V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice chancellor
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

Where would you place education on your national list of priorities?
Topmost, with nutrition. If we focus on nutrition and basic education, a virtuous cycle will be set in motion benefiting the entire economy.

Only 13 percent of youth aged 18-24 are in higher education...
Enhancing the quality of higher education by linking it with skills-based vocational education is the answer. Providing alternate routes or lateral entry into college/university through vocational certificate, diploma or associate degrees is also necessary to increase the percentage of youth in higher education.

Thinker/philosopher you admire most.
Swami Vivekananda for his contribution to the Indian Renaissance. Rabindranath Tagore said: “If you want to know India, study Vivekananda; in him everything is positive, nothing negative.”

Your favourite Nobel laureate.
Amartya Sen, for his concern about deprivation of all kinds, depiction of the paradoxes of life in India and Bangladesh, and for his constructive ideas about eliminating regional and class disparities in India.

Your leadership style.
Delegation, collaboration, consensus and “lack of fear of failure” approach. I always encourage independent initiative at all levels.

Are distance-learning qualifications on a par with conventional degrees?
Technically, yes. However, in the popular mind they are regarded as inferior to conventional degrees. Commercialisation and malpractice by some distance education providers is the reason behind this.

How satisfied are you with the growth and development of IGNOU?
IGNOU is an institution with great potential. During the past five years, there’s been a turnaround in IGNOU. Its presence is now “countrywide, world-wide”. The stage is set for IGNOU to become the largest and most relevant institution in the country.

Should annual education outlay be doubled by cutting defence expenditure?
Education outlay should be doubled and more. But I’m not sure whether defence expenditure should be cut as the safety of the nation is also of paramount importance.

Pessimistic or optimistic about Indian education?
I am an incorrigible optimist. The youth of this country is education-hungry. The education reform agenda is well-thought out. Institutions should be permitted to implement the reforms by respecting their academic autonomy.