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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Holes in UGC regulations Institutes take students for a ride Gearing up for post-WTO scenario |
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Holes in UGC regulations THOUGH
the UGC Regulations, 2003, notified in the official gazette on December 8, 2003 have explicitly and rigorously defined the parameters of private universities and even restricted them to “operate within the boundary of the State concerned” they have, unfortunately, miserably failed to protect the interests of students who have already been duped by education scavengers. Clause 3.3. of the Regulations, called UGC (Establishment of and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities) Regulations, 2003 says that “a private university established under a State Act shall operate ordinarily within the boundary of the State concerned. However, after the development of main campus, in exceptional circumstances, the university may be permitted to open off-campus centres, off-shore campuses and study centres after five years of its coming into existence, subject to the following conditions.” The Regulations 2003 then enumerate a number of sub-clauses of which 3.3.3 is of prime importance to us. It says that “if the functioning of the said centre(s) remains unsatisfactory, the private university shall be instructed by the UGC to close down the said centre(s), which shall be binding on the university.” And then adds : “In such a situation, the interests of the students already enrolled therein shall be protected.” Unfortunately, however, the regulations fail to spell out how and when the UGC would protect the interests of the students already enrolled.! In fact the regulations, literally, skip any reference to students’ interest that the Regulations promise to protect. Or does the UGC desires to bring out a separate set of regulations to guard the fleeced students?. The UGC chief, Dr Arun Nigavekar ,says “no”. “If the state government can enact legislation to launch universities, they should guard the interest of the students as well”, said Dr Nigavekar in answer to a question as to who and how the interests of the students would be guarded? This writer had a lengthy discussion with Dr Nigavekar last week during which he clarified in so many words that moving the court is the only remedy left with the students who feel cheated by educational institutions. Explaining the helplessness of the UGC, he said that the education happens to be on the Concurrent List of the Constitution and therefore, entitles the states to enact laws on education. This right, he felt, has of late being mischievously abused by some states. Any move to check the states’ powers or to negate them would tantamount to undermining the federal structure of the Constitution and would invite the state wrath. “In such a situation each state should enact laws to guard the interest of their own students” he suggested. Dropping broad hints at the lines on which the states should enact laws to protect the interest of their students, he said that the state laws should prohibit, or inhibit, outsiders from opening their campus in their state. This, he said, had also been suggested in the regulations. Second, the Consumer Protection Act should be made more broadbased so as to bring education within its purview. A number of cases have of late been taken up by the consumer courts and once the Act was made to include education, the students would get a platform to seek quick justice. Last, Dr Nigavekar sounded a piece of advice for the students : check out the claims of the institution before paying the fee. Caution is the key, he said. |
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Institutes take students for a ride MUSHROOMING of technical educational institutes operating without the requisite affiliation or infrastructure in Himachal has become a cause of concern for the state government and students alike. These institutes provide diplomas and at times degrees in a number of disciplines like ayurveda, pharmacy, paramedical, c and v, languages, veterinary and technical courses. With their number registering a steep rise in the past few years, at stake is the future of students. Most of them begin their operations from a small rented accommodation and allure students by virtue of being affiliated to deemed universities in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other far-off states. Once admissions are made, they recruit unqualified staff at nominal salaries who most often fail to meet the desired standards. Not only this, the students are taken out of state for examinations. The gullible students realise their folly only after having put in a year or so at the institute. At least two such institutes had been running in Solan district for the past more than a year. While a case of fraud was registered against Maa Saraswati College of Education at Baddi, providing a two-year pharmacy course, in October another institute at Solan, Himalayan Institute of Paramedical Technology, is facing protests from students after it failed to procure the requisite NOC from the state government. Claiming to be affiliated to Gandhi Vidya Mandir, Sardarshahr, Rajasthan, a deemed university, the institute had admitted 250 students in various courses, including art and craft and paramedical training. After spending a sum of Rs 25,000 and wasting a year at the institute, the students realised to their horror that the institute was running without the mandatory NOC. They refused to take admission in the second year. The institute management, which has maintained that there is nothing wrong with the institute, asserts that it has applied to the state government for an NOC. However, it is learnt that the government, which had referred the case to the legal cell, had found the status doubtful and had, hence, not issued the NOC. In yet another case pertaining to a homeopathic college at Solan, it was learnt that after the state government’s committee rejected their case for grant of an NOC for lack of infrastructure and ambiguous affiliation, the institute managed to procure permission for running it, bypassing the committee observations. The committee officials who had conducted the inspection opined that the case was to be recommended to the Central Council of Homeopathy Medicine by the state government if found right. But despite the committee’s adverse remarks, it had not only managed to admit more students than permissible, but had also been running the course for the past couple of years. It was being run from a rented building on the national highway in the vicinity of a workshop where noise pollution is a permanent feature and a wine shop on the other side. The institute was directed to construct a new building with spacious rooms and laboratories. The management, when quizzed, however, opined that they had acquired the required permission and were looking for a site to built a new campus. Officials in the Ayurveda Department opined that the public was warned against admissions in such bogus institutes through newspaper advertisements. The exercise had been repeated periodically so that students did not fall prey to such allurements. A former Principal Secretary, Education, Mr Sudripto Roy, expressing concern over these education shops, said though a deemed university could not be stopped from opening a centre in Himachal, its legal angles were being looked into. The government was trying to find ways and means to maintain a check on the quality of education provided by such institutes so that there was some check on these. Efforts were afoot to open quality educational institutes in these disciplines within the state which would deter students from seeking admission in the non-recognised ones. Not only this, a consultancy planning had been assigned the job of surveying the state with respect to the future demand for such technical courses in Himachal. Depending on this survey, new institutes would be opened. The Education Minister, Ms Asha Kumari, who viewed the situation as serious, said a committee comprising secretaries of various departments like Ayurveda, Health, Education, Veterinary and Technical Education had been constituted and it was assigned with the job of looking into the problem. Since the problem related to a number of departments, it required composite action, she averred. |
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Gearing up for post-WTO scenario EDUCATION, being part of the service sector, will be open to global players from January 1, 2005, under the WTO agreement. Foreign universities and institutions will be allowed to open their centres in India. And the Indian educational institutions can set up offshore campuses. The foreign players will enter the Indian market with a strong financial background, equipped with the latest teaching tools and material. Further, they will have a professional management style, backed by sophisticated marketing strategies. In such a situation, attracting and holding talented faculty and bright students will become difficult for the Indian institutions. Our syllabi is obsolete and we are teaching our students what we had learnt some 25 years ago, ignoring the fact that knowledge is expanding at an amazing rate. The Weekend Australian Newspaper estimated the shelf life of the Australian undergraduate degrees as one year for computer science, two years for electrical engineers, three years for accounting, four years for business, and five years for biotechnology. Management of finance will be another problem area. It is clear that the government has neither the resources nor the willingness to expand higher education at a pace consistent with demand. Sooner or later, educational institutions will have to create their own resources to manage the affairs. Moreover, in a competitive environment, the students will evaluate institutions before joining them. In the light of these challenges, educational institutions should prepare themselves and devise strategies for future. Governing bodies of institutions should understand that managing educational institutions is a complex task in the WTO scenario. It calls for professional handling. Changing environment requires frequent review of curricula, diversifying structures and introduction of novel ways of delivering the services, backed by world-class infrastructure facilities. In this regard, universities should provide leadership. Universities should also allow enough flexibility for every institution to encourage, creativity and diversity. However, the ground reality is different. The universities seldom move at a pace consistent with the changing expectations of the market. Educational institutions should explore the possibility of signing MoUs with industry, foreign universities, NGOs, and the government. In Punjab and Chandigarh, educational institutions like the Sikh Educational Society, the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the SGPC, SD, and DAV institutions have done a wonderful job in taking up the role of building educational base in the region now, they should start thinking of collaboration with foreign universities. For instance, the Sikh Educational Society in Chandigarh runs four educational institutions in Chandigarh, besides two in Punjab. It has created enviable infrastructure at Chandigarh and if they can sell themselves abroad, there are many Punjabi families willing to send their wards to a beautiful place like Chandigarh, provided it has a proper academic environment. If overseas Sikhs can contribute generously to gurdwaras, they can also come forward for the cause of education. These institutions should use their physical resources effectively. Efforts should be made to provide excellent facilities and then use these optimally. Motivated and satisfied staff is a pre-requisite for the growth of any institution. The faculty should be encouraged to update knowledge. Every teacher should have knowledge about the computer and the Internet knowledge about latest developments in one’s relevant subject. The faculty should also be encouraged to attend seminars and conferences. Exchange programmes for faculty and students should be worked out with Indian and foreign universities. Further, part-time courses, evening classes, in-service courses, distance learning programme, e-learning and franchising arrangements can improve the improve the financial health of institutions. Educational institutions have to market themselves properly and have to visualise students as customers and teaching/research services as products. The survival depends upon preparedness of the institute to develop products with a focus on value addition. Of late, a new trend of rating educational institutes has started. The India Today recently rated Arts, Science and Commerce colleges of India. In future, rankings of educational institutes will be made at the state level too. For this, every educational institution has to market itself bringing out strong points to prospective customers. Educational institutions will be evaluated on the basis of referrals, opinion sought from others and image. The writer teaches at
S.G.G.S.College, Chandigarh. |
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ADMISSION DEADLINE Armed Forces Jan 24 Coast Guard HQ, Director (HRD), Coast Guard Recruitment Cell, A-1, Sector-24, PB No. 127, NOIDA 201301 (UP) www.indiancoastguard.org Recruitment of Asst Comdts (Feb '04) for: 1) General Duty 2) General Duty Pilot 3) CPL Holders 4) Tech Branch Elig: For 1: UG Deg (Maths & Phys in Cl 12). For 2: BSc (Phys & Maths) cleared PABT. For 3: 10+2 with valid CPL. (Bachelor's deg prfd). For 4: BE/ BTech in Naval Arch/ Marine/ Mech/ Elect/Telecomm & Electron/ Design/ Prodn/ Aeronautical/ Control Engg/ CoC 1st Class Engg of Motorship/ College of Marine Engg (IMET, Kol)/ A & B of IE in above fields or equiv. Age : For 1: 21-25-yrs , For2 & 3: 19-27-yrs; For4: 21-30-yrs. Selectn: Tests, Interview at Chennai/ Del / Kol/ M'bai. Appln F: Send in prescribed format. Details: Employment News (Dec 27 - Jan 2 '04)./ Website Jan 25 The Indian Navy, PO Box No. 04, R K Puram PO (Main), New Delhi 110066 www.nausena-bharti.mil.in Officers in Education Br (SSC) Elig: BE/ BTech (I Class in Electron/ Elect/ Mech) Age: 21 - 25 yrs. Selectn: Interview, Med Test, GD. Details: Employment News (Dec 27 - Jan 2 '04). Management Jan 15 Indian Institute of Forest Management, PO Box No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal-462003, (MP) www.iifm.org/ pgdfm/admission.html PG Prog in Forestry Mgt (2-yr) Elig: Bachelor's degree. Selectn: CAT (Feb 15) Scores, GD, Interview. Appln F: Send Rs 600/- by DD favouring "Director, IIFM", payable at Bhopal, to the Coordinator-PFM Admission at above add/ download from web. Apr 15 Indian Institute of Forest Management, PB No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal-462003, (MP) www.iifm.org Post Master Course in Natural Resource Mgt (2-yr) (Recog by AIU as equiv to MPhil). Elig: Masters's Deg/ Dip or equiv (50%); Rel wk ex prefd. Selectn: Written Test, Presentation & Interview. Appln F: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring "Director, IIFM", payable at Bhopal, to Coordinator-MRM Admissions at above add or download from website. Recruitment Jan 24 Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board, (G/o NCT of Delhi), IIIrd Floor, UTCS Bldg, Insttnl Area, Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi 110032 http:\ \ delhigovt.nic.in Recruitments to various Grp 'B' & 'C' posts (974 Nos): Details: Website. Scholarship Jan 12 M/o HRD (D/o Sec & Hr Educn, External Scholarships Divn, GoI), ES. 4 Section, A-1/W-3, Curzon Rd Barracks, KG Mg, New Delhi 110001 Commonwealth Scholarship/ Fellowship Plan-2004 (Trinidad & Tobago) (Master's Level studies in Tropical Commodity Utilization & Agril Eco/ Crop & Plant Sc) Elig: Bachelor's deg (55% in History (H)/ 60% in Agril Sc with spclzn in Agril Diversification) Details: Employment News (Dec 27 - Jan 2 '04)/ Website. Jan 20 M/o HRD, (D/o Sec & Hr Educn), ES.5 Section, A.1/W. 3, Curzon Rd Barracks, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 www.education.nic.in Norwegian Govt Scholarships 2004-'05 1) MPhil (Gender & Devpt) 2) MSc (Intnl Community health) 3) Master in Spl Needs Educn 4) MSc (Intnl Fisheries Mgt) Elig: Bachelor's deg in relev subj. Appln F: Apply on plain paper in prescribed format. Details: Employment News (Dec 27 - Jan 2 '04)/ Website University Feb 15 Maharshi Dayanand University, Directorate of Distance Education, Rohtak 124001 www.hcplnet.com/ www.mdurohtak.com 1. MCA (3-yr/ Lat entry in yr 2/ yr 3) 2. MBA (3-yr) 3. MSc (Comp Sc; 2-yr/ Lat entry in yr 2) 4. APGDCA (1-yr) 5. BCA (3-yr) Elig: For 1-4: Bachelor's deg, For 5: 10+2. Appln F: Contact MDU study centres Details: Websites Jan 15 Dr. C.V. Raman University, C-18, Sec 1, Avanti Vihar, Mahasamund Road, Raipur (CG) www.cvru.ac.in UG & PG Courses in: IT & Sc, Mgt, Comm, Lib Sc, Arts, Paramedical Sc Appln F: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring "Dr. C. V. Raman University, Raipur", payable at Raipur to above add. Details: Employment News (Dec 27 - Jan 2 '04)/ Website — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING (www.careerguidanceindia.com), New Delhi Email: pervin-trib@.careerguidanceindia.com Details: www.careerguidanceindia.com |
