There were some institutions in India like BITS Pilani who showed the way on how to dare and implement education reforms. BITS went on to launch WILP programs decades ago what MIT did in the USA. I learnt this only when I started reviewing and revising BITS WILP programs 6 years ago that it had initially forged collaboration with MIT to design their WIlP curriculum when no one in India had even dreamt on the online WILPs model. It showed a rare wisdom and gumption.
Every Institute needs a few thinking heads. Not just thinking heads but also confident academics who can dare to implement meaningful reforms. Forget all-new, out of the box, we in most institutions find it very hard to implement some of the basic UGC mandated and well-stated reforms in the Regulations.
Today, if you ask a university to implement a simple reform of 4-year Hon’s with research, two simultaneous degrees or accelerated degree, apprenticeship embedded program, the top leadership starts saying, “No, No, No. If you can carry on with the existing ones efficiently, thats enough. After all, where is our State Board permission?”. They will find hundred reasons and even quote a devil to stay in the cozy status-quo. Someone who had perfected the art of copying will pick up a gauntlet and say, “Let us copy it from some university who is already doing. Let’s find out who is doing.” No one will say, “Let’s go ahead, read the regulation, use wisdom and do. The UGC notified Regulations are a law and no one can stop us. Let us open the related UGC Regulations and pass resolution in the BOS and AC and issue changes in the Ordinances and go ahead“.
Admittedly, many of us have self doubts. We fail to put across to the State Education boards a strong case with conviction and quote the law and rules. We fail to tell them that institutions would suffer for non-implementation while going through UGC 2 (f), 12 (b), NAAC, NIRF as also the students of the State would suffer as compared to other States if the flexible career pathways are obliterated. We don’t raise it to the next level of State Ministry and the Centre. We sheepishly go down accepting whatever rubbish is thrown at us.
As said by me earlier, we have lame-duck agenda points in most of our statutory meetings b’cause many of us have a least clarity in the academic system, and resulting little gumption on how to implement education reforms. We’re very good at talking endlessly on local remedies for sugar control etc. but stay away from far-reaching reforms in our usual discussions in workplaces. We rarely work deeply into a challenge and find intelligent solutions. Let us emerge from the concerning status we are in, and do what impacts the career of our students positively. Let us move away from a dominant admin n’ event management role to academic empowerment role. Do develop self-belief to surge ahead in academic excellence more-so, in cases where the law is firmly by your side.
-Prof JR Sharma- the views are personal to awaken HEIs to implement reforms
