Himachal Calling: Research to placements: Private varsities found wanting

Of the 16 private universities that are functioning in the state, 10 are in Solan district alone. The remaining are located in Shimla, Sirmaur, Una, Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur districts.

Problems galore

• The state govt constituted the HP Private Educational Institutes Regulatory Commission in 2010 to regulate admission standards, teaching, examination, research and protection of student interest
• Only three private universities have figured in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings since 2015
• Reputation of private universities besmirched by a multi-crore fake degree scam in Manav Bharti University in 2021
• Research takes backseat, as admitting as many students sole motive; majority varsities do not apply for ranking under NIRF
• Students’ preference for universities in neighbouring states adversely hitting prospects of institutions in Himachal

Though the successive governments have been encouraging the opening of private universities to contain the exodus of students to neighbouring states, it has led to a limited success.

Several private universities in Punjab continue to be favourite among students from the state, adversely hitting prospects of institutions in Himachal Pradesh.

Owing to a low intake, the private universities in the state are offering pass courses like BA, BCom, BSc as well as post graduation in common subjects like English, Hindi, Economics, Sociology, etc. These courses are also available in the state-run degree colleges.

Apart from three universities — Shoolini, Chitkara and JP — others have failed to find a place in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking ever since the Government of India initiated the grading system in 2015.

Solan’s Shoolini University has been ranked 70th at the national level. With a score of 48.82 per cent, the university has attained the top rank among other private universities of the state in the NIRF ranking. Its pharmacy and engineering colleges also figure among the top institutions nationally.

Chitkara and JP universities have carved a niche for themselves in the professional sphere with their students finding good placements.

No other private management or engineering institution figures in the top 100 at the national level. The state also draws a blank in the ranking when it comes to research institutions, law and other professional courses, reflecting the quality of education being offered.

Various parameters like student strength, faculty-student ratio, faculty with PhD, financial resources and utilisation, online education, multiple entry/exit, Indian knowledge system and regional languages, placement and higher studies, graduation outcome, research and professional practice, publications, citations, patents and research projects are taken into consideration while ranking the institutions. The reputation of the private universities in the state has, however, been besmirched by a multi-crore fake degree scam that came to fore Solan’s in Manav Bharti University in 2021. At least two other private universities in Baddi and Shimla are also facing similar allegations, putting a question mark on their credibility.

The State Government constituted the HP Private Educational Institutes Regulatory Commission in 2010 to regulate admission standards, teaching, examination, research and protection of student interest. Controversies like overcharging, fake admission, lack of discipline, delay in security refund, absence of trained faculty and adequate emoluments as per the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, appointment of vice-chancellors in violation of UGC norms, regularly figure before the commission for resolution.

Cases of university managements changing hands after their ventures failed to prove productive are also increasingly coming to fore, reducing these institutions to mere commercial shops.

With little adherence to quality and the lack of career-oriented programmes to bridge the gap between industry and academics, the students admitted to professional course like MBA, law, engineering and pharmacy end up with low-paying jobs.

“Lacking requisite professional skills in the absence of adequate exposure, students fail to get proper placements and once they complete their professional course they spend years searching for a suitable job,” said a senior professor of a private university in Solan.

A university can grow if it pursues research activities, files for patents and its research papers find space in national and international journals of repute.

With research taking a backseat and admitting as many students the sole motive, majority of the universities have not opted for ranking under the NIRF.

“Ensuring proper placements for the students is a year-long exercise as efforts are to be made to enhance soft skills. It requires a focused and sustained approach rather than a fag-end approach. Slew of co-curricular activities organised by Shoolini University help enhance the personality of the students and infuse confidence and communication skills required for any job,” said Jatinder Julka, Professor and Director Planning at Shoolini University.