Education not a priority

An odd faction of the employees union of Punjabi University, Patiala, has been holding protests, including road blockade, for the past few days demanding the re-employed teaching and non-teaching staff be relieved of work instantly. Putting an end to the practice of re-employment of the retired employees was one of the conditions imposed by the Punjab Government on the university for releasing a pending financial grant. The university is on the verge of closure due to a severe financial crisis. And not for the first time, it has come to the tipping point several times in the past. The latest protest is just one more flashpoint in the continued struggle several universities in the state face in their attempt to wriggle out of financial mess. 

A few months ago Panjab University was on the verge of closing down for lack of financial support either from the state government or the UGC. The Punjab Government that has no objection to faculty re-employment in Panjab University, under some strange twist of rules, prohibits Punjabi University from doing so. To get the funds released, Panjab University had to give contradictory affidavits on its status-as a university funded by the state government. When it comes to the social sector, policies do not follow any rules, structure or rationale. Rules are floundered to find piecemeal solutions. As a result, credibility of the universities has suffered over the years. 

The Punjabi University administration has gone to the extent of cutting down expenditure on academic activities, including the hosting of seminars and conferences, besides doing away with re-employment in favour of hiring fresh faculty to cut costs. It is an unfortunate development in a state where youth find few avenues of intellectual growth and employment.  Education alone carries a promise of hope to escape a life of poverty and deprivation. It is time the HRD Ministry, the UGC and the state government jointly found a lasting solution. By mismanaging universities, the government is taking away the promise of a better future from its youth.