Professor R. Sethuraman of SASTRA University, where I’m currently studying, has summed up all that I wanted to say about the ongoing happenings with regards to the deemed university system in India. In an editorial in the Hindu today, he says:
“[...] There are good deemed universities offering innovative degree programmes, engaging in quality research leading to publications, and providing high-quality teaching. The government’s role must be to identify and encourage such deemed universities and similar institutions by conferring the deemed university status. To eliminate a time-tested policy without diagnosing the reason for its sickness will be counterproductive of the main objective of achieving qualitative growth in higher education.
[...] The proposed bill will only put the system back in a closely regulated and regimental framework with little scope for innovation and academic independence. [...]“
Kapil Sibal has apparently said that the provision of granting deemed university status under Section 3 of the UGC act may be entirely done away with.
I mean, there are deemed universities that are terrible – agreed. There are so many excellent ones, too. Why should you trash an entire system just because some institutions deviated from their purpose of providing quality education?
Having discussed with many of my friends studying in colleges affiliated to government universities, I can vouch that the syllabi of several courses in some deemed universities are of much higher standards than that of the government-controlled ones.
Just government-run universities aren’t enough.
The Chinese are beating(?) us in the field of higher education.
Are you going to have a stranglehold on the University system in India?
Monitor these universities. Don’t regulate them. Let them have (at least a little) freedom to bring innovative courses.