ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the stratified terrain of undergraduate education in India that is torn between catering to a range of students extending from those seeking to be at the cutting edge of global livelihood, theory, and culture to first-generation entrants in higher education. Through an examination of statistical data, this chapter argues that the education sector with myriad types of mushrooming institutions has also similarly stratified into those with a focus on seeking world rankings to those negotiating the needs of social justice and access. It discusses the policy conundrum in higher education over the past decade followed by a survey of casually employed public university faculty that reveals the extent of insecurities and fear prevalent among university-college teachers who are ironically expected to produce confident, critically minded, and assured citizens.
