The educational system is 4 key component of any socioeconomic system. It not only should have the capacity to adjust the changes elsewhere in the socioeconomic system but also to anticipate them. And some having faith in social engineering, we would even expect it to help in initiating and giving direction to these changes. Let us be frank and say that none of this is possible for our antiquated affiliating system of higher education.
We inherited it from the British; it has expanded many times but has changed its character only marginally over time. The Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Lahore, used to be a part time functionary, and the day today administration was run by the register. Teaching was done mainly in colleges. After independence, Punjab University at Chandigarh has not only developed its own impressive campus with a large number of teaching departments like a medium sized British university, but it has also continued to maintain its affiliating function.
At present, besides four state education boards, 12 additional universities and four institutes deemed to be universities are functioning in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir earlier served by Punjab University alone. Being the mother university, it should look at this development with satisfaction and pride. Most of the senior teachers and administrators in these institutions are also its product. The growth of these new institutions is also a relief for the Punjab University as in the absence of these new institutions, its administrative capacity would have been overstrained/exhausted completely.
Expansion, however, has not altered the basic character of the affiliating system. It worked well when the socioeconomic conditions changed slowly and knowledge was growing at a leisurely pace. In the fast expanding world of knowledge, and equally fast changing socioeconomic conditions and the aspirations of the populace are also rocketing upward. The outdated system cannot be expected to remain unscathed it has to change or bust up.
The British have already changed their system. Till the midsixties, London University was the major affiliating institution of higher learning in Britain. Since then some affiliated institutions have grown into independent universities. Only a few work as autonomous constituents of the university which is still without its own teaching departments. The remaining large number of institutions spread all over the country have been brought under the academic umbrella of the National Council of Academic Awards (CNAA), Even the CNAA institutions enjoy a fair degree of autonomy to design courses and conduct examinations. The CNAA degrees are not only treated at par with university degrees but are preferred in industry and business because of their having greater applied content.
In India we have a long way to go. First, we should develop more universities, gradually defining the area under the jurisdiction of every university with the final aim of having only teaching universities. This will not make s significant difference in the number of students but it will certainly create an. environment for attaining academic excellence so elusive a target at present.
When a new university is to be set up, two major considerations need to be taken into account: equity and societal needs. A university, besides benefiting the society at large, provides specific benefits for the area of its location. No major area of the state should be neglected. However, if a university has wider role in the development process than extending general educational facilities, the major consideration for its location should be convenience of access from different parts of the state and the availability of other infrastructural facilities. In this category fall the existing PAU Ludhiana, and the proposed University of Science and Technology at Jalandhar.
A strong case can be made for urgently setting up a university 1n the general category to serve southern Punjab (Bhatinda, Faridkot, Sangrur and Ferozepur districts). Presently, this area is largely served by Punjabi University, Patiala, and to a small extent by Punjab University, Chandigarh. Obviously, southern Punjab Malwa is educationally poorly served.
Bhatinda seems to have a number of plus points in its favour to claim the status of a university town, It is more conveniently accessible than its main rival Faridkot. It is fast coming up as an industrial, commercial and cultural centre of the region. There is a proposal to link it to the seacoast by rail and it is already linked with Delhi by rail and air. Besides having a large military base, it has an engineering college and a polytechnic set up recently. The local radio and TV stations have already commenced function.
Besides, a university at Bhatinda will cater to the needs of the adjoining areas of Rajasthan and Haryana having significant numbers of Punjabis but distantly placed from universities in these states. To meet the social and cultural aspirations of Malwa region, which cuts across the state boundaries, it should be named as the University of Malwa.
The writer is Professor of Economics at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 9, 1990
