Opening of new colleges

Prof Ravinder Chadha
Australia, Brazil, Great Britain, France and many other western countries are making huge investment up to the tune of even ten percent of their annual budget on education sector with a motive to derive rich dividend in future from this potential industry. But they make investment sensibly keeping in view the scope and trend of the market requirements with changing times. In fact, higher education has become a commercialised sector where qualitative productivity alone can survive and gain in this highly competitive world. So, political decisions without taking care of intellectual and economic benefits would amount to throwing money in the dustbin. Once the glory and image of higher learning institutes are lost, it is quite difficult to re-establish it.
The J&K Government recently announced the opening of  seven new colleges without appreciating the need of quality education for student community and market requirements. The Government may feel elevated  in explaining that it has made colleges accessible to students of far flung areas but that doesn’t solve the problem of poor students who cannot afford to wonder desperately for jobs even after acquiring their degrees in less important subjects.
There are already ninety degree colleges functioning in J&K out of which fifty colleges came into existence after 2007.Since then these colleges are being run in two or three rooms in higher secondary schools or in private rented accommodations of similar dimensions. This is quite illogical and an unplanned approach on the part of Government that a college is opened first and then infrastructure facilities would be taken care of. The past experience speaks volumes of the callous and casual attitude of the Government towards already operational colleges that about twenty five colleges have not got their buildings since their inception and it seems unlikely that they would get these in the next five years. What to talk of structures, the space of a few colleges has yet to ear market. This has resulted in the decline in the standard of higher education in the State. If this point is gauged and realized by the Government immediately, it will help it to initiate corrective measures so as to prevent the further damage.
Already, the situation has given rise to the formation of two set of colleges. The first set comprises of established NAAC accredited A or B’ or B Category colleges and the second set is in quite contrast to the first which cannot afford to invited NAAC peer teams to get their colleges accredited for at least another ten years.
The memory of my first glimpse of GGM Science College of which I am an alumnus, is still preserved in my mind. Today, college has attained NAAC accredited A as well as heritage college status award about which the alumni of this college must be feeling elated. Can anyone and even the Government justify the existing  status of two types of colleges?Usually a person hailing from village or sub-urban area has a very high image of a college.
But all  his hopes and dreams are shattered, the moment he finds the colleges are being run within the premises of school. Such drawn impressions would take decades to fade away even while new college buildings are erected.
Nobody is against the opening of new colleges but the most important thing is that the existing colleges should at least satisfy the highly demanding input norms like all weather buildings with play grounds, well equipped libraries, separate toilets for boys and girls, fencing around the college boundaries, proper sports equipments, maximum students teacher ratio, availability of medical facilities and sports teacher and minimum hours of instructions. We expect institutions to be competitive at the national level if not globally. It is only then that we can judge whether students measure up to national standard or not. Recently even in existing scenario, students hailing from rural area of the State have proved their potential by competing not only in national level competitions but also in IAS competitions.
On educational platform, Government could have done more by streamlining the system and thereby putting themselves on national map. There is no dearth of resources in terms of institutions, finance and their wise and effective channelization is missing. Did any politician, bureaucrat, social worker or educationist ever thought of upgrading higher education scenario by bringing qualitative change in the colleges so that these could become nationally and globally recognized institutes.
If Government is serious about encouraging higher education sector and wants institutes to pursue their programmes vigorously to transform the whole education scenario in the State, then it should come forward with a concrete policy with a defined time framed document meticulously prepared by visionary personalities. GGM Science College and Amar Singh College have such a fine infrastructure that these colleges can be developed internationally recognized learning institutes provided Government thinks in this direction. I can offer some suggestions in this regard. Firstly, a balanced team of educational, social and political thinkers with visionary outlook and dynamic skills should take charge of managing affairs of these colleges. These are given autonomous status, thus enabling them to fulfill their  needs to shape themselves as per the global requirements. The admissions to these colleges be restricted to limited number of students who possess innovative minds and competitive spirit. Introduce latest meaningful techniques of teaching to brush the talent. Though this is not spontaneously process but will definitely yield positive results within short span of time, if intentions are pure.
To boost the opening of new colleges is one aspect and consolidation of infrastructure of existing colleges is another. To my mind, if Government gives priority to second aspect that would fetch it more admiration and appreciation by all sections of the society. Politicians can learn lesson from the State of Rajasthan where people outrightly rejected the populist policy of Ashok Gehlot’s Government of opening new colleges without quality education, thereby giving it humiliating defeat in the elections. We can equally see the outcome of Lok Sabha elections in our State in which especially youth have not favored the populist policies of the ruling alliance but I am fully confident that through  qualitative and job oriented education in higher education, Government will not only be able to derive political mileage by attracting youth towards itself but will  also provide opportunity to students to exploit their talents  in every walk of their life.
(The author is former HoD of Chemistry GCW Parade, Jammu)

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