The article examines the features of the development of Kerala, which have a direct impact on the successful formation of the state's higher education system. The State of Kerala can become a good example for other Indian states in terms of successful implementation of educational policies. Today, the state has the highest level of human development in India, and the literacy rate among the population is the highest in the country. Along with the advantages, the author explores the weaknesses of higher education in Kerala. The results obtained are presented in the form of SWOT-analysis 1, which allows us to comprehensively assess the state of the higher education industry in this state.

Keywords: India, higher education, "Kerala model", parallel colleges.

In the modern world, education is considered one of the key factors of economic competitiveness of countries. Higher education provides a research environment for creating innovations, is responsible for training specialists, and also develops the skills necessary for the development of the knowledge economy.

The reasons for the relative backwardness of higher education in India are the lack of qualified teachers, low quality of teaching, non-updated curricula and their lack of compliance with the needs of modern India. The inability of Indian universities to produce skilled labor that is in demand in the labor market threatens, first of all, the sustainable economic development of India.

An example of successful implementation of reforms in Indian higher education is the state of Kerala. Kerala has earned a well-deserved reputation as an Indian state where improving the level of social security for its residents is a top priority. Another feature of Kerala is the policy of mass education, i.e. the involvement of representatives of various segments of the population in the educational system, including marginal ones (Dalits, or untouchable caste, religious minorities, etc.). Thus, traditionally isolated segments of the population are able to integrate socially [Heller, 2000, p. 496].

As D. Banik points out, the Indian state of Kerala is widely known for its achievements in the spread of literacy among the population, equality between men and women, food security, and high life expectancy. The state government prioritizes investment in education, health care, land reform and housing, making Kerala the leading Indian state in terms of social welfare. "Model Kerala", in

1 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis, or Matrix - an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the organization's development, presented as a diagram. - editor's note.

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Its main success factors are the focus on decentralized development and socio-political activity of all segments of the population, which has been attracting public attention for many years [Banik, 2011, p. 98].

Kerala, located in the southwestern part of India, was established in its present form in 1956 as a result of the reorganization of Indian states through the merger of three Malayalam-speaking peis: Travancore and Cochin states, and Malabar District in the Madras Administrative District. The area of the state is 38,863 km2, 580 km long and 30-130 km wide. Kerala occupies 1.1% of the total territory of India, and its population, as of 2011, was 33.4 million people, i.e. 2.76% of the total population of India [Census of India 2011].

The Indian state of Kerala is considered exemplary for the highest human capital development rates in India. It has a high literacy rate ( 94% in 2011, compared to 74% in the country as a whole [Census of India 2011]), and the lowest population growth rate in India, at 0.5% [Kerala heading for..., 2012]. (According to The World Bank, this figure is 1.3% for India as a whole [The World Bank 2012].) The share of the population living below the subsistence minimum in 2009/2010 was 12% there, in contrast to 34% in the whole country [Annual Report 2012-2013, p. 20].

Kerala ranks first among Indian states in the Human Development Index. According to a report by the International Policy Center for Inclusive Growth, Kerala is an example of achieving economic growth, human development, and poverty reduction by reducing social inequalities in education, health, and income distribution [Suryanarayana and Agarwal, 2011]. Thus, the literacy rate of the Kerala population in rural areas is almost six times higher than in the whole country. According to the National Sample Survey, in 2009/2010, there were only 66 illiterates per 1000 rural residents of Kerala [Status of Education..., 2009-2010, p. 55].

At the same time, Kerala lags behind other Indian states in the development of modern higher education. The Gross University Enrollment Ratio (GER) in Kerala in 2011 was 21.9% (compared to 19.4% in India as a whole). For comparison, in such southern states as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, this figure is more than 25.0% [All India Survey on Higher Education 2010-2011, p. 26]. There are several reasons for this situation: the state government realized relatively late the need to reform higher education, in particular technical education (the development of science and technology was included in the five-year plan only in 1974); insufficient number of universities and the lack of a world-class university [Kerala Development Je / south/, 2008, p. 41].

As of 2013, there are nine universities operating in Kerala, of which four - the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Calicut and Kannur Universities - are universal and offer a wide range of courses. Universities such as Cochin University of Science and Technology and Kerala Agricultural University offer specialized courses in specific fields [Report of Industry Academy Linkage, 2013]. Special mention should be made of the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), which occupies one of the highest places in the rankings of Indian universities in terms of the quality and number of scientific publications.

I would like to note that the issue of quality of higher education is a cornerstone not only for Kerala, but also for India as a whole. It is associated with the growth of private" self-funded " colleges, most of which are subordinated to one of the largest universities in the world.

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major universities, lack of teachers, and outdated curricula.

The report of the National Commission for the Development of Knowledge (National Knowledge Commission) indicates that the system of subordinate colleges, relevant fifty years ago, does not meet the current needs and prospects for the future development of Indian higher education. The main difficulty lies in the practical impossibility of ensuring minimum standards for all educational institutions. First, there is a huge burden on the parent universities, which must regulate student enrollment, approve the curriculum and conduct exams for numerous colleges. Secondly, colleges have limited opportunities within their subordinate status in terms of independent development and opportunities to introduce innovative methods. The problem is compounded by the lack of uniform standards and the geographical distance of colleges from their parent universities [Towards a Knowledge Society, 2008, p. 58].

The University of Kerala, one of the first 16 universities established in India, is the state's leading institution. It has 198 subordinate colleges with 100,000 students enrolled. Some of these colleges are located 140 km from the university campus, are private and run by various religious, social and other non-profit organizations (Albbach, 2010).

However, there is reason to believe that Kerala will gradually abolish the system of subordinate colleges in the coming years. Academic autonomy in this case does not mean minimizing control over colleges by the state government and the University Grants Commission. Rather, we are talking about restructuring the system of paid tuition, especially for the category of students who are above the poverty Line( APL-Above Poverty Line), as well as about autonomy, which will allow colleges to introduce new courses, conduct exams and update curricula. To date, 13 colleges have applied for academic autonomy to the Grant Commission [Kerala Government Turns Down..., 2014].

It is noteworthy that in the context of the operation of a huge number of private colleges, Kerala does not yet have a single private university. According to state leaders, 50% of investment in higher education should come from the private sector, since the government objectively has limited funds for the development of this area. In addition, the establishment of private universities has the potential to attract foreign direct investment in the educational sector [Kerala Government Turns Down..., 2014].

Indeed, the private sector is making a significant contribution to the expansion of Indian higher education and currently accounts for 58.5% of all applicants ' university admissions in India [Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), p. 100]. However, many private institutions are characterized by low quality of teaching, lack of basic infrastructure facilities and qualified academic staff.

Given the growing demand for higher education services both across India and at the Kerala state level, as well as the government's plans to increase the GER (Gross Enrollment rate) to 30% in 2020, the future strengthening of the role of the private sector in Indian higher education is obvious. At the same time, quantitative and qualitative growth of educational services can be achieved on the basis of joint participation of the private and public sectors, opening branches of international universities with a positive reputation, introducing distance learning courses in addition to traditional courses, and focusing on current needs in the labor market.

At present, the problem of excess demand over supply in Kerala higher education is partially solved by the activities of parallel universities-

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universities that act as an alternative to traditional higher education. These colleges appeared in Kerala in the 1970s due to the excess of demand over supply in the field of higher education. A special feature of parallel colleges is that students can take exams as private candidates without going through traditional training. These educational institutions prepare students for university exams and, in fact, are consulting institutes. Parallel colleges have an ambiguous reputation and, on the one hand, are characterized by low quality of teaching, and on the other, they give a chance to marginal segments of the Kerala population to get higher education. However, J. R. R. Tolkien Tilak believes that parallel colleges have worsened the problem of youth unemployment by releasing unskilled specialists [Tilak, 2001, p. 25].

In Kerala, the problem of unemployment is very acute. According to the National Sample Survey published in 2011/2012 (Round 68), Kerala has one of the lowest employment rates among other southern states, with 52 unemployed people per 1,000. For comparison, the highest employment rate is observed in the state of Gujarat (4 unemployed persons per 1000 people), and the lowest - in the state of Tripura (87 per 1000) [Key Indicators of Employment..., 2011-2012, p. 45].

One of the reasons for this situation is that the current system of higher education in Kerala and throughout India does not correspond to the overall socio-economic situation in the country. Academic programs are not updated in accordance with the needs of the economy, and the main stream of student enrollment falls on such courses as natural science and art history (in 2011/2012, 37 and 19%, respectively) [Annual Report 2011-2012, p. 343]. At the same time, the country is in dire need of a highly qualified labor force, especially in the field of engineering and high technologies. The Kerala higher education system is unable to respond in a timely manner to the qualitative changes taking place in the labor market in India and abroad [Shaljan, 2002, p.4651].

This problem, along with many other problems of Indian higher education, is included in the agenda of the new project Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) - strategy for the development of national higher education. This project was proposed in 2012 by the Ministry of Human Development and will be implemented during the implementation of the XII and XIII five-year plans (2012-2017 and 2018-2023). For the successful implementation of the project, the central Government of India has allocated Rs 98,983 crore (1 crore = 10 million). The main goals of the project are as follows:: 1) achieving a gross university enrollment (GER) of 25.2% by the end of the XII plan; 2) improving the overall quality of existing universities in the Indian states and their compliance with prescribed norms and standards; 3) creating opportunities for implementing reforms in the states in the system of subordinate colleges (gradual granting of autonomy to colleges and the corresponding increase in the number of 4) implementation of reforms in the field of management, science and student assessment, as well as establishing mutual links between higher education and the labor market [RUSA, 2013, p.5].

\Thus, the objectives of the project are designed to solve the most pressing problems that have developed in Indian higher education to date.\

For its part, the Kerala Government promptly decided to establish the Kerala State Assessment and Accreditation Committee, which creates the prerequisites for receiving financial support from the government under the RUSA project [Kerala Accepts Terms and Conditions..., 2013].

In general, the scale of modernization of higher education in Kerala can be a good example for other Indian states. At the level of the Higher Education Council in 2012, a concept was developed for the development of the Kerala Higher School based on

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the next 25 years 2. This concept includes the following main provisions:: 1) Establishment of new colleges in areas such as Malappuram, Palakkad, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Idukki that do not have access to higher education services; 2) establishment of at least one women's university and 10 women's colleges; 3) Granting autonomous status to colleges with a positive reputation by the Grant Commission (University Grants Commission); 4) formation of a special commission to prescribe minimum standards that will serve as a regulatory framework for maintaining the quality of infrastructure facilities in the educational sector; 5) establishment of individual universities specializing in law and Indian traditional medicine; 6) implementation of the State Accreditation system for evaluating and ranking universities [Report on Kerala State Higher Education, 2012, p. 5].

This concept provides an overview of the current policy priorities for the development of higher education in Kerala. Some provisions reflect national objectives in the field of higher education, such as the elimination of subordinate colleges, the development of minimum quality standards, and strengthening public-private partnerships.

T. Srinivasan, Vice President of the Kerala Higher Education Council, highlights the following key points in the Kerala Higher Education Modernization strategy. First, we are talking about creating research institutes to develop new products and processes. Students are required to take part in research that will later be converted into commercial products. According to T. Srinivasan, the industrial sector should be closely connected with universities to develop courses, invest and participate in solving problems of the quality of educational services [Srinivasan, 2013, p. 2].

It is important to note that Trivandrum has the first technology park established in India, which is one of the three largest technology parks in the country. There are 225 high-tech companies operating on its territory, and about 30,000 specialists are employed [http://technopark.org].

The launch of the Startup Village in 2012 is another example of the transformation of the Kerala economy into a knowledge economy. Startup Village is a commercial technology incubator created on the basis of a partnership between the public and private sectors. The idea of creating a" Startup Village " belongs to Chris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Infosys. The Startup Village is supposed to not only contribute to the industrial growth of the state through inventions and testing of new products, but also improve the quality of higher education in Kerala. Within the framework of this project, it is planned to unite 162 industrial colleges, and thus students will have the opportunity to participate in specific technical projects [http://startupvillage.in].

In general, improving the quality of engineering education is a necessary step towards transforming the higher education system in Kerala. Representatives of information technology companies estimate that only a fifth of engineering graduates can start working immediately after graduation, while the rest require additional training [Altbach, 2010].

In early 2014, Kerala adopted the Thiruvananthapuram Declaration3, which focuses on various aspects of transnational education based on the active use of modern technologies. The document states that

2 Higher Education Boards are only active in four Indian states: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.

3 Thiruvananthapuram is a city in India, the capital of the state of Kerala. The name of the city translates from the Malayalam language "Residence of Saint Aanta".

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SWOT analysis of the state of the higher education industry in Kerala

Strengths

Weaknesses

1. Effective social development policy.

2. High level of human development.

3. Relatively high level of education among rural residents.

1. Mass education policy.

2. Stable traditions of egalitarianism.

3. The gap between supply and demand in higher education and the labor market.

4. Low Gross Enrollment Ratio.

Opportunities

Threats

1. A system of parallel colleges (the possibility of developing vocational education in accordance with the demand in the labor market).

2. Existing educational infrastructure.

3. Social equality.

4. Creating a "world-class" university.

1. Less developed area of higher education compared to neighboring states (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa).

2. Weak links between the educational and industrial sectors.

3. Relative backwardness in the development of engineering education.

The state has created a special Group for the development of international relations (International Relations Group) to encourage cooperation between state universities and foreign universities. At the same time, the IT@Colleges program was launched to improve the technological base of Kerala colleges [Thiruvananthapuram Declaration, 2014, p. 3].

In conclusion of this study, it is advisable to present a summary analysis (SWOT-Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) that characterizes the current state of higher education in Kerala.

Thus, the prerequisites for successful modernization of the higher education system are now created in Kerala. For the successful development of higher education, the state government implements numerous projects and pays great attention to promising cooperation between the industrial sector and higher education (for example, the implementation of the Startup Village project). Among the priority areas for the development of higher education in Kerala, we should highlight the reform of the system of subordination between colleges and parent universities, the effective dissemination of private higher education with the involvement of national and foreign direct investment, and strengthening the internationalization of Kerala universities. If these projects are successfully implemented, Kerala can be at the forefront of transforming the national higher education system in India.

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