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Autonomy promotes academic excellence
S. MUTHUKUMARAN
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Such educational institutions are the hallmark of a free society
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The Kothari Commission (1964-66) recommended granting of autonomy to select colleges. This recommendation was deliberated upon for nearly 12 years and in 1978, Madras University granted autonomy to six of its affiliated colleges. Madurai Kamaraj University followed suit by granting autonomy to two of its colleges.
Even though the University Grants Commission was keen on granting autonomy to a large number of colleges, universities in other States were hesitant to do so. Ten years later, it was found that about 50 colleges had been granted autonomy in the whole country and 43 of these were in Tamil Nadu. Even today out of the 234 autonomous colleges in the country, 85 are in Tamil Nadu.
The teachers’ associations have been criticising the scheme from the very beginning. During 1990-91, the agitation was at its peak. Then the government of Tamil Nadu constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the then Vice Chancellor, Bharathidasan University (the writer of this article), to evaluate the working of the autonomous colleges in the State.
To the knowledge of this writer, the UGC has not made any evaluation of the working of this scheme but has been evaluating the working of the autonomous colleges individually at periodical intervals. As there are only a very few cases of withdrawal of autonomy or voluntary withdrawal from the scheme by the colleges themselves, it is to be presumed that the scheme has been working satisfactorily.
The Tamil Nadu State Review Committee made several recommendations to the UGC, the State government and the universities apart from its advice to the autonomous colleges and remarks about the functioning of the scheme. In its conclusion, it said: “There are degrees of variation in the success of a number of colleges in implementing the autonomous scheme. In almost every college, there is both brighter side and negative side. Of course, in many colleges the positive side overweighs the negative side; wherever there are deficiencies, attempts are being made to remedy the same. Autonomy is a continuous process aiming at academic excellence.
“In general the autonomous colleges in the State have undertaken sincere efforts in implementing the academic reforms as envisaged under the UGC guidelines, within the constraints. The committee is generally convinced of the overall success of autonomous colleges in the State and therefore recommends that autonomy may be extended to other institutions in stages on a selective basis.”
Based on the recommendations of this committee, the State government extended the scheme to other colleges. The Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education has been conducting periodical meetings of Vice Chancellors to review the working of the scheme and issuing guidelines. It has also been conducting annual meetings of principals of colleges which are eligible to apply for autonomous status with a view to encouraging them to apply for it.
It has also been conducting courses and seminars through the Academic Staff Colleges of the State for the benefit of autonomous colleges. The UGC has been revising its guidelines for granting autonomy at least every five years. Thus the scheme survived through several plan periods.
Requirements for success
The success of autonomy in an institution largely depends upon the following:
* The head of the institution, his attitude to and understanding of autonomous status.
* The attitude of the functionaries of the parent university and their keenness to encourage innovations in the framing of syllabus, methods of teaching and evaluation and capacity to guide the autonomous colleges in their endeavour to utilise effectively the provisions in the scheme.
* The attitude of the government functionaries in encouraging grant of autonomy by the universities.
Autonomy is not asked for because the teachers are going to be materially benefited. It is not for teaching what the teacher likes, but what will meet the needs and aspirations of the students.
The educational institutions should be allowed to function autonomously because that is the only way it should be. Free and autonomous educational institutions are the hallmark of a free society.
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