Central varsities in limbo

by Manish Anand

Indian Universities are off the radar of the Central government. The focus of course is on building new science and technical universities. Three dedicated science varsities are coming up to take care of basic scientific research in India. So, dismay among the vice-chancellors of central universities, 20 in number, is understandable.

All arguments of capacity to achieve the objectives of the government to take scientific and technological research to higher level if given an opportunity by the central varsities fell on the deaf ears of the government this week. Jawaharlal Nehru University hosted the third annual central universities’ V-Cs meet where they tasted the bitter salt of step-motherly approach of the Congress-led UPA government.

The pleas of vice-chancellors to let them do the task of taking India to the higher plan of scientific achievement was shot down by the Union science and technology minister Kapil Sibbal on the pretext of flexibility in hiring faculty independent of rigid UGC regulations and focussed approach. “You can rather built a world class new airport, but can not upgrade the existing ones to that level” was the argument put forward by Sibbal in rejecting plea of the V-Cs for better attention to the existing central varsities.

No shock that one of the V-Cs chose to lapse into deep slumber when Sibbal went into verbal jugglery, akin to that of an apologist, showing dreams to kids which are beyond reach.

“Think out of the box” was the directive from the voluble minister, exhorting universities to tie-up with private sector in raising resources on the pattern of foreign varsities. Is India at par with the United States or the European Union that its universities will garner funding by the wealth-obsessed private sector? Has the government let them to come to that position where they can attract investors by their works? Shooting off advises out of blue has been the fort of Indian politicians for a long time and it remains so despite the nation facing daunting task in a World Trade Organization mandated regime.

Our universities are dying a slow and painful death. Even the best of the best universities like JNU, Delhi University, Allhabad University and others remain tied down for want of fund. The government remains apathetic to all ideas of reform in UGC and its funding pattern as well as recruitment process. “A junior faculty member in IIT gets more than what a senior faculty member gets in universities. How do you expect us to attract best of the talent to teach the young minds,” asked the V-C, JNU, Prof. BB Bhattacharya.

It’s all right singing tunes for IITs, IIMs and other fews, but the mass come to numerous universities to actualize their dreams. And at the end of the day, science and technology and management is not what a nation looks for to grow into a developed nation. There are other streams too which need the blue-eyed attention that few gets.

The government can afford to be myopic only at the cost of its own peril and a disadvantaged society.