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Beyond Degrees: Finding
Success in Higher Education
This collection of essays presents both serious, significant and urgent issues in higher education as well as the emotional aspects of college and university. The editor has been successful in getting contributions from the doyens of contemporary thinkers, academicians, academic administrators of our country such as Ramchandra Guha, P.V. Indiresan, Meghnad Desai, Shashi Tharoor and Sam Pitroda. The variety and spread that the book offers is something to be really appreciated. Between the 25 contributions, there are two photo essays, one interview, former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s Vice-Chancellors’ meet address, a write-up on the ancient glorious tradition of the country and another lighter vein piece on situation in Bihar. There is consistency in the high quality of all the writings on wide range of issues such as diversity, equity, quality, excellence and liberal education. The book also deals with the pathetic condition of research in Indian universities and recommendations on how to improve. There are essays on private universities, IITs, reservation issue, foreign direct investment in research, science education and medical education. However, one feels that there should have been at least one contribution devoted exclusively to the teachers of higher education who are actually running the system, for good or bad, by playing several roles of teachers, mentors, academic administrators, deans, Vice-Chancellors, committee members and advisers. The title Beyond Degrees is apt because the essays do not focus only on the minimalist role of disbursing of degrees by the universities but look beyond on how these educational institutes contribute in the making of the collective psyche of a nation, how the alumni-alma mater bond is forged and gives rise to nostalgia, how colleges and universities become crucibles of welfare of the citizens. The book is divided into five sections—the first section is titled Blueprint and second the Scaffolding. However, instead of going to the third and obvious step of architecture, the construction or the building, we have the third section titled Unfinished Agenda. Does it indicate our failure in the pursuit of higher education as a nation? The thread of despair and pain on the deteriorating conditions of teaching, research and academic atmosphere in these temples of knowledge is much too evident in most of the essays right from the introduction by the editor, but as she writes, "the challenge was to create a collection of essays on our universities that would be read with both pleasure and hope", and she has been successful in her endeavor. The book can be read not for any professional reason, though most of the essays are full of wisdom and expert recommendations, but for a leisure read that enriches and makes us love Indian education that has made all of us what we are today.
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WHAT images come in your
mind when you think of Indian higher education? Campus violence?
Striking professors? Unresponsive students? Decadent buildings? Moribund
syllabi? Rotting administration? Or some other negative image?
Obviously, our education system is at fault. But if on the
other hand images conjuring up are that of dedicated teachers, thinking
students and a vibrant academic atmosphere, there might be something
good too! Our enhanced growth rate, young and skilled workforce,
international demand for Indian minds, achievements in science and
technology are indicators that we have after all not done that bad in
the last 60 years on the higher education front.