University of wrong thinking

Notwithstanding the embarrassment to the ruling party in Karnataka when Members cut across party lines to block a Bill that sought to establish eight more private universities here during the recent Assembly session, it augured well for higher education in the state. Private universities are institutions of higher education, not operated or funded by the government, although they may still be subject to government regulation depending on several factors, including their location. There are 22 private universities in Karnataka, established between 2008 and 2018. Since they do not come under AICTE or UGC control, there are no checks or balances, either from an academic or from a financial perspective.

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Secondly, it has been estimated that Karnataka graduates alone constitute more than 40 per cent of the country’s annual output of engineering manpower. Studies made by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research over the years indicate that such an outturn of engineering graduates far exceeds the country’s requirements. This will ultimately become a national problem if universities continue to proliferate and create qualified professionals who fail to secure employment appropriate to their academic background. It will happen in other disciplines as well, unless state governments keep a close watch to stall this unwanted mushrooming of private universities. But then, the close links existing between politicians and universities, and between governments and institutions of higher learning, make this almost impossible. And these links cannot be severed as long as governments control education.

The concept of a private university was welcome to management since it did not depend on grants from the University Grants Commission (UGC) or the state government. It was a non-profit venture, which was not institutionally funded by state or central governments. It could confer its own degrees unlike autonomous colleges which, although meant to be academically free, were yet shackled beneath a university umbrella which conferred their degrees. Depending on their location, these universities may be subject to government regulation if there is a quality or regulatory concern.

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The proposed universities were to be established in Davangere, Ballari and Bengaluru. What is the government’s interest in these locations? Higher Education Minister C N Ashwath Narayan, who moved the GM University Bill, argued that the proposed institutions would be fully autonomous with “flexibility and freedom” to design new courses and collaborate with foreign institutions and industries. He also added that they would have to give 40 per cent of their seats to the government. This last statement tells all.