About IHERN

ABOUT IHERN

Higher Education (HE) in itself is a subject for research. The breadth of potential research in HE is quite extensive and there are multiple relevant top-quality international journals and conferences. Many countries like the US, UK and Australia have research centers on HE. India has one of the largest higher education systems in the world with 1000+ universities / institutions with degree granting powers, and over 40,000 colleges. Despite such a vast system with huge investments, there are very few research centers and probably none in main research universities on this topic. There is also no scholarly conference in HE in India. Clearly, there is a need to enhance research on the Indian HE system which can help gain a better understanding of the system, its evolution, its drivers etc., and provide good research input for people involved in policy making and governing academia.

Given that the small number of researchers engaged in research in HE are distributed across HEIs, and the fact that, due to lack of academic programs in HE, no one institution will have sufficient strength of researchers/faculty in HE, one strategy for achieving the goal of enhancing research is to bring together HE researchers from different academic institutions to form a network for HE researchers/scholars in India.

The IHERN may define scope of areas of interest in a participative approach, which will evolve with time. Initially the scope includes: (a) evolutionary studies, (b) governance / leadership of HE and training for it, (c) financing of HE and funding models, (d) research management and frameworks for promoting research excellence, (e) PhDs programs, (f) professionalization of HE administration, (f) enhancing linkages with industry and society including innovation and economic development, (g) internationalization of HE, (h) pathways towards multidisciplinary universities, (i) understanding of current HE system and its drivers, (j) classification of universities (like the Carnegie Classification), (h) education quality and its improvement, (k) university cultures in India and their relationship to learning and research, (l) Governmental oversight of HEIs.

The main goal “India Higher Education Research Network” (IHERN) is to bring together researchers in this area to form a global force. The Network will aim to enhance research and studies in HE in India, strengthen the research capacity and ecosystem in HE in India, and promote research/studies so that research outcomes can be used in decision making.

IHERN is currently being supported through private donations by Ashish Dhawan, the Founder-Trustee of The Convergence Foundation; Hemant Kanakia, Chairman and Founder of Maker Bhavan Foundation; and Pankaj Jalote, currently a Distinguished Professor at IIIT-Delhi and its Founding Director (2008-2018). The funds have been committed for the initial three years, and the project is housed under IIIT-Delhi. It is hoped that in a few years IHERN will be firmly established and will become a self-supporting, self-governing body (e.g. formally become a society or a foundation, or become an arm of an existing society / foundation.