 HIGHER EDUCATION

Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education

198. Pressures for opening new colleges and universities being very intense, and the political system reacting to such pressures in different ways, in different states, it would only be appropriate for the Government to re-examine the feasibility of national level statutory mechanism for strongly discouraging non-standard/sub- standard colleges and universities being established. In the process of this examination, no doubt, the Central Government should have necessary prior consultations with the State Governments. (9.4.0)

199. After NPE, 1986 was formulated and brought under implementation, and though discouragement of proliferation of universities has been specifically mentioned in the Programme of Action, Government of India themselves have passed laws in May, 1989 and October, 1989 respectively for establishing Assam and Nagaland Universities. Steps of this nature may not help in the process of bringing about discipline in the establishment of universities at the State level and should be avoided. Therefore, Government of India should themselves set an example by not establishing more Central Universities without genuine justification for the same. (9.4.0)

Restructuring of UGC

200. The UGC has not been able to function effectively in the face of expansion of the higher education system in terms of increasing number of colleges and universities. Workload in terms of development programmes of the universities to be scrutinised by the Commission has been on the increase and their scrutiny and clearance by the Commission suffer in quality as well as on account of delays.

Therefore, restructuring of the UGC is called for. In the opinion of the Committee, the Commission should consist of at least five full time members apart from the Chairman and

Vice-Chairman, with specialisation in specific areas-teaching, research, extension, management and finance. The Commission should also have regional offices for decentralised disposal of the problems relating to higher educational institutions in the respective regions. Structural decentralisation would be meaningless unless adequate decentralisation of authority and functions is effected and accordingly this should also be effected. (9.6.0)

Selectiveness in Admission

201. The universities have come under severe strain on account of the load of administering examinations at the bachelor's level. They should be relieved of the responsibility of holding these examinations so that they can concentrate on post-graduate, doctoral and post- doctoral studies, apart from research. (This matter has also been separately dealt with under the subject of Examination Reforms). (9.6.0)

202. If in a college M.A. and M.Sc. teaching is to be continued, it must be made mandatory that there are adequate facilities for research in those subjects. (9.6.0)

Autonomous Colleges

203. The UGC has already appointed a Committee to review the programme for establishing autonomous colleges. This review should be expedited and modalities should be evolved in this review for introducing a regime of autonomy by securing the participation of all. (9.7.2).

New Management for Universities

204. Government, should facilitate early decisions on the report of the Gnanam Committee, the same having been received as early as January, 1990. (9.7.3)

Curriculum Development

205. For the redesigning of courses the UGC has set up twenty- seven Curriculum Development Centres in different disciplines. The emphasis is on modernising and restructuring courses in modular form. Reportedly, twenty-two Curriculum Development Centres have given the reports and they have been

circulated to universities and colleges for consideration and implementation. One important question that arises for consideration, in this context, is whether this centralised arrangement does not militate against the autonomy of the universities and colleges on which much emphasis has been laid tinder NPE, 1986. One view that has been expressed is that these courses are only recommended to universities and colleges which are free to adapt themselves with such modification as they deem fit. The Chairman of the UGC, in the course of interactions with the Committee, had occasion to observe that though UGC may be only issuing guidelines on various subjects from time to time, the higher education system as a whole has come to look upon such guidelines as iron-bound mandates and this by itself has introduced a certain rigidity in the system.

Viewed in the light of this observation, the Government and UGC should examine whether the whole process of Curriculum Development and designing of courses cannot be decentralised -the respective universities and colleges seeking the assistance of UGC and panels of experts suggested by them for the purpose of designing courses according to the locally felt needs. (9.8.0)

Decentralisation

206. The UGC should immediately conduct a study on the extent to which conditions going with the revision of pay scales of the University and College teachers have been actually implemented and fulfilled. (9.9.0)

Teacher Training

207. In order to enhance the quality of the teachers in the university system, pre-induction training for a period of one year after recruitment should be organised. This training should be organised on a decentralised basis by the respective universities themselves. (9.9.0)

Research

208. In basic research it may not be really worthwhile to pursue and promote everything that seems interesting, important or feasible. The important criteria for the choice of areas should

be promise of achievement of excellence and existence of special advantages that India or Indian scholars possess. (9.11.0)

209. Where there is a potential for exploitation in the near or foreseeable future, in the context of national needs and priorities, special efforts should be made by supporting agencies, (in addition to encouraging basic research in relevant areas) to ensure possible exploitation of these results through establishing proper linkages with user (Economic Ministries or Industry) and undertaking programmes jointly with them. (9.11.0).

210. In certain selected areas of research all efforts must be made to identify a few educational institutions where talented students and faculty could be attracted for pursuing well-planned advanced courses so that these institutions become the centres of excellence for teaching and research. Such centres should be well publicized and well-equipped so that the best of talent knows about the challenges and opportunities available to them. At these centres, critical-sized research groups should be established around outstanding scientists and engineers. Such centres of excellence should receive support from the Department of Education and the UGC as well as from other agencies for carrying out research. Resources available for such facilities should be adequate. Facilities of national laboratories located in the vicinity should be made fully available to workers in the universities, who together with the scientists of these institutions should take up joint post-graduate programmes and research wherever possible. (These centres are envisaged differently from the University Departments for which the UGC gives special support to turn them into Advanced Study Centres). (9.11.0)

211. Science and technology agencies must support universities not only in the form of time-bound research projects but also in the setting up of sophisticated research facilities in educational institutions and providing such other infrastructural facilities which will attract the best of minds from all over the country. S&T agencies should provide certain proportion of overheads (say 20% ) to the institutions as part of the research grants. Without such overheads, the institutions will not be able to provide the infrastructure for high-quality research. (9.11.0).

212. It is important that research in humanities and social sciences is directed towards contemporary realities in the country. There is also need to initiate research which takes the Indian intellectual and cultural traditions seriously, not necessarily to accept. them without question, but to learn from them in order to understand ourselves and to develop the composite culture of India envisaged in the Constitution. (9.11.0)

213. We have to pay attention to those who aspire for careers in specialised areas of science, humanities, etc. Since we do not have many undergraduate institutions imparting instruction of the highest quality, a few select ones should be provided high-level support by the states and the UGC in order to enable talented and motivated students to get proper training and opportunities for learning. (9.11.0)

Extension in Universities

214. Universities should involve themselves in development issues in the concerned regions. They should become instruments of development in the respective regions. Consistent with this concept, curriculum, course development etc. should undergo significant changes. To be specific, for example, university teachers could involve themselves in improvement of rural schools so that they become the real `living link' between the universities and school going population in the regions.

The school experience gained should be built into the content and pedagogy of university education. For this purpose, the universities, so to say-as stated elsewhere-should affiliate themselves to educational complexes engaged in the improvement of the whole system of school down to the elementary level. This way the universities would also come to contribute to enrichment of knowledge. This would develop a cycle of overall development from content of education to competence building. In the process, students coming into the universities would also improve in quality and standards. There will be consequent overall improvement in the environment prevailing in the university system-teachers looking upon their work as of interesting social relevance and better crops of students by themselves contributing to the quality of university education. In the opinion of the

Committee, the slogan of the university system should rather be "Vishwa Gyan Gaon mein Dhyan". (9.12.0)

National Testing Service

215. In the view of the Committee testing of competencies is best left to the concerned user agencies-whether they be employers or educational institutions. While there is need for a National Testing Service, it need not be a body for conduct of tests in a centralised way. It need only be a development agency engaged in research and performing certain service activities including in terms of aid to building of models for tests. Model for rest development, administration scoring etc. can be built up as part of the service functions of the Organisation. It can also be a clearing house of experiences in educational testing. (9.13.3)

Rural Universities

216. The Committee is in agreement with the proposal for giving support to rural universities and institutes. However, they should be brought under the umbrella of the State Councils of Higher Education. The State Councils, even as envisaged in the POA, are to give advice to the UGC in respect of maintenance of standards. Therefore, they can perform this function in regard to rural universities and institutes as well. As already stated, the advice of the Planning Commission on the Department's proposal is also that maintenance of the standards should be left to the UGC. If the State Councils of Higher Education and the UGC together can help in the maintenance of standards and, if the present practice of routing funds to rural institutes through the UGC is continued, there would be no need for establishment of a Central Council and the Committee recommends accordingly. (9.14.2)

217. The State Councils may perform the following specific role in handling affairs relating to rural universities/institutes :

-Ensuring autonomy of the institutions in developing their own course content, research programmes and extension activities.

-Ensuring equivalence of the diplomas awarded by rural universities/institutes with university degrees in order to facilitate horizontal and vertical mobility for its graduates.

- Coordination for involving the rural institutes with the district level rural development programmes.

- Facilitating affiliation of rural institutes with State level universities/Agricultural Universities according to their choice. (9.14.2)

Agricultural Universities

218. So Agricultural Universities may diversify their education programmes, particularly in areas closely connected with agriculture. The State Agricultural universities should be encouraged to set up centres/institutes for rurel development. (9.14.3)

National Council of Higher Education

219. The Programme of Action under NPE, 1986, envisages establishment of a National Apex Body. Action has been initiated by the Department of Education, in this context, for the establishment of a National Council of Higher Education to bring about coordination between the UGC, the All India Council for Technical Education, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Medical Council of India and Bar Council of India. In specific terms, the objective of establishing this body, as reflected by the POA, is to deal with policy aspects of higher education and to undertake integrated planning and to reinforce programmes of post-graduate education and inter-disciplinary research. Functions envisaged are tendering of advice to Government on policy, coordination of activities of the various bodies in different fields, encouragement of inter-disciplinarity and promotion of interfaces amongst different areas, allocation of resources, establishment and management of common infrastructure and coordination of policy concerning external academic relations.

Going by these objectives and functions of the apex body, it does not seem necessary to create another institution at the national level to function as a super body, as it were. These objectives can be achieved and functions performed by an

appropriate coordination mechanism that could be brought into existence by a mere Resolution of Government. This mechanism, in the opinion of the Committee, could have a two-tier structure --(i) a Council of Ministers of Higher Education, the Ministers being those holding portfolios relating to education, agriculture, health, law and science & technology; and (ii) a Council of Secretaries dealing with these subjects and Heads of the concerned institutions apart from Finance Secretary to Government of India and Secretary, Planning Commission. Being a high powered body, the former Council may be presided over by the Prime Minister. One of the concerned Ministers may be the Vice-Chairman by rotation. The Council of Secretaries and Heads of Institutions together may basically formulate the policies and submit the same to the Council of Ministers for approval. (9.15.0)

Grievance Redressal

220. The recommendation of the Law Commission in regard to tribunalisation of justice in centres of higher education is pending decision. Early decision on this may be taken by the Government. (9.17.0)