Self-worth not by academic performance alone
Geetinder Garewal
A large population of children and youth are dying each day. The casualty graph peaks sharply during examination time. Academic stress and examination anxiety are cited as causal factors. But is that all?

ADMISSION DEADLINE

University should not be a business enterprise
Attempt to run varsities on business lines is sure road to disaster
Raghuvendra Tanwar

Much is wrong with the universities, in this there is little doubt, but the lack of commitment on the part of a section of teachers is only one factor. That some of our universities for example have grown into gigantic, ‘government department’ like machines unable to manage their finances and ridden with corruption and lethargy is a situation which is not the creation of the teaching fraternity, but those upon whom has rested the responsibility of running the universities.

I joined teaching 25 years ago out of choice having left a job in the IPS and not for a moment did I repent my decision. University teaching was a pleasure. But so much has changed, as all those in the university system would understand, in the past couple of decades that it is now difficult to even explain how much has gone wrong. One is able, however, to forcibly reconcile the state of affairs in the universities by understanding that universities are in fact, only a reflection of the values a society cherishes. Finance is a problem, but far less in importance than the change and degradation in values.

If one were to choose, say one factor, for the multiple problem of the universities, I would go for quality of Vice-Chancellors. For those not familiar with the working of the universities, it would be difficult to understand how much harm a single person in the guise of a Vice-Chancellor can do to derail the system.

The powers associated with Vice-Chancellors were provided in times when Vice-Chancellors were expected to lead universities without favour or fear. They usually behaved as head of a family. Discretionary powers provided in statutes were rarely, if ever, used and always used only for broader good. It is in this context that I feel that for a beginning, a system now needs to be evolved to make Vice-Chancellors accountable even after they relinquish charge for their decisions, particularly in matters relating to appointments, financial decisions and the like.

It’s a queer system where a petty clerk will remain answerable for his whole life for a minor indiscretion, but a Vice-Chancellor can play havoc with propriety and yet have no one to question him.

The background from which Vice-Chancellors come is of little relevance in the present times. Those from the teaching background are usually known to be more suitable, but some have been so undeserving that they have forever put in doubt the yardstick that academics make better Vice-Chancellors. What matters is whether they have the capacity to build the right kind of environment on campuses, an environment that is transparent, one that would inspire both teachers and students.

We need to understand that what is vital for any university or college is the urgency to value excellence. The best work of one department in one university may not be as good as even the third best in another university. But all the same what matters is the urge to excel. A mediocre college in a remote area, for example, may in fact, be doing a work socially as important as a leading institution in a metropolitan town.

But what really bothers one is only attempt to assess the worth of a university in terms of the value of its buildings, lands and then visualise how much resource stands wasted when universities are "closed".

Jawaharlal Nehru had said that universities were to be India’s stepping stone into a modern and dynamic age. What he had in mind was the immense catalystic role of universities in terms of social-economic and cultural transformation. Just as one cannot calculate in terms of monetary the value of life, the university is also a living body which does not reside in buildings, in the furniture, in the lands. It has in fact, a soul/that never sleeps.

The university is like a stage which provides an unending opportunity to youth from diverse regions, backgrounds, castes, religions, to synthesise, accept and understand one another to enable people to adapt to a wider social order. Today’s market driven societies may possibly be forgetting that the superstructures of economic progress would be castles of sand if social systems upon which they were built were to lose their liberal democratic character.

Resources in India were much more scarce say 50 years ago than they are today, yet foresightful leaders were liberal with the planning of universities because they believed good campuses are passes to broader horizons of the mind. Sadly today the first major resource cut has come to be on faculty positions.

Universities have hundreds of vacant teaching positions because they have not the funds to retain these positions, but strange as it is the managers of universities are always able to provide funds for new buildings and cars.

As governments build pressure on universities to increase revenue receipts, universities across India have gone in for distance education programmer in a big way — a kind of golden egg laying hen. The government is happy because universities have stopped bothering it for more money. The universities are happy as they are able to provide funds for priorities defined by narrow considerations.

In the process no one seems to remember that a university is not or should not at heart be a business enterprise, least of all a degree-selling teaching shop because, it lives not for today but for the future. The more we encourage universities to generate finances by selling degrees, the more we are pushing them away from their fundamental objective of being repositories of knowledge for present and future generations.

The problem of funds is an old one. On August 23, 1922, the government of Bengal wrote to Calcutta University that the Viceroy had sanctioned a sum of Rs 2,50,000, saying "it is not the intention of the government that the university be left in a state of bankruptcy." The grant, however, carried a rider in the form of advice that the university should restrain from further expansion that entailed financial responsibility. A special meeting of the Senate was convened on September 9,1922. The proceedings of this meeting, which was addressed, among others by renowned Chemist Prof. Praphulla Chandra Ray, Prof Howell and Vice-Chancellor Dr Ashutosh Mukherjee, make fascinating reading. Prof Ray said. ".... the government desires to utilise the present financial embarrassment of the university to obtain control over its affairs... it seems to me that there is an unseen hand, working from behind with dark and sinister purposes..."

Dr Ashutosh Mukherjee, in summing up the meeting was at his best, explaining how universities could not afford to barter away their prime objective for a ‘bit more of money’ and universities could "not be a part of the secretariat of the government..."

To evaluate a university in terms of its ability to attract funds from industry and market forces or any attempt at evaluating the output of a university in terms of its inputs, as has been done by Prof Gupta, is to sweep aside a concept and process that has evolved over centuries, not only in India but on similar lines across the world.

The markets may or may not look upto universities, the significance of universities will remain because they provide the fuel to kick start social, economic and cultural transformation in countries like India. The significance of their role is reflected in the growing awareness of rights, more liberal attitudes to caste, opposition to divisive legacies and even a marked sensitiveness (even if only marginal) to gender issues.

Business schools are playing an important role across the world, but please lets not mix-issues -let not miss the forest for the tree. A business school and a university are two different concepts — the spirit is different, the process of emergence, both historically and "genetically", are different.

While a business school can grow within the broader liberal canopy of a university, any attempt to run a university on the lines and spirit of a business school is a sure road to disaster.

— The writer is Professor of Modern History, Kurukshetra University.

Self-worth not by academic performance alone
Geetinder Garewal

A large population of children and youth are dying each day. The casualty graph peaks sharply during examination time. Academic stress and examination anxiety are cited as causal factors. But is that all?

It all begins with the economy opening up and aggressive striving for financial gains. Parents and children measure success in terms of material gains. Early in life, kids learn that doing well in exams will ultimately lead them to the dream job and the fat pay cheque, which can buy every happiness in life.

Resultantly, self-worth gets wrapped around academic performance. Parents, too, latch on self-esteem to their children’s academic and consequent professional success. This is a heavy load for a child to carry.

Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to suicide on account of emotional immaturity and temperamental instability. Parental expectations are largely incongruent with their children’s ability. This leads to frustration and depression. Students attempt suicide due to worthlessness and to escape social disapproval.

Parents and teachers perpetuate the feeling of shame by scolding and beating or by subtler but worse methods like withdrawal of affection. Loss of a close interpersonal relationship precipitates and worsens the situation. When there is no one to share the pain and anxiety, stress gets out of bounds.

Low self-esteem, poor self-image, eating and sleeping disturbances and increased anxiety levels are warning signs that can help identify "crisis children" at an early stage. Parents and teachers should be quick in seeking expert help.

Building value systems and appropriate goal-setting are of prime importance for preventing suicides in children.

Coping mechanisms like life-skills education combined with the problem-solving approach can help children handle stress.

Adolescence is a turbulent phase characterised by mood swings, impulsive behaviour, blurred concept of self-identity, fantasies, violent behaviour, anxiety states, complex and difficult interpersonal relationship. Supportive parents can lessen their children’s burden and help overcome their mental stress.

School-based counselling services can be of tremendous help in this area. However, this requires equipping teachers with adequate knowledge and skills, changing their attitudes and imparting better quality training to enable them to tackle the problems effectively.

Children should be taught to share crisis situations with others and seek advice while making decisions.

Some steps taken to ameliorate the problem in our country include developing school mental health programmes, training of teachers, school counsellors and special educators. Specific strategies are also being used to reduce pressures. Special emergency hotlines have been established in major cities during examination times to help distressed children. But the primary responsibility lies with parents and teachers to break the "do or die" drive.

Child psychologist Deepali Sharma says there is a need for immediate remedial measures that need to be taken in order to ease the transition process of adolescence to adulthood. The emphasis should be on preventive counselling rather than curative.

Since the ideal situation for educational and clinical psychologists at the school level does not exist in the Indian context, it is crucial to provide training to teachers so that they are sensitised to the problems of children and assist in identification, counselling, and remedial work for those who display scholastic backwardness or high academic stress symptoms.

It is very crucial for parents to realise the growing demands of adolescence. There are quintessential phases of adolescence — being self-conscious, challenging oneself to internalise life’s manifold complications and peer pressure. Parents and teachers, however, want the adolescents to be disciplined and focused on their career. The gap between the want of parents and the needs of the adolescents creates stress that is symptomatic.

There is a growing need for flexibility in the school curriculum so that the students who feel that they do not belong to a particular academic stream have the choice for alternate paths. Credit system through semesters, as a way of assessing the student’s ability, is a thought process that can find greater acceptability as it challenges the students to apply their knowledge without undue stress of comparative achievement with other students.

There is a great need to lessen the rigidity and allow a more open system of education to flourish. The children need to feel confident that in case of not getting ‘adequate’ marks in an examination or not being able to get qualifying grade, there are alternative choices available to them.

ADMISSION DEADLINE

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Bharati Vidyapeeth Bhavan, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Pune 411030

www.bharatividyapeeth.edu

All India Entrance Tests for Admission to:

Apr 17: (1) MBBS/ BDS/ BAMS/ BHMS

Apr 28: (2) BE (Comp/ IT/ Indsl Electron/ Mech/ Prodn/ Chem/ Elect/ Civil) & BTech (IT)

Elig: For 1 : Cl 12 (PCB, 50% & Eng).For 2: Cl 12 (PCM 50% & Eng).

Appln F: Send Rs 550/- (separately for 1 & 2) by DD favouring the "Registrar, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University" payable at Pune to above add or to Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Institute of Mgt & Research, A-4 Rohtak Rd, Opp Ordnance Depot, Paschim Vihar Extn, New Delhi 110063. Write your name & name of entrance test on reverse of DD and give your complete add on separate sheet of paper.

Details: Website.

May 2: Allahabad Agricultural Institute-Deemed University, Allahabad 211007 (UP)

www.aaidu.org

Fac/o Bus Studies:

PG: MBA; Master of Agri-Bus Mgt.

UG: Bachelor’s of Hotel & Tourism Mgt/BBA

Fac/o Hum & Socl Sc:

PG: MSc (Anthro); MLISc

UG: BLIsc; BEd (1-yr)

Fac/o Health & Med Sc:

PG: Master of Public Health (Part I, II, III & IV)

UG: BSc MLT; Sc Health Sc; BPharm

Fac/o Science

PG: MSc (Biochem/ Biotech/ Microbiol/Maths)

UG: BTech-Biotech (Genetic Engg/ Biochem Tech/ Indl Microbiol); BSc (H) (Microbiol/Biochem/Phy/Maths).

Fac/o Theology

PG/UG (Divinity)

Fac/o Engg & Tech:

PG: MCA; MTech (Agri Process & Food Engg/Farm Mc & Power Engg/Soil & Water Engg (Irrigation Drainage & Engg/ Soil Water Conservation)/ Dairy Tech/Energy Mgt)

UG: BTech (Mech/Elect & Comm/Elect & Electron/ Process & Food Engg/ Water Resource Engg/ Agri Engg/ Dairy Tech/ Biotech (Genetic Engg)/ Biotech (Biochem Tech)/ Biotech (Indl Microbiol); BCA (H).

Fac/o Agriculture:

PG: MSc Agronomy (Crop Prod/ Weed Sc/ Crop Physi)/ Agro Forestry/ Genetics & Plant Breeding/Horti (Veg Sc/Floricuture/Fruit Prod & Post Harvest Tech)/ Plant Protection/ Plant Pathol/ Agri Extn/ Agri Eco (Farm Mgt /Agri Mktg)/ Soil Sc/Food Nutri & Dietetics/Human Deve/ HSci Ext Edu.

UG: BSc Agri Tech/ Forestry/ Home Sc.

Fac/o Vet Sc & AH

PG: MSc (Dairying/Ani Nutri/ LPM/ Ani Genetics &Breeding/ Poultry Prodn)

Dip: IDD (DH)/IDD (DT).

Elig: Website

Appln F: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Allahabad Agricultural Institute-Deemed University" payable at SBI-AAI (Br Code: 2506), by May 2 or download from website.

May/Sep: Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025

http://jmi.nic.in

May 19 Regular Courses:

(1) BTech (Civil/ Elect/ Mech/ Electron & Comm/Comp Engg)

(2) BArch

(3) MSc (Electron)

(4) MTech (Environ Sc & Engg) (PT)

(5) Dip (Civil/ Elect/ Mech/ Electron & Comm/Comp Engg)

Sep 29 Evening Courses:

(1) MBA

(2) BE & Dip (Civil/ Elect/ Mech/ Electron & Comm/ Comp Engg).

Appln F: Send Rs 100/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-25" with self-add, stamped (Rs 48/), env (9"x12") to Ms. Maktaba Jamia Ltd. at above add.

— Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING (www.careerguidanceindia.com)
New Delhi Email: pervin-trib@.careerguidanceindia.com
Details: www.careerguidanceindia.com