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)