Rethink needed on independent varsities

30 September 2009

Fragmentation of higher education does not address the question related to enhancement of quality, said M I Savadatti, vice-chairman, Karnataka State Higher Education Council.

Delivering the foundation day lecture on Higher Education: Where Are We Going?, at Mangalore University here on Tuesday, Savadatti expressed concern over the government giving undue impetus to fragmentation of higher education that leads to setting up of independent universities and institutes for specialized subjects. "Has anyone wondered if fragmentation of knowledge leads to growth of knowledge," he asked.

The trend that began with setting up of an independent university for agriculture science led to the establishment of similar kinds of universities for horticulture, health science, law etc should think whether it serves the purpose behind the concept of universities. However, in the wake of setting up the structures, the basic fault was the impression that they ensure better education, he said.

According to him there is a need to attract the best people to the teaching profession and best students for higher education. Under the present system caste, religion, qualification and other factors, we are not appointing competitive persons but prefer qualified persons as teachers. As a result competitiveness is totally forgotten in the field of education today. This has to change for the better and it requires commitment on the part of politicians, administrators, academicians, parents and society, he said.

Referring to various committees and commissions appointed on education and the apex controlling bodies, he said too many bodies and committees have only supplemented the confusion regarding the higher education sector in the country. No one looks with a holistic and comprehensive vision. As a result it became like five blind persons examining the elephant.

source times of india