Sunday, September 9, 2012

My Expressions

  Get it go Geeta Bhukkal ji! -  Off-Campus study centres must be whipped.

After reading the following news piece 

Chandigarh, September 2

After dragging its feet on the mushrooming of “teaching shops” in the form of off-campus centres and study centres of the state universities for several years, the state government has finally cracked the whip on them by banning them.

In a development that would go a long way in checking the commercialisation of higher education, the recent monsoon session of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha has passed four Bills amending the State University Acts to ban the off-campus centres and study centres inside and outside the state. The Haryana Private Universities Act, 2006, had already been amended to ban the setting up of off-campus study centres by the private universities.

one can have a sigh of relief that at last the govt. has delved to realise and curb the reasons of poor educational quality in Haryana so far. Whether it be secondary or higher education, mushrooming and money-minting shops are a major threat to nation's intellectual reputation. Whereas, we are hoping for 'brain-cycle' back to India instead of brain-drain, it is imperative to corroborate such initiatives.

If we have a look at the number of these so called off-campus study centres, the search is shocking. There are five state universities in Haryana, one of which has hundreds of centres in a single city. For example- 

State: Bihar City: Patna Total Record :153 Found.
State: Haryana City: Hissar Total Record :129 Found
State: Gujarat City: Ahmedabad Total Record :75 Found.
State: Haryana City: Panipat Total Record :90 Found.

as found on http://erp.mdudde.net/study_centers.aspx
 Isn't it shocking?

REASONS: In spite of crores of rupees being spent on higher education sector, the state universities need trivial agents to trap the students for their students' count so that they would be able to boast their fame. They think this bolsters their popularity. More over, the govt. too, wishes these universities to add to their monetary gains which is indirectly govt.'s income.

CONSEQUENCES: Aftermath of these establishments is, that the quality of higher education in Haryana, at the verge of complete degradation. Mostly the students only from rural areas or with very weak knowledge background get admissions through these study centres and the owners guarantee them good score. There is no adequate provision to add to the aspiring students' knowledge, nor they themselves are willing to get knowledge. The teaching faculty hired by them is also not simpatico with the requisite experience of teaching.

REMEDIES: The greatest and long lasting remedy is the current one to ban these shops sternly and make arrangements for good quality education in the state. Please remember that actions for the sake of only announcements, become jokes not for entertainment but credibility of the bills.  

Usha Taneja

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