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Towards excellence in research
Prejudiced teachers brand children quickly
CAMPUS NOTES
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Towards excellence in research The falling standard of research is a cause for concern that should provoke a discussion on a number of issues if we hope to improve the quality of research in the coming years. Let me mention at the outset that the UGC has taken two decisions that will make a mockery of research: one, to allow university teachers up to eight candidates at the Ph.D level and four at the M.Phil that would surely lower the quality of supervision; second, it has all but done away with the M.Phil degree after devaluing the role it played in the selection of candidates as college lecturers by making the National Education Test (NET) the only criterion for selection. On the other hand, the entrance examination for Ph.D is proposed in the recent UGC regulations, but it has to be ensured that it is rigorous enough, keeping in view international standards for the selection of those students who have the potential for research. Passing a written examination does not ensure that the candidate is up to the mark. Therefore, the written examination should carry only 50 marks and the rest of the 50 marks should be reserved for the interview, where the candidate is thoroughly examined and asked to elaborate on his research interests. It has been seen in the past that many who clear the written exam for the degree of Ph.D often rank at the bottom of the M.Phil course, whereas those who are unable to ‘crack’ the written exam often turn out to be brilliant. Once the scholar has been registered for the doctorate degree, he must be assigned a supervisor by the Academic Committee keeping in view the specialisation of the supervisor. It must not be the candidate’s prerogative to choose the examiner, as has been the practice for years. Supervisors must ensure that no unnecessary delays take place owing to insufficient efforts at formulating the topic for research, or a slow start because the student is on unfamiliar territory or because of insufficient critical material available at an early stage. And more importantly, the report on the progress of research must be submitted every three months by the supervisor. The scholar must be asked to make one presentation at the end of each year of the Ph.D. programme which would help him/her to get enough feedback on his work. It can be very useful if scholars are asked to attend relevant seminars in various departments in order to have a cross-disciplinary and a broader view of their project. The publication of a paper in a refereed journal is a vital condition for ensuring the need in academics to endeavour to begin publishing at an early stage. As regards the significance of introducing the course work, it needs to be emphasised that M.Phil is a pre-doctoral degree and needs to stay. It amounts to a more exacting course work and far more valuable than a brief three-month course work that the UGC envisages to introduce. A better decision would be to make M.Phil a compulsory pre-doctoral qualification. Once the thesis is complete, a panel of external examiners must be suggested by the Academic Committee and not the supervisor. This would ensure that examiners unknown to the supervisor carry out objective evaluation and do not favour the candidate owing to their personal connections. One of the two external examiners must be appointed from a university outside the region, but there is no need of appointing an overseas examiner as the universities must begin to show confidence in the intellectual worth of academics within the country. Along with these measures, the universities must encourage collaborative projects and publications with overseas institutions. For this purpose, an International Centre to promote exchange programmes in teaching and joint research may be established by the university. Exchange programmes with other universities is one positive solution to the narrow limitations of individual endeavour. We must also improve the quality and standard of university journals which are a clear evidence of the research undertaken at the university. We can follow the example of university presses in the West where the objective of disseminating education, scholarship and research enables them to almost be regarded as departments of the university. All research, therefore, has to be geared towards a methodology that emphasises a lived experience capable of ‘naming’ or using a vocabulary that dismantles received notions and stirs scholars towards more innovative thinking. Research undertaken from this standpoint becomes, as Paulo Freire argues, “a civilising and harmonising agency of beneficial social consciousness, thereby enhancing the ideas of community and justice with wider social concerns and efforts”. Scholars with such an approach would be different from those academics, as Chomsky argues, who behave more like ‘clerks’ and move knowledge from one place to another. Most dissertations are an evidence of such scissors and paste work which need to be drastically checked.
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Prejudiced teachers brand children quickly Children
are being labelled “naughty” as a result of their teachers’ views of their home backgrounds, says a major study. It adds that once children are tagged as troublesome it is difficult to shake off that reputation. The study, commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council, looked at the behaviour of children aged four and five in reception classes. It found that teachers were worried about youngsters kicking and punching each other in class, as well as repeatedly calling out or not sitting properly during lessons. Youngsters who behaved in this way, however, were not always singled out as troublemakers. “Resistant or aggressive behaviour did not however inevitably result in a poor reputation,” says the report. “This is most likely to happen when a child’s immediate conduct is regarded as a sign of a wider problem. Children’s reputations may be linked, for example, to teachers’ views of their home background. “Some parents risk being judged as neglectful, indulgent, anxious, uncooperative or interfering and therefore as failing to adequately prepare their son or daughter for school. This in turn feeds into teachers’ perceptions of that child’s behaviour as a ‘problem’.” The picture built up of a pupil can also be based on the views of classroom assistants—who are more likely to live within the area served by the school. Teachers also find it easier to base their assessment of the pupils on their parents now that schools are encouraging more home-school links. They get to see the parents more as a result of this. The report continues: “Once a child’s reputation has begun to circulate in the staffroom, dining hall and amongst other parents, it may be very difficult for their behaviour not to be interpreted as a sign of such imputed character traits. Children who have acquired a strong reputation may therefore find it harder to be recognised as good.” Professor Maggie MacLure of Manchester Metropolitan University, who conducted the research, said: “One of the main functions of the reception year is to form a crowd of individual children into a class and tolerance of diversity is very low. “Classroom discipline is a very public activity and children who do not conform to the rules will be publicly marked as different.” Co-author Professor Liz Jones, also from Manchester Metropolitan University, added: “Some cherished principles of early years education may have some unintended consequences. The principle of strong home-school links, for instance, may contribute to certain families being identified as sources of their children’s problematic behaviour.” The research was conducted in the reception classes of four infant and primary schools in the Greater Manchester area. The four included a faith school with a mainly white intake and a high proportion of pupils on free school meals, an inner-city school with a large intake of asylum-seekers’ and refugees’ children, a school in a suburb favoured by the comfortably off, and a fourth in a socially deprived area. The findings follows an earlier poll which suggested one in three teachers believed they could spot troublemakers by their first names. Youngsters called Callum, Connor, Jack, Courtney and Chardonnay were seen as the most likely to disrupt
classes. — By arrangement with The Independent
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Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar A
four-week General Orientation Course-80 organised by Academic Staff College of the university was inaugurated on the college premises. About 25 teachers from different colleges and universities are participating in this course. Dr S. P.Vij, former chairman, Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in his inaugural address said no species could live in isolation from others. He said interactive relationship between different life forms was possible through chemical signals. Plants employ other life forms to accomplish their life processes, i.e., they are aided in their reproduction, nutrition, etc, he added. He said a peaceful co-existence was possible through cooperative interactions. Even human beings need to emulate this philosophy of plants. There is, however, a lot to be learnt from plants that can be imbibed in our daily lives for a fruitful living, he said, adding that the philosophy of plants was in fact the real philosophy for human beings who had become more greedy in the era of consumerism. Dr H. S. Bhatia, director-cum-course coordinator, Academic Staff College, in a brief address explained the aims and objectives of orientation programmes and also underlined the philosophy behind the course. He said a teacher participant could make their students knowledgeable by keeping themselves up-to-date in their field of specialisation. Earlier, Dr Vij presided over the inaugural session, while Dr Bhatia welcomed the chief guest and the teacher participants.
Interpreting Gurbani
A special lecture on the "Contribution of Prof. Sahib Singh in the Interpretation of Gurbani" was organised by the university recently. Prof Surjit Singh Sandhu, former dean, academic affairs of the university, presided over the lecture, while Dr Gursharanjit Singh, head, Guru Nanak Studies, welcomed the guest speaker and participants. Prof Harjit Singh, Satnam Singh, scholars and students of the department also participated in the discussion. Prof Sandhu while delivering the lecture said the stagnation in the explanation of Gurbani after Prof Sahib Singh was not appreciable; hence more exploration in this regard was needed. He said while discovering new interpretation of Gurbani, scholars and experts of other disciplines and languages of the country should be involved. Prof Sandhu also exhorted fresh researchers to come forward for the explanation of Gurbani. Dr Gursharanjit Singh said Dr Sandhu's interpretation of Gurbani was remarkable. To date, Dr Sandhu has published 30 research papers and three books on Sikh literature, he added.
Condolence meeting
The Law Department of the university condoled the sad and sudden demise of Dr Malkiat Singh Rahi, an alumni of department and distinguished advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court. In the condolence meeting, Dr Jaspal Singh, head of the department, said the death of Dr Rahi was a great loss to the humanity. He said Dr Rahi would be remembered for his distinguished services to society in the field of law.
Supplementary exams
The supplementary examinations of the university would commence from September 25, for which all necessary arrangements have been completed. Stating this, Dr R. K. Bedi, in charge (examinations), said the university had set up 21 examination centers for the candidates and appointed the supervisory staff for the smooth conduct of
examinations. — Contributed by P. K. Jaiswar
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THE academy is subjected to ceaseless political winds and turbulence that have deep impact on the policy initiatives and the future of academics in the country. In times when higher education is experiencing escalating expectation, we need to initiate serious thinking on what are the various aspects of excellence and how best to achieve them. Excellence in research as well as promotion of creative ideas and innovative interaction among teachers and students is vital to the vision that academics must dwell upon.