“We should be in the business of building people up. There’s too many people in the demolition business today.” –Norman Vincent Leale
Even after seven decades of independence we could not change the very structure of our education system. Only expert committees after committees were formed and recommendations have been made but nothing changed our structure of education. Every new government thinks of doing experiments in education most of the time damaging the existing system without much value addition in it. Leadership of Higher Education is dictated from the top and not emerging from among. Originality can not be copied, why to bring commonality across universities, where is the concept of uniqueness? Dissent is the essence of education, but the dissent is being suppressed by the authorities. Teachers’ voices have been crashed now a day. Even syllabi is being imposed from the top
Teachers’ accountability is on long-term well-being of the society rather than day today accountability. A professor may not have any answer to the question what life should one lead? He has an answer to the question how/what type of life should one lead. Stakeholders’ participation in policy making in higher education is totally ignored now a days. Due to Market or Commercial approach towards education, where students are considered as consumers, education is a commodity, everything is evaluated on the basis of cost and benefit. The wonderful Public Private Participation (PPP) model is gradually being replaced by Public versus Private (P v/s P) model. Thousands of schools have been closed/merged with private agencies for lack of students due to lack of facilities and faculties.
Today everybody talks about world class institutions of Higher education. Quality is the life line of any higher education system. But the biggest challenge today in the way of achieving quality in Higher education is the inability of the system to attract young talented, meritorious students to teaching and research. The deteriorating service conditions of teaching faculty and growing casual approach to the teaching profession in the country is discouraging many of the young talents to come to this noble profession. Another challenge before quality in Higher education is increasing bureaucratization of the higher education system. To address the problem of shortage of quality teachers in the higher education sector in the country, government should act decisively. Hope the proposed New Education Policy will address these issues. Nearly one and half years after it became due the 7th UGC Pay Commission Report is not released. Government wants bring drastic changes even without taking into confidence the stake-holders by creating HEERA. Is there any need for such a hurry to scrap UGC or AICTE?
Everywhere UGC drawing teachers are under scrutiny. But the tragedy is that scrutiny/verification of accountability by those incompetent/unqualified in-charge administrators, who never bothered about such things when they were in teaching position. Are they not accountable for delay in our regular salary, placements and arrears? Academic bureaucrats are much more dangerous than our bureaucrats. A day is not far off when teachers demand for non academicians to be their administrators if this continues.
At the state level we are happy that we could get major portion of our much delayed UGC arrears. Thanks to the efforts of FUCTAK. But there are many unresolved issues like pending placements, appointment of Principals, filling of vacancies, Ph. D increment etc. Even our regional offices are without full time Joint Directors. Uniform academic calendar, Uniform dress code, uniform college timings are the issues being created without much practical thought. We need to oppose such decisions which do more harm than good to the students and teachers.
During this term we could achieve; timely meetings, regular contacts with members, use of information technology, contact and interaction with state and national leaders, department officials, time-to-time suggestions and interaction with University officials about academic matters, release of UGC and other arrears etc. Still there are issues to be resolved.
This AGM is intended to create a forum to raise the issue when our central leadership raises the issues with the state Higher Education Minister and representative. Let us begin our fight to demand for the release of 7th UGC Pay scales from this forum.
I always believe in “working together works” It is the senior AMUCT leaders, past and present office bearers and our esteemed members who made us to work. Without their endless cooperation, support and encouragement we would not have been able to travel this distance.
“The rich experiences of yesterday,
pleasant achievement of today and
beautiful aspirations for tomorrow
make us something in this society.”
Let us work together to strengthen ourselves.
‘WORKING TOGETHER WORKS’ ‘LONG LIVE TEACHERS MOVEMENT’
Dr Ummappa Poojary P
President - AMUCT