Commercialisation of these institutions  undermines their core mission  which is to provide inclusive, affordable high-quality education to all

The Vice-Chancellor of  JNU , Prof. C Santhishree D Pandit recently remarked that the country’s top university is facing a financial crunch with little regular income generated from its resources. The VC has decided to repurpose the university’s properties with private participation. This culture of looking at public academic institutions as a source of revenue has been rhyming among our policymakers during the past several years.

One reason is the huge prime land area holding maintained by the public sector institutions and another is the change in the shift in societal perception. Today’s society evaluates everything based on money. The primary objective of public sector academic institutions is to offer an inclusive and excellent education to all sections of the population. Central to these institutions is the concept of education as a public good—a valuable asset that has advantages for society as a whole, rather than solely for individuals. Education, in this view, is not simply a product that can be purchased and sold, but rather a profound process that moulds individuals into knowledgeable, reflective members of society who are capable of making meaningful contributions to the collective welfare.

Their value should be assessed based on the number of enlightened minds generated by these institutions. As we can see it's these enlightened minds who are driving the wheel of the government machinery, and the nation's progress. Public sector academic institutions have been under growing pressure in recent decades to implement business-oriented strategies, which include prioritising income creation. The transition has been prompted by several circumstances, such as decreases in government financing, increasing operational expenses, and the expanding impact of market ideology in public policy. Consequently, numerous public universities and colleges have resorted to alternate sources of income, such as raising tuition fees, extending online programs, providing executive education courses, renting out spaces and forming alliances with private industry.

Private parties, if allowed to rent out spaces, should work closely with the academic and research community of the university. It should also help in imparting knowledge and transformation to students.In many NITs, the guest house rate has been increased tenfold, as mandated by the policymakers.

Unfortunately, people who visit these institutions including academicians and parents of students have to pay more than what is the market rate in that area. Although these initiatives can offer significant financial support, they also pose a potential threat of altering the core purpose of public sector institutions.  It can be detrimental to maintaining high academic standards and fostering a wide range of intellectual perspectives.

Additionally, it can generate pressures to give higher priority to programs and research areas that provide greater profits, perhaps overlooking subjects that are less financially rewarding but equally crucial for societal progress. It is vital to provide students with a well-rounded education that encourages critical thinking and broad-based knowledge.

Public sector academic institutions hold a distinct and crucial role in maintaining the social fabric of the nation.  Their objective is not to earn financial gain but rather to generate enlightened minds capable of critical thinking, and contribute to the development of the nation.

The great minds working in every field, including the bureaucrats and political leaders are groomed by these public sector institutions. For this to continue, we should not put a price tag on every facility a public sector university offers to the student or society at large.

(The writer is an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies; views are personal)