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 | Governor proposal for varsities may prove futile: Experts | | published on : 24/09/2013 | | Category : All India Council for Technical Education | | BHUBANESWAR: While governor and chancellor of universities SC Jamir on September 16 formed four sub-committees of vice-chancellors (VCs) to look into various problems plaguing the campuses and suggest possible solutions, educationists are doubtful about the outcome of such an exercise as recommendations of various similar committees earlier have been consigned to the cold storage.
"It seems to be a futile exercise. So many committees have studied problems in the varsities and come out with possible solutions. But those are never implemented," said Trilochan Pradhan, former vice-chancellor of Utkal University, who headed the state government-appointed task force on higher and technical education in 2009.
The task force had recommended conversion of autonomous colleges into campuses to groom about 50 colleges around it. The government recently proposed to cut their autonomy by deciding to have similar examination patterns and syllabi in these colleges, Pradhan added.
Jamir's predecessor M C Bhandare had formed a VCs' sub-committee headed by the Utkal VC Binayak Rath. The panel had recommended creation of pro-vice-chancellors' posts for universities having more than 150 colleges, increasing tenure of VCs' from three to five years and re-designation of teachers as assistant professors, associate professors and professors according to University Grants Commission (UGC) norms compared to the prevalent practice of lecturers, readers and professors.
However, the government did not implement any of these suggestions. During their meeting with Jamir on September 16, these were among the major demands raised by the VCs and are also likely to be recommended by the latest sub-committees.
In a move contrary to Rath panel's suggestion, the government recently decided to amend the Biju Patnaik University of Technology Act to reduce the tenure of its VC from five to three years. "In such a situation, what is the point of brainstorming over problems and making recommendations?" the VC of a university said, preferring anonymity.
After interacting with VCs of the 11 state-funded universities here, the governor formed the four panels to consider the different aspects. While a three-member panel will consider revision of norms of various funding agencies such as University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and suggest ways for getting more grants, a second sub-committee will recommend changes in acts, statutes and account manuals governing the varsities to make these relevant with changing times and requirement.
The third panel will suggest measures for admission, examination and academic reforms, while the fourth sub-committee will suggest measures to improve gross enrolment ratio in universities and affiliated colleges, infrastructure development and steps as required under central-sponsored Rashtriya Uchhatar Siksha Abhiyan. | | Related Keywords : | | University Grants Commission (UGC) norms compared to the prevalent practice of lecturers, readers and professors. |
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