Create more varsities, says Kulandaiswamy

Updated on: Monday, January 25, 2010

Semoir academician and former vice chancellor of Anna university and IGNOU Prof VC Kulandaiswamy urges the policy makers to create more universities. Addressing the convocation of University of Madras he insisted that the affiliating system must dispensed with on the basis of a long-term plan.

“Taking into account the Indian conditions, we may go so far as to accept autonomous colleges”, he added.
Prof Kulandaiswamy lamented that the reforms in higher education were being discussed time and again, but remains only on paper.

“The higher education system in India represents a domain that has consistently and successfully resisted all attempts at change. The recommendations were all accepted in principle, but not implemented. Universities also do not take it seriously”, he added.

“We had also kept our curriculum updated to match the progress made in advanced countries. However, in terms of academic reforms we have grievously lagged behind and consequently we do not have certain essential components that higher education in almost all the countries outside this sub-continent now possesses”, he added.

Disapproving the investments of additional funds without implementation of some of long pending reforms, the senior academician said, “this would mean expanding what now exists and will no way yield the desired results”
The professor also pointed out that no review of the progress has taken place in the case of such academic reforms, adding that there was no well defined, mandated mechanism for review. “The announcements remain as achievements”, he criticized.
Disapproving of the affiliation system, he said that higher education and research were inseparable. He wanted universities to concentrate only on research. Condemning the affiliated colleges as becoming like tutorial institutions, he said that they transformed the universities into a board of examinations.

Create more varsities, says Kulandaiswamy

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