Section 12 of present UGC Act gives very wide power to commission for promotion and coordination of university education and for the determination and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research in universities. However, section 15 of the present draft reduces and restricts the power and the function of the commission regarding promotion of quality of academic instructions and maintenance of academic standards and also to take measures to promote autonomy of higher education institutions. A close examination of functions of commission given in clause 15 (3) of the draft shows that apart from the administrative aspect, the function of the commission will actually impinge on autonomy of the university as research, learning outcomes and academic performance are actually within the domain of the university system.
Further, clause 15 (4) of the draft virtually takes away the entire autonomy of the University in the name of granting authorisation. By virtue of this provisions of authorisation even if a university is established by enactment, it cannot function unless it obtains authorisation from the commission, which is a major setback in the context of autonomy of University system in India.
No autonomy is meaningful in the absence of financial autonomy. Academic Managerial, and Administrative autonomies are equally important. The new Commission that by its very definition is devoid of all financial functions, cannot regulate any of the other functions. On the contrary, a purely regulatory regimen can sow seeds for a non-transparent and corrupt systems to operate. True autonomy blossoms when the mind is unshackled, the academic environment is facilitating and adequate external links exist for support. Free enterprise must be encouraged with negligible regulatory control for autonomy to deliver. The draft Act However, negates many of the enabling provisions of autonomy that the commission recently notified. Success of autonomy calls for a leader who leads from the front. The provision made for the head of the Commission in the “OR” provision is an eminent academician and educational administrator with credentials in the relevant field and proven capacity for institution building and governance of institutions of higher learning, though sounds very impressive, can be grossly misused. Further, entrusting the job of selection to bureaucrats such as Cabinet Secretary, Education Secretary and a co-opted academician does not inspire confidence.
The act would have scored a bull’s eye if avenues for outside funding, investments, bonds and borrowings were made mandatory to raise funds for development and hence quality.
Higher Education Institutions of future would have to be agile entities, be inter and multi-disciplinary, and must have cross cutting linkages with diverse disciplines in other sectors that add value to the educational pursuits of an enlightened society. A schools concept for various departments would have greatly aided independence and the ability to stretch beyond limits.
There is a need to streamline the nomenclature of the colleges / institutions / universities and the degrees and diplomas they offer. These need to be in line with what is on offer in the world outside. Internationalisation should have been an integral part of the new act. Higher Education of the future has to be tightly coupled with the economic challenges and contours of the day which in turn requires a deeper connect with not only the national but the international bodies.
One of the fundamentals of the present UGC Act, is in the form of section 22 which specifies that degree can be awarded only by a university / deemed to be university and an institution specially empowered by parliament in this behalf. But the present draft completely removes that restriction and by virtue of authorisation by UGC, any higher education institution in India whether university or not, will become entitled to award diploma, degree etc. If for argument sake, a large part of 43000 affiliated Institutions were to be made autonomous, would they not be loose cannons firing in all directions? Not to speak of the quality of those degrees awarded.
The present UGC Act, empowers UGC under section 22 (3) to define degree including duration and nomenclature of the degree. But the present draft has removed that provision which can create chaos in the country as different authorities will be free to give different nomenclature to a degree / diploma with variable duration. It will not only create difficulty in terms of equivalence and acceptance but will also cause great distress in explaining away the disparity in terms of standards of such degrees.
Facilitation of the best of the students to pursue education anywhere in the country or abroad could have been institutionalised within the act. Accreditation which is such an important cog and must be completely independent, for a global acceptance, seems to have become a part of the Commission, for why at all the Commission should put in place a robust accreditation?
Today, the performance expectations of those inside higher education does not appear to align with the performance expectations of those outside of higher education. This misalignment is leading to more regulations and more frustration. The new act would do well if it transforms into one that facilitates rather than one that regulates.
Lack of internationalisation in our education is a serious concern and affects global rankings. Foreign students and faculty from top institutions, across the globe, is almost nil on our campuses, completely blocking the other view. Students from several African, some Asian and even trans-pacific nations, would love to come to our institutions, for the sheer cultural diversity and relatively better education. The new Act could have facilitated the process of internationalisation by enabling mechanisms like national level entrance tests on the lines of GRE, targeted at the countries that could bring them in hordes.
The Act could also have enabled universities through innovative metrics to forge strategic alliances with global international partners. The true nature of internationalisation is the process of integrating an international/intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of the institution for sustained avenues to economic competitiveness, promoting academic entrepreneurialism.
The draft bill virtually weakens the position of central regulator by removing essential provisions of the present UGC Act and rather creates a situation where autonomy of university and higher education institutions will further get compromised. We need to restore higher education to its pristine glory through whatever interventions we make. A lot needs to be done in such a pursuit where we can truly assure quality to the generations that will follow us. We cannot fail them. History must judge us as having upheld the larger tenets for only then we can create the end products of education who are free and creative men, who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature, like our former President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan observed.
Concluded