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Higher education spending is one of the vectors of commodities that a state can chose to benefit its people. There are many functions that can be mapped into the space of characteristics that the government has chosen for one of its vectors.

The functions may be in the form of advanced research, papers published, PhDs awarded, infrastructure, research endowments, etc., for any institution of higher learning. But the real state of affairs in Asia and other developing countries in comparison with the USA, EU, Japan is illustrated in the graph given below.

The problem we face is that there have been many entitlement constraints, as we have found out over the years across all Asian countries. We have had to spend more and more on other basic necessities such as healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, etc. But given the present realities, if we wish to stride forward with pride, we have to start thinking in terms of self-reliance in higher education and in advanced research. This is the most important parameter that would eventually narrow down to the economic and social welfare of the people of any state.

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* Contributed by -
Raamakrishnan M. & Aparna Renganathan,
PGP1 Students,
BIM, Trichy,
Published in KRIYA, February 2006 Issue, the monthly magazine of the institute.