Role of Public-Private Partnership in Higher Education in India

Abstract

In India's growth story, higher education has always been identified as a critical component. The Indian Higher Education system continues to be bogged down by the challenges of inadequate access, poor quality and inequity. The Gross Enrollment Ratio has grown slowly and is estimated to be at 20%, with wide disparity across regions of the country, leaving a lot of ground to be covered to achieve the dream of universal higher education. Hence, the public-private partnership is the best way to boost the higher education system in India. Public-Private-Partnership is a contract between a government entity and a private entity. It provides an opportunity for private sector participation in financing, designing, construction and operation & maintenance of public sector programs and projects. In this paper an attempt has been made to understand the significance of public-private partnership in higher education, its needs, current status and drawbacks. The paper focus on two hypotheses i.e. first, Public-private partnership in higher education not only make the better use of assets but also reduce the time and cost. Second, Public-private partnership does not help to improve the infrastructure and financial capacity of the organization. The results of the study indicate that the public-private partnership improve the infrastructural facilities & quality of service delivery. It reduces the time and cost as well as increases the financial capacity of the organization