The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Greater role for teachers in education stressed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 07, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Greater role for teachers in education stressed

By M. Raghuram

MANGALORE, MAY 6. The proposal to have a Model Act for Universities of the 21st Century in India of the University Grants Commission is being keenly studied by academics here.

The proposal was made by a committee set up by the UGC to meet the challenges of reorientation in the working of Indian universities. A revision of the university Act could also be on the cards.

According to information, the committee has now prepared a concept paper on this subject entitled "Towards Formulation of a Model Act for Universities of the 21st Century in India." The concept paper is being debated in Mangalore University, and according to academics it is also being looked into by other universities.

The concept paper talks about "Generalised University of 21st Century" which has to respond to the changing needs of society that were now technology driven and were becoming highly information and knowledge intensive, bringing in fundamental changes in the way human beings live, learn, interact, work, and conduct their everyday activities.

However, it is useful to note that learning is a personalised process and not dependent on technology, whereas education is a social process dependent on interaction between learners and teachers which may make use of tools and technologies, the paper observes.

The paper also stresses on a greater role for students, teachers, alumni, and the academic community in higher education.

Their roles come mainly in monitoring, guiding, exploring, integrating information, developing learners' identities, and facilitating group activity. Technology, however, was required to support and enhance this role, the paper adds.

The paper also broadly specifies the functions of a generalised university of the 21st Century as educational, sponsored research, consultancy, continuing education and extension programmes, development and services, and management.

The guidelines for formulating a Model Act for Universities also takes a serious look at the functioning of a university under the model act that includes the vision, objects, powers and functions, and jurisdiction.

The paper says that with the influence of information technology on university education reaching far and wide, the problem of jurisdiction does not arise.

The paper gives wide-ranging powers and functions, particularly to make the universities interference-free and function in a transparent manner without too many controls.

The concept paper proposes to have an executive council which would have highest authority like powers to frame statutes, ordinances, and regulations. Other than the Vice-Chancellor in a conventional university there would also be a Pro Vice-Chancellor.

Analysing the situation that could emerge if all these "reforms" come into being, the general secretary of the All-India Federation of University College Teachers' Organisation (AIFUCTO), B. Vijaykumar, speaking from Hyderabad, said he was sure that this system would lead the country's education to a higher plane of commercialisation and privatisation as there would be no or minimum social commitment.

He said in many universities the elections to the academic and policy-making bodies had been done with, and in many States elections for student bodies had also been scrapped.

This took away the democratic element in the universities that would reserve the right of university governance and functioning to a limited group of people.

Taking the instance of the appointment of a Pro Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Kumar said that one of the functions of the official would be liaison with industrialists and others for getting funds, which would create lobbies in the university system.

On transcending jurisdiction as proposed in the concept paper, Mr. Kumar said it had no meaning as each university had been set up with some objectives and by having no exclusive jurisdiction over academic and geographical areas, the universities would impose themselves on the academic community. He took the instance of the Punjab Technical University opening a branch in Bangalore.

He said an AIFUCTO delegation would meet the Vice-Chairman of the UGC on May 19 to discuss issues arising out of the proposal to have the Model Act for Universities.

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