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Mushrooming of universities
Design special test to select good teachers
Campus NoteS
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Mushrooming of universities
Expressing his concern over the establishment of two new central universities in Jammu and Kashmir, the Vice-Chancellor of Kashmir University, Riyaz Punjabi, recently said: “It is a matter of concern as with the opening of central universities in the state, the existing universities would become dysfunctional because the former would take away the experienced faculty from the latter.” The main reason Riyaz Punjabi cited for this concern being that the retirement age in the central universities (65 years) is much higher than in the state universities (60 years). He also lamented the fact that whereas the state university was starved of funds and could not expand its facilities, the central universities would receive a huge chunk of finances. The facts stated by Riyaz Punjabi are true not only for the universities in Jammu and Kashmir but also apply equally well to all similar universities in other states. In fact, there is likely to be some clash of interests between different universities, especially because of their physical proximity and overlapping fields of study. At present, most of these universities are facing the common problems of resource crunch, paucity of requisite faculty and inadequate infrastructure. When the number of PhDs available in the country is far less than the total required to fill the vacant posts, it would be futile to expect that qualified teachers would emerge from nowhere. Also, with the percentage of GDP allocated to education remaining almost constant every year and higher education being accorded a low priority by the government, one cannot think of liberal flow of funds to state and central universities. Uncontrolled opening of large number of private universities is further going to hit hard the finances of already deficient state universities. Nearer home, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) is a case in point. The proposed 18 private universities, of which seven-eight have already started functioning in a half-baked manner, are certainly going to erode the financial base of HPU, which is already under financial strain. It is also alleged that these universities are being opened more due to political and economic considerations rather than academic. These are also being opposed on the ground that weaker sections of society like scheduled castes/tribes will not have any reservation in admissions. Union Education Minister Kapil Sibbal has recently ruled out any such reservation in private universities, as in foreign educational institutions. Indiscriminate opening of so many private universities has also been termed by some critics as “commodification of higher education”. Punjab has already two officially recognised private universities, while the third one is awaiting the Cabinet nod and many more are on the anvil. These are also likely to suffer the same way as those in Himachal. Private universities have an edge over the state and central universities in the sense that they can charge more fees and funds for equivalent courses, do not follow rules and regulations strictly and can provide better incentives to the teaching staff. The initial enthusiasm about foreign educational institutions seems to be slowing down. Despite Kapil Sibal’s earnest efforts and visits to some foreign countries, not many world-class universities are willing to set up their campuses in India. By and large, opening of such foreign institutions is also being discouraged by the Indian educationists, who visualise economic gains as the basic aim of those who may offer to come here. These institutions may be able to invest heavily to erect huge infrastructure, but to bring duly qualified and competent teachers will again be a hard task. Many among the 13 new universities opened in 12 states of India under the Central Universities Act, 2009, are at a nascent stage, with all of them operating form temporary camp offices. Their campuses are to be located in rural areas as a matter of principle and thus would lack modern amenities, a fact that can wean away requisite faculty form joining these permanently. No wonder, appointments in these central universities have been made on contractual basis or as guest faculty, to which, also a lukewarm response has been reported. Most of these universities have started a few traditional courses, which are available in other universities also, leaving offbeat courses for the future. When will these be able to attain the stature of world-class universities, as envisaged, is anybody’s guess. The deemed university fiasco is well known. The case is sub-judice and the main question of law involved is whether the government has the power to derecognise these now, which have already been approved by the committees of experts appointed by the UGC and have also been accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Now the government wants to derecognise these universities on the basis of their low standards. The experience of deemed universities brings into focus the point as to what mechanism of evaluation should be adopted, so that the upcoming universities do not suffer a similar fate. And before we raise the number of universities in the country to 1,500, as recommended by the National Knowledge Commission, quality of education in the existing ones must be ensured. Whether the National Commission for Higher Education and Research or any other state or central regulatory body is able to achieve this end to a fair degree of success is a moot question.
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Design special test to select good teachers
IN teaching, professional development programmes should include both competence as well commitment building. Good teachers are not merely teachers with good techniques but they are first and foremost teachers who take pride in being educators, and who care for their students.
An exciting time in terms of education lies ahead, as the Centre and state governments are aiming at improving the quality of education. The most important step in this direction is to pick the best teachers, not those who teach just for the money, but those who want to make a mark by spreading the knowledge among children. In the early days, those who provided others with education were considered noble, and they received a lot of respect from society. However, with the onset of the technological era, most of the youth of today look for lucrative jobs with high salary packages. They are no longer interested in joining the teaching profession. This makes it difficult to find hard-working and dedicated teachers. Nowadays many teachers give private tuition to students to make some extra money. By doing so, they compromise on the quality of education they are providing to their pupils in school. Therefore, there is need to design a special test for selecting good teachers. Once they join the noble profession, they should be provided with all the necessary means to ensure that they make full efforts for the betterment of the quality of education being provided. This can be done by providing the teacher with facilities like good infrastructure and efficient staff to form a better teacher-student bond. Parents’ participation in education is another important factor because it improves their awareness about the performance of the child in the school and the need and efforts required to motivate and take corrective steps. The parents should immediately be notified of any wrongdoings by the child in academic areas such as cheating or use of unfair means in examinations. This would enable the parents and the teacher to collectively form a better education plan suitable for the child to help him avoid such situations in future. The quality of education can be improved largely by the optimum use of all resources available. For example, by making use of technology, schools of today are providing complete computer-based classrooms for children to study in an interactive manner. This makes the learning process all the more enjoyable. Corporate houses should also take part in education reforms by investing in the professional development programme for teachers. It will give them opportunity to implement creative ideas so that the quality of education is improved. It is not difficult to achieve if all concerned take part in the process with honest and unselfish approach and the willingness to work hard.
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Campus NoteS
DR Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Dean, Faculty of Sports Medicine, Guru Nanak Dev University, has been invited by the Chinese University of Hong Kong to deliver a lecture on "Sports Medicine, Research and Rehabilitation Therapy Convention" from October 9 to12. He will also address the peer group of the World Academy of Sports Medicine and Exercise Science. Thereafter, he will be chairing certain sessions and delivering lectures at the 16th Asian Games Science Congress at Guangzhou, China. Youth leadership camp The university is hosting a five-day North Zone Inter-University Youth Leadership Camp at its Holiday Home in Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh). According to Dr Jagjit Kaur, Director, Youth Welfare of Guru Nanak Dev University, 70 students from 10 North Zone universities are participating in the camp. She said the students would learn yoga in the camp and also go on trekking to various places, including Dalhouse, Khajjiar, Kala Top and Panchpula. Everyday in the evening session, they would participate in the competitions of folk songs, geet/ghazal, poem recitation and debate, she added. She said the resource persons and the campers would interact on the topics of environment, social evils and characteristics of youth leadership. The camp would conclude on August 27. New in charge of Publication Bureau Dr Amarjit Singh Sidhu, a senior professor of commerce and business management of Guru Nanak Dev University, has taken over as professor in charge, Publication Bureau of the university. His appointment has been approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A.S. Brar. Awareness programme Guru Nanak Dev University will organise a library users' awareness programme for colleges on September 6 under the auspices of Bhai Gurdas Library of the university here. The UGC-Information Library Network and the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, have jointly launched the National Library and Information Services Infrastructure for Scholarly Content Programme. Under this programme, 2100 e-journals, 51,000 e-books and bibliographic databases will be provided to the colleges. The users can also avail the download facility. The files of backdated journals will also be available in the library. — Contributed by P. K. Jaiswar
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Admission Deadline Indian Army, Directorate General Remount Veterinary Services (RV-1), QMG’s Branch, Integrated Headquarters of MoD (Army), West Block 3, RK Puram, New Delhi 110066 Remount Veterinary Corps (SSC) Eligibility:
Male
candidates only; BVSc / BVSc & AH or equivalent degree. Selection: SSB Interview, Medical Test Application Form: Send in prescribed format on a plain paper (21cm x 36 cm) with required documents to above address by 17 September ‘10. Superscribe in red ink "Application for Short Service Commission in RVC" on envelope. Details: Employment News (14 - 20 August 2010) Application Deadline: 17 September 2010 Engineering Delhi Institute of Tool Engineering, Wazirpur Industrial Area, Delhi 110020 (M/o HRD; Govt of NCT) PG
Course in Tool Design & Manufacture (2
years) Eligibility: BE / BTech (Mechanical / Production or equivalent; 60%) Age Limit: 27 years (on 01 September 2010) Selection: Entrance Test: 08 October 2010 Application Form: Send Rs 500/- by DD favouring ‘DITE, Delhi’ to the above address. Application Deadline: 24 September 2010 Anna
University of Technology Tiruchirapalli, Tiruchirapalli 620024 (TN) PG
Degree Programme through Module-Based Credit Banking Scheme (Self-supporting) Eligibility:
For
teaching faculty working in Engineering Colleges Details: Website Application Deadline: 30 August 2010 Indira
Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), School of Engineering &
Technology, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068 Degree
& Diploma in Engg (Civil / Electrical / Electronics & Comm /
Mechanical / Computer Sc) Eligibility:
For 1: 10+2 (PCM, 50%) Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 03 September (online) IT DOEACC
Society, 2nd Floor, Parsvanath Metro Mall, Inderlok Metro
Station, Delhi 110035 (D/o IT, M/o Communication & IT, GoI) 1)
DOEACC ‘A’ level (1 year) Eligibility:
For 1:
O Level / Polytechnic Diploma / Bachelors degree Management Loyola
Institute of Business Administration, Loyala College, Nungambakkam,
Chennai 600034 (TN) PhD Programme in Management Eligibility: MBA or equivalent degree Selection: Entrance Test & Interview: 18 September 2010 Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 31 August 2010 Xavier
Institute of Management, Xavier Square, Bhubaneswar (Oris) PG Certificate Programme in Business Mgmt / HRM (1 year, weekend) Eligibility: Bachelors degree with 2 years work-ex Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 31 August 2010 Indian
Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), B 21, Qutab Institutional Area, New
Delhi 110016 (Deemed University) Certificate Programme in Export Management (4 months, weekends) Eligibility: Bachelors degree / Diploma with 2 years work experience (on 31 October ’10) Selection: Interview. Application Form: Send Rs 250/- by DD favouring "Indian Institute of Foreign Trade," payable at New Delhi to the above address / Download from website. Details: Website Application Deadline: 17 September 2010 Medicine Baba
Farid University of Health Sciences, Kotkapura Road, Faridkot 151203 (Punj) MSc
Nursing Courses 2010 Selection: Entrance Test: 05 September 2010 Application Form: Send Rs. 1200/- by DD favouring "Registrar, BFUHS" payable at Faridkot at the above address / Download from website. Details: Website Application Deadline: 01 September 2010 Dr. DY
Patil University, Sant Tukaram Nagar, Pimpri, Pune 411018 (Mah)
(Deemed University) All
India Post Graduate Entrance Test in Medical & Dental Courses: Eligibility:
For 1:
MBBS Application Deadline: 11 December 2010 College
of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical, Joginder Nagar, Mandi 176120 (HP) BPharm (Ayurved) 4 years Eligibility:
10+2
(Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English). Bonafide / Domicile of HP
eligible for 85% state quota seats. Application Form: Send Rs 575/- by DD favouring "Principal, College of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical, Joginder Nagar, Mandi 176120," payable at Joginder Nagar at the above address. Details: Website Application Deadline: 08 September 2010 Institute
of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110095 (Govt
of NCT of Delhi) MPhil in
Clinical Psychology (2
years) Eligibility:
Masters degree (Psychology / Applied Psychology / Cognitive
Science / Clinical Psychology, 55%) Application Form: Send Rs. 500/- by DD favouring "Registrar, University of Delhi," payable at Delhi at the above address / Download from website Application Deadline: 10 September 2010 Recruitment National
Aluminium Company Limited, NALCO Bhawan, P-1, Nayapalli, Bhubaneswar
751061 (Oris) 1) Graduate
Engineer Trainees Eligibility:
For 1: BE / BTech (Civil / Chemical / Electrical / Electronics
/ C & I / Mechanical / Metallurgy / Mining Machinery / Geology /
System (Computer Engg / Computer Science / IT; 65%) / MCA / MSc
Geology (65%) For
Finance: CA /
ICWA Selection: Written Test: 26 September 2010 Application Form & Details: Employment News (14 – 20 August 2010) / Website. Application Deadline: 07 September 2010 United
Bank of India, United Tower, 11, Hemanta Basu Sarani, Kolkata 700001
(WB) Recruitment of Probationary Clerk (700 posts) Eligibility:
Class 12 (60%) / Bachelors degree & completed a computer course
for atleast three months. Selection: Written Exam: 28 November 2010; Interview Application Form & Details: Employment News (14 – 20 August 2010) / Website Application Deadline: 22 September 2010 (online) Scholarships National
Centre for Radio Astrophysics-Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
Post Bag 3, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007 (Mah) IUCAA-NCRA Admission Test (INAT-2010) (Research Scholarship for PhD at IUCAA, Pune / National Centre for Radio Astrophysics / Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Pune) starting Aug. 2011 Eligibility: MSc (Physics / Electronics / Astronomy / Applied Maths) / BE / BTech / ME / MTech. Selection: JEST-2011; Test: 22 December ’10; Interview: 22 / 23 December 2010 Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 27 September 2010 DBT-ICT
Centre for Energy Bioscience, Institute of Chemical Technology,
Nathalal Parikh Marg, Matunga, Mumbai 400019 (Mah) (D/o Biotechnology,
M/o Science & Technology, GoI) Energy
Bioscience Overseas Fellowship (5
years) Eligibility:
Indian origin candidates working overseas; PhD in relevant areas Application Form & Details: Website Application Deadline: 30 September 2010 Social
Justice & Empowerment Department, Haryana, SCO No. 68-70, Sector
17 A, Chandigarh Pre-Matric
Merit Scholarship for Minorities Eligibility: Not less than 50 % in the previous examination; Family income not exceeding 1 lakh per annum. Scholarship:
For
Class 6-10: Admission fee: Rs. 500/- pa (Hostellers & Day
scholars) Details: Website Application Deadline: 15 September 2010 The
Charles Wallace India Trust, Head of Department, Department of English
Studies, University of Stirling, Stirling FK 4LA, Scotland, UK Charles
Wallace Fellowship in Creative Writing Eligibility:
Indian citizens, domiciled and resident, with Bachelors degree in
Literature / 5-7 years of professional experience with a clear
proposal stating what they plan to study and use their experience back
in India. Not given a Charles Wallace India Trust grant in previous
five years. Application Form & Details: Website. Application Deadline: 30 September 2010 University Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla 171005 (HP) 1)
MPhil (English / Hindi / Performing Arts / Sanskrit / Music /
Economics / Sociology / Public Administration / Geography / Political
Science / Psychology / History / Maths / Commerce / Education /
Physical Education / Botany / Zoology / Chemistry / Physics /
Biotechnology). Selection: For 1 & 2: Entrance Test Application Form: Send Rs.200/- by DD favouring "Finance Officer, HPU, Shimla," to the Dean of Studies at above address by 04 September ‘10. Application Deadline: 09 September 2010 Punjabi
University, Patiala 147002 (Punj) MPhil & PhD Selection: Entrance Test: 04 September 2010; Interview: 13 September ‘10 Application Form: Send Rs 1000/- by DD favouring "Registrar, Punjabi University, Patiala" payable at Patiala at the above address / Download from website. Details: Website Application Deadline: 25 August 2010 Pervin Malhotra, Director, Career Guidance India (CARING) (www.careerguidanceindia.com)
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NOW, that there are various categories of universities in India like state universities, central universities existing prior to 2009, new central universities opened in 2009, private universities, deemed universities, the upcoming foreign educational institutions and the world-class universities, it would be worthwhile to make their brief comparative appraisal, see whether there is any clash of interests between them and discuss the need to ensure quality education in these institutes.