Suggestions to JNTU – Rajesham

Higher Education requires to be strengthened further

By

Dr. S. Rajesham
Plot No. 32 & 33, Durga Vihar Colony
Gunrock Avenue,  Trimulgherry
Secunderabad – 500 015
Mobile: 9963682264, E-mail: s_rajesham@yahoo.com

Introduction

Increased flexibility is desired in higher education in particular in Engineering.  Some of the Academic Regulations are harsh and inconsiderate presently. The education system  is required to accommodate students of extreme capability levels in the present scenario in view of large number of institutions of wide disparity in which admissions are thrown open. The stigma of detention due to short of attendance or credits be done away with. Summer sessions in designated institutions will act as cushions and prevent such detentions. Student is allowed to learn and develop on his own.  Curriculum must be based on 5-day week norm and for lady teachers more flexible an approach is adopted. Teacher must be trained. Opportunity for research and consultancy is provided. Several institutions under JNTU are in a position to attract overseas students and the University should become one among the top few in the world on the strength of curriculum, regulations and flexibility.

Stigma of detention be removed

All students are not born with equal/similar abilities. They come from varied social, educational, cultural, rural, urban and economical background. Some may be fast and others may be slow in learning. Those who are slow may learn well. All those who take a year or more to earn their degrees are not bad students. May be among them there will be some who will become successful entrepreneurs. Yet others may have exceptional proficiency in sports and in such other extra curricular activities. Physically challenged students may take more than 4 years to earn an Engineering degree.   Some students, therefore, be allowed to earn credits at their own pace without having the stigma attached to them in the form of detentions due to shortage of attendance or credits. For example, JNTU regulations prevent a student from promotion to the next semester when he falls short of the required attendance in the present semester but promotes a student who absents/fails in all subjects at the university end examinations of that semester. Ironically, student who is detained in the odd semester, for example, paid tuition fee for the whole year in the beginning of that academic year. Further, he is kept waiting wasting his precious 7 to 8 months to repeat that semester. There are instances of unfortunate situations when a student met with an accident or suffered due to illness and not able to fulfill attendance   requirement in a particular semester. These students and their parents suffer extreme stress and untold social stigma while losing interest to continue further in studies. Even more unfortunate instance of parent who lost his ward in the odd semester and paid the fee for the whole academic year may be cited in this context.

Summer sessions

Summer sessions may be allowed to be conducted in the designated institutions. A student can register for a maximum of 9 credits in any such institution and pay tuition fee for the credits registered. All such students who were not allowed to write the university examinations due to shortage of attendance and those who were short of credits for promotion can take advantage of these summer sessions. There are instances of students marginally missing promotion to III and IV year B.Tech courses due to short of credits. Summer courses will act as cushions to prevent detentions.  Any teacher who is certified can teach in any designated institution and remunerated from the tuition fee collected;   the institutions can similarly be allowed to retain the permitted part of the fee collected.  This has the benefit to some students of the exposure to a different institution that is rated high and to more qualified and experienced teachers.

Allow the student to develop by self-learning

Students travel hours to reach the institutions from their residences and back. Example may be cited of the students who commute daily from twin cities to the institutions situated in Vikarabad, Shadnagar and Indur. Even if hostels are built in the campuses of the institutions, students may not wish to stay there but for a few. Our self-financial institutions cannot be made residential like NITs and IITs. The managements of the self-financing institutions do not receive any government grants unlike the national institutions. Added to this, several students are staying in private hostels under deplorable conditions and there is hardly any ambience for academic activity. Let the government provide hostel accommodation to make every institution a residential one.
Apart from the strain of travel, academic programmes are heavily packed. Managements want to slot into with training programmes with a view to improve on and off campus placements. There is hardly any time even  for an average student to digest what is taught in classrooms and for self-learning taking advantage of advances in e-learning and he suffocates trying to fit his preparations for GATE/GRE/CAT/TOEFL, etc, with 6-day working norm.

Curriculum be based on 5-day week norm and let lady staff member do some of her work from home

Saturdays are characterized with poor attendance of students. Still institutions run the buses in all routes wasting fuel which is so scarce these days. There are power cuts imposed by the government on some of the notified days in a week  due to shortage of power. Institutions waste power in lighting and running the equipment with thin student attendance. A staff member must be allowed  to attend to his  personal work and family. He may need to consult a doctor or go to a bank.   Typically, a student or staff member starts from home daily by 6.30 AM to catch a bus and returns by 6.30 PM. Those in Indur  leave even early and return much late in the evening. Do they have any time and energy left out with them?  The plight of a lady staff member cannot be described in words. Child would  miss its mother very much waiting eagerly for her return home.  Being employed should not become a curse for women. Looking at the weekly workload, a lady teacher need not be sticking to the institution all through the working hours and days. She be allowed to prepare her lesson, value the answer scripts and such other work from home looking at the importance of her  role at home. Drivers need to attend to the maintenance work of the buses they run. Even the Institutions must attend to the maintenance of equipment/facilities.  University, therefore, must develop its curriculum based on 5-day week norm and lady teacher be  allowed to work from home where possible.

Teacher training

When a teacher is required to prepare and organize  his course with proper planning, material and teaching aids consistent with quality standards, the contact hours need to be reduced and the student be allowed to have time to breath and develop by self-learning.  Teacher is required to be trained in the subject he teaches through short modular courses,  each of one- week duration, in addition to practical/industrial exposure.

Tap human resources  and develop world-class  Consultancy & Research Centre

Opportunities should be made available for all identified academicians to play their individual role in the enhancement of research, consultancy and  services beyond their regular/normal duties/responsibilities. University should tap these human resources.  It is possible for the University to develop an Industrial Consultancy & Sponsored Research (ICSR) Centre similar to the one in IIT Madras, for example, while involving those from self-financed institutions as well. Needless to say, there are several accomplished and distinguished researchers and consultants in these institutions and a world-class centre could be developed.

Attract overseas students

Overseas students should find our education system on par with those in the advanced countries. We should be in a position to attract overseas student on the strength of our curriculum, academic regulations and facilities. Facilities and faculty alone cannot attract PIOs into an institution. Curriculum and regulations framed by the University are vital factors in making our education that stands out in global arena.  A closer look is required into this.

Suggestions

Our educational system must change and be in tune with any in advanced countries for the students to acquire degrees for global opportunities.   Teaching-learning process should become a pleasant activity. Thus, following are suggested improvements to be incorporated in higher education.

Conclusion

Involvement of Government, University, Institutions, and Industry in appropriate ways is desired in the endeavor for the JNT University to become the one among the top few in the world. The suggestions require deep study, not limiting those enumerated, and in some cases with humane approach. Suggestion made is not new and are in practice elsewhere.  It is hoped that the university education acquires new strengths with blended flexibility.

Note:

The suggestions are to be seen as those made in the individual capacity from one who has been in the field of higher education as teacher, researcher, consultant and administrator during the past 40 years in institutions of repute including IIT Madras, University of Technology Malaysia and in NBA accredited self-financing institutions.