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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Academicians should make policy
Confusion over CBSE toppers
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Academicians should make policy ALL who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends upon the education of youth. This famous quote by renowned philosopher Aristotle sums up the significance of a good education in our life. The role and importance of education has become even more pronounced in the modern era, in which knowledge is power. Successive central as well as state governments have expressed their keenness to ensure the provision of quality education to all. Today, our country can boast of a sound educational infrastructure, comprising quite a few world-class engineering technology and management institutes, forward-looking universities and other academic institutions specialising in diverse fields of study. However, when it comes to formulating educational policy, most governments tend to rely on bureaucrats. The Haryana government’s recent move to introduce semester system at the institutions of higher learning in the state has brought the contentious issue to the fore. Strangely enough, the academicians serving at higher-education institutions, who are entrusted with the highly responsible task of educating the youth, have no say in educational policy-making. Instead of involving academicians in preparing education policy, the government usually prefers bureaucrats—having little exposure of academic atmosphere at educational institutions—for the crucial job. Routinely, an officer holding the charge of Secretary (Education) is made responsible for all education-related matters of the state. The said official tries to make up for the lack of his/her academic experience by touring a couple of advanced nations and visiting some prestigious educational institutions there. Then, equipped with this new-found knowledge—and perhaps some “useful” inputs from a handful of handpicked university dons—the secretary sahib proceeds to overhaul the education system. Hence, all big talk regarding the provision of autonomy to universities notwithstanding, the job of the university and college authorities gets confined to implementing the policies framed as per the whims and fancies of sarkari babus. As the bureaucrats have little understanding of the functioning of university systems and other grassroots realities, the university officials and students sometimes suffer from their decisions. And even that’s not all. One fine day, the secretary (education) is made secretary (agriculture) and secretary (animal husbandry) comes in as secretary (education). After assuming charge, the new boss naturally tries to run the show as per his own ideas. He/she might be in the middle of things when a new government takes over and it’s back to square one. “To put it in straight words, the interference of bureaucrats in academic matters pertaining to universities is unwanted, uncalled for and illegal,” maintains a senior faculty member of a university in Haryana. He points out that as per the university Act and statutes, the academic council of the university—and not any government official—is authorised to take decisions in academic matters related to the institution. However, the sad part is that the university authorities seldom object to such “excesses” of the state regime. Given the dominance of political consideration in their appointment, the vice-chancellors simply toe the government line. Thus, the practice of imposing bureaucrats’ will on university functionaries is not only detrimental to the functioning of the university system but also lowers the morale of the faculty. Here the big question is: What can be done? The answer, according to the academicians, lies in restricting the bureaucracy to framing broader policy guidelines and leaving the rest to institutions. “The government should involve academicians in framing educational policy and taking decisions of far-reaching consequences in this regard,” asserts Prof Surinder Kumar, Dean (Academic Affairs) at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak. His views are endorsed by several other faculty members and noted academicians, who feel that bureaucratic interference is adversely affecting the functioning of universities. Prof Ravinder Vinayak of MDU opines that the university academic council, which is legally authorised to take decisions on academic matters of a university, should play a more effective and meaningful role in this regard. The Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) Registrar, Dr R. S. Dalal, maintains that apart from the provision of administrative autonomy, the universities should also have financial independence for smooth and efficient functioning. Dr Dalal observes that in view of the setting up of quite a few universities in the state, a state-level regulatory and advisory body on the pattern of the University Grants Commission (UGC) is needed to be set up to consider such matters. “Apart from helping in removal of various anomalies, this body would also ensure proper coordination among different universities in the state,” he notes. In a nutshell, the authorities concerned should ensure that the academicians do have due say in education policy planning. The bureaucrats, on the other hand, can be entrusted with the work of framing broad policy guidelines and taking care of the administrative matters.
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Confusion over CBSE toppers AMRITSAR: The game of one-upmanship among the institutions to claim the top positions in the CBSE examinations have generated an intense debate among parents, teachers and the management of different schools. It is pertinent to mention that the ambiguity over the top positions in the various CBSE examinations continuous to create confusion among the merit holders and their respective institutions. A number of educational institutions are making different claims about the achievements of their students, sending a wrong message to parents as well as those students who have done exceedingly well in the CBSE examinations. Citing a case of DAV Public School, Amritsar, which had claimed that its student Mridul Sachdeva had topped the region in Class X, with 97.2 percent marks calculated as per the five compulsory subjects and the criteria of examination bylaws of the CBSE. However, Spring Dale Senior School here claimed that its student Stuti Chug had topped with 97.4 per cent marks as per the results declared by the board. According to the bylaws of the CBSE quoted in a letter from R. Neelamegam, joint secretary, which clarified that “no overall division/distinction/aggregate shall be awarded in respect of a candidate offering an additional subject. A language offered as an additional subject may replace the language in the event of the candidate failing in the same provided after replacement the candidate has English or Hindi as one of the languages”. The Principle of DAV Public School, Neera Sharma, said there was no option for the institution and the candidate to calculate their percentage by omitting compulsory subject in view of the additional subject. She said this change of norms by different educational institutions was creating confusion among the students as well as the schools. Neera Sharma suggested that to clear the web of doubt, the CBSE must clear the top merit positions along with percentage so that the toppers get due recognition. She pointed out that the CBSE must ensure that the educational institutions should adhere to the norms. They should not manipulate the percentage by adding marks secured in additional subjects to enhance their overall percentage; instead they should calculate the percentage from the five compulsory subjects only. The Principal of Spring Dale School, Manveen Sandhu, strongly defended the decision of the CBSE wherein they have replaced the percentage system by the grading system. She said the school was encouraging students to opt for additional subjects like IT, so that could get more exposure to the latest courses. The concept of show of strength also provides a new hope to the students, she added. Manveen Sandhu pointed out that the CBSE was encouraging the grading system at the national level and the institutions should look at a broader canvass and allow the students to compete with students of all the regions. The narrow perception among institutions would not help them become the institutions of national fame, she added.
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CCS Haryana Agricultural
University, Hisar The state-level entrance test of Haryana Agricultural University for the admission to various under-graduate and postgraduate degree programmes, including 175 seats in B.V.Sc & A.H and B.Sc (Hons ) Agriculture and 35 seats in M.Sc Food Science & Technology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics programmes, was held recently. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr J. C. Katyal, said this year some special measures were taken to prevent impersonation. He said the videography of each candidate appearing in the test proved useful. Besides, the candidates were given a questionnaire to fill in which carried six very easy personal questions which were unlikely to be answered correctly by an impersonator. Thumb impressions of the candidates were also taken on the attendance sheet. He said during the last three years, the number of female candidates appearing in the entrance test had been increasing every year. This year 60 to 65 percent of the candidates were from rural areas. The result of the entrance test would be declared before June 24. Study weather
conditions: VC The Vice-Chancellor Dr J. C. Katyal has suggested to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) that a project for research on changes in weather conditions and their effect on cropping patterns should be allotted to a research panel comprising scientists of 10 agricultural universities. He said there was an urgent need to study the changes as farmers were suffering huge losses due to variation in temperatures and rainfall. The research on these conditions could help farmers make suitable changes in cropping practices. He suggested farmers of Punjab and Haryana to switch to guar only to prevent losses. Katyal said those farmers who had sown cotton early could benefit from the changing weather but those who were planning to sow late were likely to suffer losses. He said farmers must also use their experience to change cropping patterns on their own. The three-fold increase in the area under guar proved that farmers were already doing so but scientific research could yield better results. — Contributed by Raman Mohan
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