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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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What ails our universities
Lack of toilets add to dropout rate
Campus NoteS
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What ails our universities Strengthening of the education system has remained on the priority list of successive Union and state governments for decades. Still, the government-run educational institutions continue to remain in a state of mess. The situation is more critical in case of universities, which are expected to play a major role as centres of higher learning. An analysis of the prevailing scenario reveals that near-total government control, excessive political interference, lack of funds for qualitative research and inbreeding or dominance of local residents in faculty and administrative positions are some of the factors responsible for the rot. The latest example of government control over the institutions of higher learning is the recent ban imposed on the recruitment of teaching staff in the universities of Haryana. In fact, a blanket ban on fresh faculty recruitments has been in force in the state for the past several years. Lack of fresh talent and new ideas in the university system undoubtedly hampers its progress. Quality education is the first casualty as more and more teachers retire with hardly any successors to shoulder their responsibility. Stop-gap measures like engaging guest faculty members or appointing teachers on contract or ad hoc basis are, obviously, not adequate. Inbreeding or dominance of the regional factor while recruiting university teachers is also a major limiting factor. “Induction of meritorious teachers from different parts of the country has played a key role in the success of premier institutes like the IITs and the IIMs,” observes academician-turned-administrator Dr Ramesh Chander Dalal, who is presently serving as the Registrar of Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa. Then comes the contentious issue of appointing Vice-Chancellors. It is an established fact now that whenever a new state government takes over, the serving Vice-Chancellors usually resign from their post. This, in itself is a big farce, given all the big talk about providing autonomy to the universities. Even if a regime in power selects eminent educationists and administrators as Vice-Chancellors, they are most likely to relinquish their office as soon as the next government takes over. This unhealthy practice derails the implementation of the policies and programmes envisaged by a well-meaning educationist. The new incumbent takes his own time to understand the issues at hand and functioning of the university system, and this circle continues. It is, thus, high time that the existing system of appointing Vice-Chancellors by political regimes is done away with and autonomy in real sense provided to the universities. The autonomous governing pattern of the renowned universities like the Oxford and the Cambridge can be studied to get the required guidance in this regard. Another curious aspect of the situation is that while the government exerts total control over the universities, it does not provide adequate funds for their functioning. In other words, the “welfare” state is not as conscious of its duties as it is about its rights. “Merely 30 per cent of the university budget comes from the government, while a major chunk comes from the fees deposited by the students,” asserts Dr Rajender Chaudhary, a Reader in the Department of Economics at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, who is also the president of the university teachers’ association. He maintains that clearance has to be sought from the government even for starting self-financing courses. Even after getting due approval from the authorities concerned, the university administration has to look to the government to appoint teachers in these courses. Thus, lack of funds also hampers a university’s progress. More importantly, even if there is no dearth of funds, one needs to have a vision and a systematic approach to ensure the development of the universities. Moreover, developing different universities as centres of excellence in different niche areas is also must for educational growth. Hence, it can be inferred that provision of real autonomy for the universities, ending government control and political interference, appropriate arrangement for funds, development of a composite culture and identifying niche areas for different universities hold the key to stemming the rot. But the million-dollar question is: Are the policy-makers listening? |
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Lack of toilets add to dropout rate In what could be a pointer to the reasons for the high dropout rate among girl students, over 62 per cent of the schools at elementary level in the country do not have toilets for girls. The grim reality about basic amenities lacking in the schools has been revealed in a survey on “Elementary Education in India: Progress Towards UEE” conducted by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration. Only 37.42 per cent of the 11,24,033 schools in 604 districts had toilets for girl students. Boys and girls share toilets in every second school at the elementary stage, the survey found. It found that about 52 per cent of the schools had common toilets for boys and girls. While 41 per cent of the schools had common toilets in 2003-04, the picture only worsened, with the figure increasing to 46 per cent in 2004-05 and 52 per cent in 2005-06. The findings assume significance in the wake of girls dropping out from schools.
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Campus NoteS A
delegation led by the Baroness Verma of a Peer of the House of Lords visited Guru Nanak Dev University to explore the possibilities to promote educational and research projects of mutual interest. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jai Rup Singh, held discussions with the delegation and explored the possibilities of closer educational cooperation between GND University and some reputed academic institutions as well as NGOs and the Government of the UK in the areas of science and technology, life sciences, applied sciences, management, social sciences, languages and religious studies. The Vice-Chancellor apprised the Amritsar-born Baroness of the university's excellence in academics, sports and cultural fields. He said the university was interested in encouraging academic relationship with UK institutions. —Contributed by Sanjay Bumbroo |
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