Research shows that despite numerous advantages of creativity for any nation, the higher education system lags in creativity and innovation. Today, the aim is not just to impart knowledge to students, but current time demands that higher educational environments foster innovative cultures to enable creativity and innovation. This chapter provides relevant examples to support the argument that the application of innovative teaching methods has the potential to change the “DNA “of higher education. The author argues that innovation must be an amalgamation of effective teaching and effective learning elements and that innovative education can nurture an “inventive society” by developing and encouraging opportunities for creative actions that promote self-sufficiency.
TopContext: Higher Education Snapshot In India
According to Sheikh (2017), since ancient times, India has always been a country of renowned scholars and learners and was recognized globally for Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramshila Universities, and its scholars. India’s higher education system is the third largest in the world, next to the United States and China. Considering the size and its diverse nature, India can become one of the largest education hubs, soon. Tremendous increase in the number of universities, educational institutions, and colleges can be seen post-independence. The main governing body at the higher level is UGC (University Grants Commission), which sets its benchmarks and acts as a bridge between centres and the state government. According to Dhanuraj and Kumar (2015), the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is the heart of education in India. UGC, under the Department of Higher Education in the MHRD, coordinates education efforts and initiatives.
According to Sharma and Sharma (2015), India has the third largest higher education system after the United States and China, in terms of area and diversity in the world. In India, higher education starts after the 10+2 or 12th standard, i.e., ten years of primary and secondary education, followed by two years of senior secondary school. There are central universities, state universities, deemed universities as well as private universities, and the higher education department is regulated by different bodies, such as UGC (University Grant Commission), AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), and ICSSR (Indian Council of Social Sciences Research). According to the National Education Policy (2019) under MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development), the latest educational framework includes only public, private, or private-aided as Type 1 and Type 2 universities, and under Type 3 are colleges. These three types are explained below.
Type 1: Research universities which will focus on research.
Type 2: Teaching universities which will focus mainly on high-quality teaching.
Type 3: Colleges to focus upon quality teaching in undergraduate, diploma, and certificate programs. But Type 3 colleges may also make efforts to become Type 1 or Type 2 institutions.