Open Forum
New
Delhi, 4 August 2015
Higher
Ed Institutions
AUTONOMY
UNDER THREAT
By Dhurjati
& Oishee Mukherjee
Higher educational institutions in
the country are not only ranking poor in the world, but worse face the threat
of Government taking away their autonomy. Both have rightly come in for
criticism. Whether it is the Film and Television Institute of India or Nalanda University
or any other educational institute, there is a trend in this NDA government of
trying to enforce its authority one way or the other. Sadly, appointments are
increasingly being governed by political considerations and not on intrinsic
merit.
Centre apart, States too have been
trying to put the stamp of authority in universities and other educational
institutes. Bengal is a case in point where
the ruling Trinamool Congress has been trying to politicize the universities
and trying to pressurize Vice Chancellors in decision-making, admission and
even in recruitment matters.
Add to this, the draft IIM Bill
2015, wherein the Union government plans to bring the powers of Directors and
Academic Councils under its regulations. Apprehensions are that the Bill would
reduce the institutes to mere ‘operating centres’ and give the Centre sweeping
powers. In fact, the bill seeks to turn the 19 IIMs into statutory bodies like
other universities and the IITs which were set up under acts of Legislature.
This would allow the premier B-schools to award MBA and Ph.D. degrees instead
of the diplomas and fellowships they now offer.
While a few years back, academic
control was somewhat unknown to this country, following the western model
questions are being raised whether the HRD Ministry has the manpower and
expertise to micromanage the IIMs. As per the bill, government’s permission would
be required to start a new course or even set up a hostel! This is just the
opposite of what is being demanded-- more autonomy to these institutes.
Undeniably, political interference coupled with lack of financial resources has
resulted in academic standards of these institutions comparing poorly with even
those of other Asian countries, say Japan
or China.
Every political transformation in
the country has led to more interference in educational institutions. It is well
known that during the Left Front government in West Bengal,
there was possibly a hitherto unknown form of systematic assault on established
system of higher education, creating an unimaginable degree of party control.
The destruction of Calcutta
University was a far
more watershed event for higher education than the travails of Nalanda and
obviously Amartya Sen’s humiliation.
Such a trend was manifest even in
the country’s capital with institutional contrivances now leading to the
destruction of Delhi University. The constant endeavour
of the political class to think that the university or other academic
institutions was within their domain of control led to the present state of
affairs, specially lack of respect for the Vice Chancellor. The result has been
not just public consternation at the political class but an utter lack of faith
in the section of intellectual class that helped the establishment to gain
control in educational institutions.
One is reminded of noted sociologist
Andre Beteille, who was harassed for his warnings about the Indian university
system by those who would not care to teach in a university. Though academics
are now protesting against political interference, resulting in all-round
decline in the standards of higher education, they need to display more
self-awareness if they are to build more effective coalitions for the
system.
The big question is what will happen
to the standards in universities and other institutions. The IITs and the IIMs
have somehow managed to thwart interference but that too may not be possible
now. If the political establishment wants to plant its nominees – part of the
ruling party’s culture – into educational institutions, there is bound to be
degradation of already falling standards.
Recent surveys, such as the Times Higher
Education World
University rankings
have shown that Indian universities rank very poorly compared to their counterparts
in the world. A section of academics believe that less of political
interference may improve functioning of universities and specialized higher
educational institutions but there is no guarantee. There is need for
overhauling the entire system which includes freedom to such institutions in
all matters, including reframing of syllabus, starting new courses, better
management, changes in admission procedure etc.
Most academicians agree that other
than more autonomy, the content of courses which has to be in tune with modern
paradigms and recent advances in different spheres should be put in place.
However, merely following Harvard or Oxford or Cambridge is not
necessary in reforming or formulating our courses.
In western universities, excellence
is pursued to the exclusion of any social role, any role in defending any
freedom struggle and any role in social transformation. But the case is
different with Indian universities, where intellectuals, including professors
played a major role in social and political life of the country even after Independence.
Additionally, colleges and
universities are dependent on funds from State and Central governments and face
severe shortages. Some of these are understaffed and rely on ‘guest faculty’
who are paid a pittance. It is a well-known fact that we don’t have enough
professors, researchers and scientific scholars in the university system.
Worse, there are even universities where virtually no teaching is done and
students have to cover courses on their own.
While emphasis on quality is no
doubt an important aspect, it must be remembered that modern university in our
country has to operate in a social environment that is permeated by vast
disparities between regions and cultures, among castes and communities and
between men and women. Obviously, a good university or institution should look
like the society in which it exists. If academic standards have to be relaxed
in the interest of social diversity, that in itself should not jeopardize its
contribution to civil society.
A significant development that has
emerged today is that quality higher education has become profit-oriented,
which means that the lower income groups, not to speak of the economically
weaker sections, cannot afford it. During the past decade or even more, 70 to
80 per cent of capacity created has been done by the private sector, specially
in engineering and management sectors.
Deemed universities that have come
up no doubt concentrate on quality teaching and recruitment of teachers with
requisite qualifications but the charges are too high and beyond the means of a
major section of the population. In such a scenario, more government
institutions and universities offering specialized courses need to be opened,
specially in semi-urban and small towns, to facilitate spread of education
among the middle and lower segments of society. Moreover, specialized courses
need to be so framed as to meet the emerging market needs. Both quality
component and the diversified areas of education have to be kept in view so
that research could be encouraged in newer areas. In this regard, the
government decision to start skill universities in all States is undoubtedly a
welcome decision but management of these institutions in able hands, without
political interference, is crucial to achieve the desired results.----INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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