilemmas.

Maya John (Ed.), Debating Education in India: Issues and Concerns (New Delhi: Tulika Books, 2023), x + 290 pp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]