The Government has decided to withdraw affiliation to hundreds of colleges in the State on the ground of nil or very poor admission.
The admission process has not ended yet in the State. Still, considering a large number of backlog seats, the Government has decided to go for spot admission in several colleges where seats are lying vacant. Similarly, in several rural colleges where the number of applicants has far outweighed their seat strength, the Government has told them to take maximum 20 per cent students extra.
What is interesting to note here is that demands for admission into colleges have been too volatile over the years. It has been marked ever since e-admission began in the State. While there were some colleges which used to exhaust their strength a few years ago are now in their twilight and reporting to be student deficient. Similarly, several colleges which attracted very small number of students in past have suddenly shot into limelight and are going student surplus. Even there are a few reputed colleges where the seats have not been filled up while less known institutions in nondescript village areas have record number of applicants this year.
Given the scenario, the Government needs to make an assessment about the trend and accordingly has to take corrective action. Blindly withdrawing affiliation of a few colleges or increasing the seat strength of a few others in view of the demand of a particular year will serve no purpose. For, demand for admission into a college has many determinants. less or nil admission cannot be squarely attributed to fall in quality of education in a college. And in the same vein, the staff of the college cannot be held responsible for it and made to face action.
Most colleges which have reported nil or less admission this year are located in rural, far-flung areas in the State. The most unfortunate part in the State higher education is rural based institutions are operating like orphans. Though most of them are reeling under fund crunch and are unable to ensure quality education without appropriate and updated infrastructure and staff for over last several decades, the Government has not spent a single pie for their growth. let alone spending for quality infrastructure in them, the Government has failed to provide suitable salary to the staff. Despite the fact that these colleges are catering to the need of lakhs of rural poor and Dalit students, the Government has no money to support these institutions in any way. On the contrary, the staff members have been deprived of salary for long years as the Government shrieked its responsibility to continue the existing grant policy. In the name of financial austerity, the Government has left these institutions fend for themselves for long years, thus driving the workforce to the brink of destitution and penury. long neglect also sapped the confidence of the workforce and robbed it of its light.
After the 1994 GIA policy, the Government made a rule that it would not provide any grant to any institutions further. But at the same time, it did not stop allowing institutions t be established. It may be noted that none but during late State premier Biju Patnaik’s regime in the 1990s, maximum numbers of colleges were allowed to open up. During the time of giving permission to colleges, no realistic evaluation of their efficacy was taken into account.
Rather, political lobby and corruption led to a mushroom and unscientific growth of institutions with the Government acting as a mute spectator. Years went away and the Government did not continue the 1994 GIA policy. There were of course financial constraints. But when the State finances began looking up, what prevented it from making an evaluation of the higher education scenario and the situation of the rural colleges that were languishing out of utter neglectIJ
In the present demographic situation of the State and given the spurt in demand for higher education in the rural belt, not a single college can be considered as irrelevant whether it has nill or less admission. Hence, the Government will commit another blunder to withdraw affiliation and thereby allow them to die silently. On the contrary, it has to see why there were nill or less students in a college in a given year and what needs to be done to improve the scenario.
An onus lies on the Government to rectify its education policy with regard to the rural belt. It can by no means expect to improve quality in the institutions by continuing the present policy of Block Grant under which the workforce is entitled to very meager and irregular salary. It has to give them regular grant-in-aid (GIA). It must understand that if it gives them GIA now, it will have to do it for a few years only as most staff members in these institutions have served about half or two third of their service career. Even if belated, the regular GIA would rejuvenate the staff who would certainly get highly motivated.
The Government has to provide regular financial grant for the infrastructure development in these institutions. This would surly provide a fillip to enhancing quality in the education. It would help if a taskforce is set up for improvement of higher education in the rural belt. The Government can give justice to millions of poor students by following the recommendations of the taskforce. At the same time, there should be regular attempt to equip the students with skill to compete in the State and nation level for jobs.
Recently, the State Government has decided to open model schools for higher education in all blocks. This is quite heartening. But our planners and leaders must understand that they have yet to solve many problems in the existing institutions. Why these colleges for which the Government has not spent a single pie as yet be not converted to model institutions. These institutions are spread across the State from panchayat to block level. At least one can be made a model for others to emulate. There is no need to go for those new institutions for which the Government has to spend huge money for land, infrastructure, building and staff.