Hasib Ahmed
The anguish of Indian President regarding the non-inclusion of Indian Universities among the top 200 Universities of the world is justified. Because it can be expected from the vast populated country like India. But it is very unfortunate that we stand at second in terms of population size but nowhere in the list of inventors and discoverer. It means somewhere we are not only wrong but are repeating the same mistake throughout the decades, otherwise In-dians who have migrated to other developed countries of the world might not have earned name and fame. It is a matter of concern that when an Indian can contribute a lot in foreign land why not the same person is able to channelize his potential in his own country. There are various defects from which Indian universities are suffering for instance rigid curriculum, defective recruitment system in both teaching and non-teaching positions, environment etc.
Environment of the universities should be such that a person should be enticed by the achievement made by university in academic, scientific and technical field so that he may become scientist or researcher in the real sense and make addition to the existing stock of knowledge. We are witnessing a new trend in the universities that is our younger generations do not enter the university with a purpose to become researchers and scientists but to prepare themselves for the various competitive and civil services. Achievements of the university is not measured by how many civil servant it has created but how many scientists it has created who have given original contribution and new discovery so that very purpose of university may not be defeated. To be a civil servant is not achievement by these institutions because these are chosen among some who are citizens of this country and some have to be selected but the same is not true in-case of scientist.
Unfortunately in our country teaching profession has remained a least option before younger generation. If a choice is given before candidates between a lecturer and a civil servant majority of them will surely opt for civil service. Hence this profession is left with the people who are there by compulsion not by conviction because he could not make in the list of civil servant. There are some teachers whom the environment of university compels to leave country and join some top universities which are waiting for top researchers and scien-tist.
Actually there are more expectations from the university teachers and the teacher of university should be like academic saint who is having passion only for teaching and research by forgetting the luxurious life, greed of name and fame and consider the other lucrative job unsuitable for him. Because those who are in teaching profession by compulsion are always in search of some administrative job within the university because at their time they could not make in the list of civil servant and hence they amuse their heart by doing some academic administrative job by inflicting the heavy injury to teaching and research work.
Another drawback from which Indian universities are suffer is the job reservation and relaxation from certain criteria. Vote bank policy of Indian politics has not spared even this highest ladder of education institution from reservation of job for teaching and non-teaching profession by making every possible compromise to quality. To be the original re-searcher and scientist require a particular level of competence and that level of competence does not and should not have any passion or sympathy for lower or upper strata people, be-cause the level which should be there will not come down on just caste or other basis. Discovery or invention will not become easy for a person coming from weaker section of society. The basic input in the teaching learning process is teacher hence there should be zero compromise on quality for this basic input. Even the selection of vice-chancellors is made on political basis and somewhere regional and religious factors have remained the sole determi-nant of selection. I think job of university teacher should be open to other countries and uni-versity should attract the competent teachers throughout the whole world which has remained the open secret of top universities of the world.
The direct or indirect purpose of opening of IITs was to discover the new things and new invention but the purpose has been defeated. That means fault is there somewhere either in admission or selection or curriculum. Years have passed we did not hear about any discovery or invention that means we are producing only cramming parrot who can only copy the foreign technology and cannot produce their own. I think admission to these IITs should be open to any talented person who can make a new thing irrespective of educational back-ground and by giving every possible help to those persons. Because it is better to have a person of low education background with a talent of invention and discoveries than to have a PhD with zero invention and discoveries. Because history has shown that dropouts have remained the real discoverer and inventors that is what Ahmed Faraz says “ye khazane tujay mumkin han kharabon main mile” (Perhaps you will find the treasure in those ruins) because our education is such which does not allow us to think.
It is notable that ours is education system made by Britishers during colonial era and at that time they have framed such education policy which could help them to keep India under their control. They were in need of some helping hands to run the administration hence their education policy was to produce the clerk which could help them and this has remained a basic feature of Indian education till now which is witnessed by the fact that we produce only gazetted clerks i.e. bureaucrats and not scientists.
We know that our constitution is borrowed constitution and autonomous status to these universities is also an imported idea. Problem is that we blindly borrow and follow the foreign method by least bothering about its suitability in our country. It is not suitable for our country where autonomous institutions have become the rehabilitation centre for those with patronage. Recruitment of university teachers and officers should be made at UGC level and other lower staff should be appointed by an external agency so that not every Tom, Dick and Harry may aspire to become university teacher or officer without upright merit. In the appointment of vice-chancellor the role of Governor or President should be nil and same should be ap-pointed by UGC but this requires political will which is difficult to obtain. Those at helm only aspire to see the Indian universities among the top universities of the world without doing concrete efforts in this line.
(The author is Research Scholar of Economics)
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