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Unshackle
the varsity system Now, get
US school diploma at home Campus
Notes n
Five departments renamed
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Unshackle the varsity system JAWAHARLAL
Nehru, at a convocation at Allahabad University, had once emphasised: “A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for adventure of ideas and the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of human race towards even higher objectives. If the university discharges its duties adequately, then it is well with the people and the nation.” Undoubtedly, higher education has made significant contribution to economic development and social progress, but there are serious problems plaguing the system and time is running out for finding ways of refurbishing it. Conferences and seminars can create opportunities for having a meaningful dialogue. At conferences, many arrive with eager expectations of a hard-hitting and a public-spirited discussion, while others have less important agendas on their minds. The media, too, which ought to be the main underpinning factor for the promotion of ideas, is more inclined to publish sensational news of boycotts and other trivia and less about the “march of ideas” that Nehru spoke of. It scarcely seems a year since principals of affiliated colleges gathered at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. The days pass all too fast, and I have been puzzled by our silence on the freedom of the academic. But this time, at the principals meet, I feel a sense of renewal and am certain that those serious-minded individuals who attended it must have also been provoked into considering vital questions ranging from policy issues to expansion, excellence and inclusion, and from glaring disparities between colleges and the universities and other centres of higher learning like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the IIMs. Recruitment, evaluation and cutting edge quality of research are areas where most of the educational institutes still suffer from a deficiency that is most visible in our country, especially when statistics reveal how enormously we lag behind certain countries in Latin America and even China. The community must develop an ethical and progressive academic culture where inclusion, access and quality on the one hand and the importance of freedom in the academia vis-à-vis the role of the UGC and the National Commission on Higher Education and Research on the other are seriously debated. There is at the heart of this deep-seated concern a kind of involvement and imaginative participation at a crucial time when we can ask, “What role should education play for social change and whether universal principals can possibly underpin pedagogy across time and space?” The free-standing intellectuals within the academia have to provocatively articulate their views on freedom curtailed by the blatant state control over education. Education reduced to a mere obsession with exams or its involvement with market-driven competencies cannot be termed as education; it is mere control of a body that can flourish only if it is allowed to move ahead without any indoctrination or homogenisation. Our commitment to promoting excellence would depend on how we set high professional standards along with the pursuit of research that is more “curiosity driven” rather than of a high economic impact. Interestingly, half a dozen Nobel laureates along with about a thousand academics have sent a petition to the British Government to not base its funding policy on the basis of the economic or industrial relevance of research. Incidentally, the Indian scientist, Prof. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, is also among them. According to Sir Tim Hunt, one of the Noble prize winners, “The impact guidelines will discourage academics from making discoveries and will encourage people to come up with unoriginal research proposals.” The DNA double helix or discoveries of X-rays, lasers, semi-conductors were all made through fundamental research, keeping in view the immediate economic bearing. Research funding is, therefore, “profoundly misconceived” as suggested by Lord May of Oxford. Let the university grow as a crucible of ideas and curiosity and not as control by the market forces. Unquestionably, a university is not a teaching shop or a breeding ground of the oppressed who exist without any alternatives. Quality assurance of courses studied at the university level or of programmes on skill development and research can only be possible if the university is allowed to develop its own curriculum and an examination system that looks not towards the grade scored but the talent and the potential of a student. I know of many who are excellent researchers and have yet not succeeded in clearing the UGC National Eligibility Test. Surely, examinations are not the only yardstick for selection. Interviews and discussions with the candidate are better ways of selections to a course or a job. I am, therefore, of the opinion that in the wake of the Professor Yash Pal committee report along with the endeavours of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, we need to unshackle the university system from the rules and regulations that seek to straitjacket research and teaching. The UGC, as a body that was intended to act as the coordinator between universities, grew into a monolithic agency of control, of regulation and funding. National leaders, though desiring to prune its powers have not really succeeded if one takes a glance at the draft of the National Commission for Higher Education and Research, which is constituted more with the intention of control than autonomy which was paradoxically behind its conception. Not only will the funding be within its jurisdiction, it will also control the syllabi as well as all administrative aspects of institutions along with the appointment of the Vice Chancellors of universities. A space for an independent regulator of policies on higher education is a far cry. This is indeed a saddening thought; in the days to come, the authorities will realise that any shake-up in our education policy does not remain just a surface turbulence but goes much deeper into the terrains of the debate. That, perhaps, will enable us to set the essential benchmarks for the growth of an area that is of prime importance in the future of a nation. In the end, I can only say that though it is easier to say what education should not be than what it should be, any constructive model must ensure the essentials of creativity and freedom as the sine quo non of all learning.
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Now, get US school diploma at home You
can now secure a US high school diploma without even stepping out of your home in India. As India attempts to go international in the field of education, here is a virtual classroom straight from America. The American International Academy, a US-based online education academy, is offering the diploma—the US equivalent of a Class 12 certificate—at a time when many Indians are queuing up for American degrees. Over 1,00,000 Indian students went to the US last year for higher studies. “This diploma will bring Indian students at par with their American counterparts,” J. Donald Williams, chairman of the American International Academy (AIA), told IANS. Only those who have completed Class 10 under an Indian board can enrol for this course. Williams is on a visit to India with Ron Klink, a former member of the US Congress (1993 to 2001), for taking ahead the virtual school. “By enrolling in this programme, Indian students will be eligible for preferential admission in US universities and colleges, at par with students in the US,” Williams said. The academy, which was formally launched in India in March this year, is now in dialogue with the Human Resource Development Ministry and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to adapt the curriculum to Indian needs. The course costs $5,700 or nearly Rs 266,800. On passing, students get a US high school diploma which is recognised by universities in the US and India as well, says Abhishek Goyal of CCS Services, which is looking after the India operations of the AIA.
— IANS
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Campus Notes HARYANA Agricultural University has made the study of Hindi language mandatory for all foreign students. A decision to this effect has been taken by the Academic Council of the university. A university spokesperson said the decision was taken to enable foreign students to communicate effectively with the locals and to understand Indian social and cultural ethos better. The performance of the students in this course will be adjudged as 'satisfactory' or 'unsatisfactory' and they would be awarded 'S' or 'US' grades. However, Hindi would be an optional subject for native students.
Five departments renamed Five departments in three constituent colleges of the university have been given new nomenclature. These departments are: Farm Power and Machinery, Agricultural Processing and Energy, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology, Home Science Extension Education and Clothing and Textiles. They will now be known as departments of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, Process and Food Engineering, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Extension Education and Communication Management and Textile and Apparel Designing, respectively.
Security stickers introduced In a bid to strengthen security on the campus, security stickers for motor vehicles have been reintroduced in the university. Chief Security Officer Col S.K. Malik (Retd) said this would help check entry of unauthorised and anti-social elements to the campus. He said the stickers would be issued to faculty, non-teaching staff and students of the university. Apart from these, pensioners and employees of banks, post office and other government offices located on the university campus would also be issued stickers for their vehicles, he added.
Freshers’ Day Senior students of the College of Home Science of the university organised a Freshers' Day party to welcome freshers. On this occasion, B.Sc Home Science second-year students organised an enthralling cultural programme. Ms Rajni was declared Miss Fresher while Ms Savita and Ms Ritika were adjudged as Ist and 2nd runners-up, respectively. — Contributed by Raman Mohan
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