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To be free or fettered?

There has been a trend in Bangalore in recent years of colleges breaking away from Bangalore University and declaring autonomy.

There has been a trend in Bangalore in recent years of colleges breaking away from Bangalore University and declaring autonomy. The process is by all accounts an arduous one, lined with red-tape: yet one sees it happen again and again, with some of the State’s most reputable institutions. The opinions of three representative lecturers from Mount Carmel, Jyoti Nivas, and Christ College, may provide some illumination on this trend:

Mrs Sahana Das, HOD of Communicative English at Mount Carmel, sources the problem home. Bangalore University is, in terms of number of colleges, the country’s largest University system, and encompasses the whole socio-economic as well as the rural-urban spectrum. As such, its services are not tailored to any specific customers – yet many colleges in the city draw students from more or less specific backgrounds, whose interests must be quite different from those catered to by the University in general. Autonomy allows each institution to introduce some degree of homogeneity and to better relate with the actual demands of its particular student body. The most crucial criterion for change, cited by all three respondents, is the freedom to tailor the syllabus (which in the University system often lags behind by more than a decade) to meet specific needs.

Of course, the very fact that a college is granted autonomy implies a certain standard of excellence, and once autonomous these institutions continue to strive for higher achievements. MCC for example went through a rigorous process in 2005-6 to attain re-accreditation by the NAS, which it first achieved five years ago. Immediately after autonomy, there is the issue of questionable credibility for, from example, foreign institutions. However, even this fear may not be justified: Dr Kennedy, Head of Media Studies at Christ’s, informs us that his college has been invited to an exchange programme with England’s famous Sheffield Hallam. NLS is perhaps the emblem of a very respectable autonomous institution. Of course, gaining high status is a challenge that each institution will meet uniquely, but a challenge which is important to all such colleges.

Autonomy allows simplification for many basic processes: among which the correction of papers is foremost. Ms Naureen Aziz (Co-Ordinator of Communicative English, Jyoti Nivas) believes that autonomy will at last allow students to receive the marks they deserve, in a timely and efficient manner. The slothful bureaucracy of the University system eliminated, nearly all aspects of administration will be handled more smoothly. The upgrading of facilities, a priority with autonomous colleges, has likewise a fair prospect within the foreseeable future.

The benefits of autonomy may not be uniform across departments. Mrs Das explains that the newer, professionally-directed subjects like Communicative English or Biotechnology, began with a fair degree of autonomy in the first place; the syllabi of these departments was even under the University necessarily frequently updated. Whereas the more traditional humanities, and the core sciences, often run on syllabi a decade old. It is these courses that will probably experience major re-energisation, in terms both of content and delivery. The ‘innovative’ courses meanwhile plan to consolidate links with companies and the job market to attract better-qualified students.

Although autonomous colleges never gain full financial independence, and also continue to receive funding from organisations as well as the private sector, it is acknowledged that students at autonomous colleges may expect to pay more. But, considering the improved quality and marketability of higher education at dedicated autonomous colleges, this is not necessarily a drawback. We Indians take free services too much for granted, and the price we pay for products may sometimes gain disproportionate importance relative to their quality. The bottomline: autonomous institutions will likely charge more for tuitions and other costs – but students may expect more pertinent syllabi, enthusiastic teachers, and a higher level of intangible market-value skills. The availability of scholarships and student loans at very reasonable rates, should ensure that the truly deserving are not left out for financial reasons.

There is another side to this coin: one of the pitfalls of autonomy may be the temptation to profiteering: in the sense that, since the vocational courses are more attractive, colleges and applicants will concentrate on them rather than encourage research in traditional humanities and basic sciences. But already there is a trend of revitalisation of interest in these areas, and it will be one of the responsibilities of colleges to maintain both types of courses side-by-side.

The greatest change is visible in the attitudes of those concerned. As the process of revising syllabi begins, lecturers are willing to stay overtime after classes. Students, involved in the process, have already responded with enthusiasm; and a greater emphasis on Internal Assessment means that class participation is a vital part of the learning process at Jyoti Nivas. Respondents have fair hopes of seeing the discouraging sight of dull, detached students in a lecture-hall give way to a lively environment where both students and lecturers are actively involved in the learning process. With better syllabi, upgraded facilities, and more involvement in the range of decisions that affect them, students may look forward to a dynamic change in the college experience.

Autonomy is a challenge for everyone concerned in an institution to be his best. With Bangalore University, like other universities across India, diverting funds from higher to primary education, the financial side is the least threatening. It is a challenge to prove and, sometimes more difficult, to maintain credibility; to attract good students and transform them into active learners and marketable professionals; to be responsible and accountable to oneself and to one’s community – and perhaps above all, to have the courage to persevere with one’s decisions, and to aim continually to excel in one’s chosen path.

Amita Basu

HAVE YOUR SAY

Do you think more colleges should be granted autonomy? What are its pitfalls and its strengths? Weigh the pros, analyse the cons and dash us your opinion within a week and in less that 300 words. Mail them to dheducation@deccanherald.co.in or to the Education Desk, Deccan Herald. 75 MG Road, Bangalore1.