The ministry of human resource development has come up with a draft bill to relaunch the University Grant Commission (UGC).
About India, Bill Gates, long the world’s richest man and still its biggest philanthropist, a keen India watcher in his own right, remarked: “Most trends are positive, but my biggest disappointment when it comes to India is the education system. It should be far better.”
You don’t have to be Bill Gates to know that our education system needs a root and branch reform, from nursery to PhD. In fact, one of the pet peeves of many a Narendra Modi supporter is that his administration hasn’t done nearly enough to transform this sector.
Noble endeavour
At last, just a year before it finishes term, the government seems to have a taken a sankalp to make a difference, at least when it comes to higher education. Early morning of June 27, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted: “Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi has embarked on a process of reforms of the regulatory agencies for better administration of the HE sector. In a landmark decision, a draft Act for repeal of #UGC & setting up #HECI (Higher Education Commission of India) has been prepared.” The draft bill of the HEC Act, uploaded on the ministry website, is open to public comment and feedback till July 7.
Having looked at the draft, I, for one, welcome it. Not only was it prepared after examining several possibilities and suggestions, but was the outcome of the recommendations of a consultative committee set up for the purpose. According to Javadekar, its main aim is to accord “more autonomy to higher educational institutes to promote excellence and facilitate holistic growth of the education system.”
This sounds like a noble endeavour, one that few would care to oppose. But the real merit of the proposed HEC, in my view, is that it would separate grant-giving, which had become the UGC’s principal function, from regulatory responsibility. In addition, the HEC would be committed to encourage and enforce quality, not just equity.
Actually, in this instance too, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. There is a real fear in many quarters that the HEC would end up becoming a lame duck or, worse, be sabotaged by vested interests. How to prevent such an eventuality is a challenge that the HRD ministry must anticipate and prevent. How to do this?
If I were to sum it up in one word, it would be to depoliticise higher education. By “politics” I neither mean the aspiration to improve society or participate in student government. Nor do I mean the capacity to resist injustice or tyranny, which well-intentioned and well-informed youth in democratic polity ought to do. Indeed, the honourable minister himself, as an ABVP leader, resisted Emergency and went to jail during his student days.
The real problem is to play caste, community, and other forms of entitlement politics in higher education at the cost of real competence or merit. Indeed, in certain politically over-correct circles, the latter word is anathema, nothing short of “neo-Brahminism”.
Many of our campuses are also invaded if not infested with “urban Naxals”, boldly depicted by friend and filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri as sworn enemies of the state. Whether we agree entirely with him or not, much of what passes for research or scholarship, especially in the humanities and social studies, is arguably little else than “anti-nationalism” in some garb or the other.
Campus politics
Obviously, this must end. Universities should not be breeding grounds for political activists and parasites. They must produce also real research and equip their graduates, especially doctoral students, to become excellent and inspiring teachers. Likewise, an undergraduate college should not just be “masti ki pathshala”, where the young have fun, chilling and keeping off the streets, but forced to get useless degrees, with outdated and irrelevant curricula.
Re-intellectualising higher education, making it meaningful again, is the crying need of the hour. We must improve standards so that India can be competitive in a global marketplace, rather than just exporting out best (wo)manpower. I do hope that the HEC works to ensure this.
Task cut out
It is equally important to de-recognise, even close down a number of colleges and universities, which repeatedly fail to meet benchmarks, and to stop sanctioning new ones just because some politician, well-connected person or special interest group is promoting them. Certainly, it is time to stop funding such swindles with government money in addition to giving them subsidised land and other exemptions.
Serious and genuine pondering is also required to rethink more touchy and sensitive topics such as reservations and minority institutions. Again, the watchword is quality not just equality. If everything else is equal, certainly support, even promote the socially and economically disadvantaged. Even offer such sections of society extra points or incentives. But no compromise of quality and competence in favour of appeasement, compensation or entitlement.
The same methodology must be used to permit, regulate and evaluate private, including foreign universities, to set up shop in India. Certification should be based on enforceable and transparent criteria lest gullible and vulnerable students are misled or exploited.
Finally, top Indian institutions should be encouraged to open branches abroad so that brand India flourishes in the highly competitive higher education market too. To sum up, the HEC is certainly a good idea, but it has its work cut out if it is to be a real improvement on the UGC.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)