Magadh University calls for detailed report from degree colleges engaged in providing vocational education

Updated on: Monday, July 15, 2013

Magadh University has tightened screw on degree colleges engaged in providing vocational education. Besides constituent colleges, more than 60 affiliated colleges spread all over the university's jurisdiction are imparting vocational education. Most of these units heavily fall short on different parameters like infrastructure and quality teaching.

A few weeks back, MU vice-chancellor R K Khandelwal, on the basis of inputs received from the Raj Bhavan, stopped admission to all such courses which have not been approved by the government as well as the chancellor. Several student bodies, including the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and All India Students Federation (AISF), opposed the VC's decision and demanded revival of admission to these courses.

A couple of days ago, Khandelwal convened a meeting of the principals/directors of all the affiliated institutions engaged in providing vocational education such as MBA, MCA, BBM, BCA, fashion designing, hotel management, physiotherapy, library science and journalism.

"The affiliated institutions are required to submit proforma containing relevant information including intake, fee structure, qualification of the faculty members and audited accounts of the last three years, latest by Wednesday," MU registrar D K Yadav said. More than two third of the 61 affiliated colleges skipped the meet thereby strengthening the impression that all was not well in the field of vocational education and most of these institutions were engaged in minting money without caring for quality. The university, too, has not so far looked into the quality of teaching in the sub-standard institutions.

The affiliated institutions running the vocational courses have been given one week to submit the information and a decision on the fate of these institutions/degree shops will be taken after studying the inputs provided by them.

Ironically, important courses like MBA and MCA in premier constituent colleges like Gaya College, are being run not a single permanent faculty member has been appointed exclusively for the purpose and by guest faculty mostly comprising retired teachers and serving teachers on the verge of retirement, who in many cases are not related to the course and unfamiliar with modern teaching and learning practices. As a result, job prospects of the students coming out of these institutions remain dim and even if they find a job, their salary package becomes low.

Another important aspect, according to university insiders, was that despite repeated reminders, these institutions are not sharing the revenue with the university. The expenditure pattern in most of these institutes is non transparent leaving enough scope for funds embezzlement.

Though vocational education came in vogue in MU about two decades back, little has been done to regulate and monitor these institutions.

Magadh University calls for detailed report from degree colleges engaged in providing vocational education

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