WHO IS LEADING THE RAISE IN 21ST CENTURY HIGHER EDUCATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON INDIA AND CHINA

India and China are battling to overtake one another in terms of economic growth in the coming decade; to achieve this goal both the nations have to focus on their Higher Education System (HES). HES is essential for national, social and economic development of the country. Increase of economic growth of a nation can be seen by the number of university students it educates with high quality standards within their education system. Higher Education (HE) enrolment is the principal indicator of economic growth as per World Bank statistics. So there is a need of quality based HES which empowers youth for self-sustainability by inculcating employment skills and hence reducing poverty of the nation. This paper will highlight on the efforts taking by both the governments of India and China, in their respective five year plan to achieve greater important in HE and where do they stand respectively in the future ahead and their recommendations to meet these challenges. A highlight on present and future trends in HE of both the countries and their competitive advantages and their short coming are also discussed.