Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Higher education victim of reforms: V-C

By Our Staff Reporter

NARASAPUR (WEST GODAVARI DT), NOV 26. The Andhra University Vice-Chancellor, Y.C. Simhadri, on Wednesday said the `World Bank prescriptions' under implementation as part of the reforms had spelt doom for higher education in the country.

The reforms being effected by the State and Central governments as part of the World Bank `prescriptions' had a negative impact on higher education in the country, he said. Speaking at the inaugural of the Andhra University inter-collegiate youth festival called Vasista Youth Fest-2003 here, Prof. Simhadri observed: "The State has been steadily renouncing its welfare role since the early 1990s following the prescriptions of the World Bank.''

He said that as a result of the adverse impact of the reforms on higher education, most of the Indian universities have become stagnant, starved of funds and facilities and unable to keep abreast with the explosion in knowledge taking place in almost all fields. "In effect, our academic institutions have relegated into academic slums,'' he said.

Saying that higher education in India is elitist in character, he pointed out that the fallout of this phenomenon was that an overwhelming section of population was deprived of higher education for a variety of social and economic reasons. Quoting the UNESCO World Education Report for 2000, the Vice-Chancellor explained that only 6.9 per cent of the youth in the 17-23 age group had enrolled for higher education in the country. However, in the US the figure was 80.9 per cent, in the United Kingdom it was 52.3 per cent, Australia 79.8 per cent, and New Zealand 62.6 per cent. On the causes of student unrest on university campuses, Prof Simhadri said "Much student unrest arises out of students being restricted to a marginal role at a time when the energy of youth is at its peak. To be in a college and university for years without a responsible social role and uncommitted to adult institutions leads to tension and frustration,'' he said. He underscored the need to revamp the education system to suit the present day context and impart value-based education.

The Editor of Andhra Prabha, Satish Chander, expressed serious concern over the disappearance of fine arts from colleges and universities of late.

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