China's Lead in Higher Education: Much to Learn for India

Higher education systems in India and China are boxed into rivalry as a matter of course: They have the two largest systems and are the largest “exporters” of international students. Both countries have made higher education an item of precedence, guided by planned shift towards knowledge economy. Then again, while China has held itself to exacting standards in the business of policy, India has yet to mature past unavailing attempts, which lead the system to go through the motions of attending to the most skeletal of the demands, and no more. China's ascent is remarkable in and of itself, without referencing scorecard keeping against India. More to the point, China's “long fought and hard won” battle proves to us that the centre-periphery paradigm in international education is not a foregone conclusion.