One point agenda for quality higher education

- Nimal C Namboodiripad

Sometimes people make statements in the course of a conversation, the import of which hits you in the

face at a totally unexpected moment later in life. The other day there was a discussion going on as to

what ails our educational system and how can we set it right. If there could be a one point agenda to

improve the quality of higher education in India! I suddenly realized that it could be very simply put in

a one line statement that I overheard a while back “ensure that somebody having an BSc Physics

should not be able to do an MA in English successfully unless he or she puts in a superhuman effort!”

I have nothing against a BSc graduate, being one myself or a MA English personally, but the relevant

point here is that ideally someone doing his post graduation in a discipline different from the one in

which he did his graduation should not be better than one who has done his graduation in the same

area easily. Unless of course he is a genius, but exceptions only prove the rule.

The reasons for this state of affairs are multifold:

1. The first and most important is a problem in philosophy and policy of the government as regards

higher education. Why should every body have higher education? Why not job oriented courses? Only

those who are really good at the subject and wants to go into research, teaching or areas which needs

the educational qualification need to do higher studies. The students should be given tests and

counseling to understand their skills, interests and aptitudes and then be directed into areas which suit

them. There is no meaning in doing a Malayalam MA to become a security personnel.

2. The second is the syllabus. If you go through the syllabus of different courses you can find that the

same thing is taught again and again at different points of your educational endeavours. That it reaches

ridiculous levels is unfortunate. I remember studying a Christina Rosetti poem “The Swing” thrice. In

the first standard, the fifth standard and then once more for pre degree (plus one). The question is why

teach the same thing again and again? The idea should be to reduce the coverage of the syllabus, make

it more focused but ensure that the students are thorough in what is taught.

3.The quality of the course content. The latest is not included in the syllabus. And whatever is taught

is not taught in depth. You find the same notes that was used thirty years back being used to teach the

subject now. Nay, in fact notes being passed from teacher to student to be taught to the next generation

of aspirants to knowledge.

4. The last is that there is no law prohibiting the same. Or a rule saying that such students have to do

an acclimatization course, where the basics are taught for those without a background in the relevant

subject. The first is being too hard on those who realize midstream that they are not cut out for what

they are learning and want to change course. The second should be made compulsory.

If a solution is found for these then the one point agenda could be put in place and the quality of

education in the country could go up leaps and bounds.

(Published in One India, 2004)