This is quite rare: Gurcharan Das says "It is with anguish that I sit down to write this column". Reason? The state of higher education in our country, and how it is (mis)managed by UGC and AICTE. I don't need to comment on it, because I actually agree with almost everything he says.
Update (21 June 2005): Via Shivam Vij, who has also commented on Das's column in ToI, we get this fabulous quote from an Indian Express story (with emphasis added by me):
[Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs Jagdish Tytler] said the government was contemplating setting up universities exclusively for PIO, keeping in mind their need for quality higher education.
This gives 'surreal' a bad name, doesn't it?
2 Comments:
Towards the end Gurcharan suggests a rating system (via magazines which achieve this through a poll involving students and faculty) as a possible solution.
Satya has written an article about rating system for educational institutions, compliance by educational institutions akin to public limited companies in terms of public disclosure of critical financial information and other performance indicators etc. which I had translated for a Tamil magazine. I will ask Satya to blog the English version.
It is clear that UGC, AICTE etc. are corrupt and incapable of managing the growth of higher educational institutions in India. As with most other set-ups in the country, they help criminals who know how to beat the system and hinder well meaning, straight individuals and institutions.
Thanks, Badri, for the pointer. In fact, I have had an occasion to refer to Satya's ideas on the 'rating agency' model in an earlier post on Pankaj Jalote's ideas along similar lines.
I am a great admirer of Satya and his ideas on education in general, and higher education in particular. I am glad to see more people -- including influential ones such as Gurcharan Das -- voicing opinions similar to his.
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