Dr. Raj Shree Dhar
According to Swami Vivekananda, values like co-operation, tolerance, neighbour- liness and austerity should be exercised in right earnest in the continual course of education. Public institutions of higher education are a challenging responsibility. It requires creativity, medium-term vision, communication excellence, financial management skills and knowledge of how to increase economic efficiency. Teaching and research in any institution depends on the quality of faculty as well as the quality of students. For teachers to impart knowledge to students they must have a broad knowledge of their subject matter, the curriculum and educational standards as well as enthusiasm and a desire for learning throughout the course of their career. Most importantly, the coming generations will need jobs and to be educated, skilled and prepared for productive lives and careers. Thus, reforming higher education is important and urgent.
There is a trend that scarce percent of higher education institutions are considered to have faculty of high standing. Mostly, teachers work on a non-permanent, ad- hoc basis and are designated variously as temporary, contractual, ad hoc and guest faculty. This is a serious problem as people with a good academic record do not want to take such positions as these are less attractive than a permanent one. The appointment of vice-chancellors, the heads of universities and the most visible symbols of the university system, who are supposed to provide academic leadership as well as administrative skills are these days appointed not because they are distinguished academicians, but because they have the right political connections. Present challenges are for the efficient management of resources, including cash assets, any wastage should be eliminated and assets with financial returns should be invested in.
There is a need for research in higher education institutions to be planned and topics identified based on the experimental studies and applications. Research findings need encouragement for being debated before being disseminated. At the institutional level, there is a need to link teaching with research as it is easier to carry forward the legacy of basic research at the level of classical science. Science is a system for exploring, and for innovation. It can fuel our nation’s economic growth. It can form a path for our young people in a competitive global marketplace, while also adding a spark to their imagination.
There is a need for concerted efforts which would improve the quality and relevance of higher education and result in an educated and productive workforce. In lieu of above, a new overarching Centrally Sponsored Scheme for funding state level institutions was created in 2013 called Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The scheme is implemented through a set of bodies with clearly defined roles and functions at the National, State and Institutional level. The objectives of RUSA are to encourage research, enhance teacher quality, enable student learning, periodic curriculum revision, project work, field work, awards for achievers , student counseling by experts, academic, administrative, governance, affiliation reforms, high confidentiality in examination and evaluation, autonomy of institutions, accreditation for quality, access and equity and so on.
Over the years, since the allocation to State Higher Education System was not enough, these meager funds were thinly spread amongst many institutions, impacting the overall quality of infrastructure and teaching. Hence, there was a need to establish a new institutional mechanism, which would make every stakeholder a partner in the process of higher education transformation. The strategic intervention came through this centrally sponsored scheme called RUSA, which has a completely new approach towards funding state higher education Institutions. The allocation of funds under RUSA is based on well-defined norms & parameters and linked to academic, administrative and governance reforms, while future grants are performance-based in accreditations and outcome dependent. The reforms initiated under RUSA aim to build a self-sustaining momentum for greater accountability and autonomy of state institutions and impress upon them the need to improve the quality of education. The new paradigm is important in reforming the curriculum and pedagogy if globalization, localization, individualization are all taken into consideration for better teaching, learning and growth. It also includes expansion of infrastructure, better human resources, curriculum reform, quality research and above all focus on performance.
The two autonomous colleges and three cluster universities of J&K state have been constituted autonomous status by UGC and State Government act respectively to enhance what is best in their heritage and relive them creatively in the present context of higher education in India and the world and create greater job opportunities. However, there are certain challenges like improving the examination system, innovations in pedagogy, the committee system to be constantly monitored and evaluated to provide the best results, greater participation of the faculty in the administration of the colleges and evaluation process and the credibility in strictly following the criteria of merit and transparency in appointments, admissions and examinations. Framing of transfer policy, creation of posts, adequate funding for the facility of transport, hostels, residential, medical, sports etc are also the requirements of the autonomous institutions. State/ RUSA still have a significant role to play as funding source and also in monitoring and evaluating the academic standards and new initiatives of autonomous institutions and increase the number of autonomous institutions/clusters.
The impact of some best practices like introducing new courses benefitted in flexibility in diversity of programs, in its structure, in its curricula, in its delivery system. For academic reforms, courses for post-graduation, research programmes,5-year integrated courses, honors courses, integrated B.Ed-M.Ed, multi-disciplinary courses, academia-industry and academia-society interactions, autono-mous colleges have been started which helped the students to choose the discipline of one’s interest for becoming professionals in their chosen subject and also getting job opportunities. International collaborations, pooling of resources, reduction in work load of universities due to affiliations, had also great impact on beneficiaries. Autonomous institutions are administered by its senior functionaries under the guidance of its statutory bodies such as the University/Governing council, executive committee, syndicates, etc. (members from academic background). Reforms in examination and evaluation system have been introduced by continuous assessment, class evaluation and problem solving and for skill based courses field work reports and presentations are introduced.
Governance reforms in shape of institutional autonomy in form of cluster universities, autonomous colleges with composition of governing bodies having members from industry, civil society, alumni, academicians etc. which played the role in governance and management, academic programmes, staff appointments, student admission, administration, cluster universities act for better academic programmes and evaluations, skills for job opportunities and better decision making. Implementation of regular revisions to curricula, choice-based credit system, the introduction of continuous and comprehensive student evaluations, semester system. Employment programs models and the best practices are highly dependent on the individual needs of the participants. The training on vocational skills and add on courses, career development, job attainment, job survival, basic competencies, leadership and self-development, personal skills, life survival skills, and workplace competencies have been started.
To achieve the target of GER of 32% rationally in urban and rural areas, infrastructures are being upgraded in order to achieve high enrolment targets, new institutions are being established in rural and un-served areas with low GER. This objective will reduce brain drain from semi-urban and rural areas. In order to improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in the Higher Education sector in the state, to keep pace with the national average, there has been a tremendous leap forward in the recent years by way of establishing of degree colleges in almost every nook and corner of the state. The expansion process is still on and establishing more colleges is on the anvil. Besides the degree Colleges, the state has taken steps to increase the reach of students to higher and technical education by facilitating the establishment of a number of universities and national institutes including the central universities at Jammu as well as Kashmir, IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu, IIMC Jammu, state engineering colleges apart from facilitating the opening of some universities and a mathematical institute.
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