Change from Conventional Systems to Emerging Systems of Higher Education with reference to change in definition of quality: A brief analysis
Tamal Sarkar, 2Samir Chandra Das 1 Technical Officer-I, University Science Instrumentation Centre, University of North Bengal 2 System Manager, University of Calcutta, Kolkata-700073 1
Abstracts: Indian State Aided Universities are currently undergoing through a lot of changes with capitalization of knowledge based of the time to time recommendations of various committees. As per Mahmood-ur-Rahman Committee, higher education system throughout the world is presently under severe financial constraints due to mounting costs of higher education reduction of philanthropic activities by society and slowly withdrawal of support from field of education. Keeping in mind the authors have discussed the changing the focus of conventional systems of higher education. In this article, the authors discuss about the changing meaning of the term “quality” in education. They have focus on point that the market based education may lead to wrong person in wrong areas. They also suggested that the implementation of higher limit of income-tax exemption for all sections of Teacher would help further to give honour to teacher rather than difference in grade pay that exists in Central pay package for teacher in India. Lastly, the authors have discussed stress on cost-recovery measures on conventional subjects as well as need of introduction of non-monetary inputs for better performance. Keywords: Quality; Eternal wisdom of learners; Good educational policies; detritions of value system; Convention systems; Emerging systems
Introduction: Quality as defined by Oxford Dictionary means “Degree of level of excellence”. But, the meaning is different in context of education; here quality can have different meaning and these meanings are changing with time. Now, quality of education is directly related to satisfaction of stake holders or we may say that quality of higher education is linked to degree of satisfaction of stack holders. Naturally, we may have question in our minds “who were these stake holders?” From our common sense an answer will come to our mind is “society”. As a teacher, we have to see, “How our works is helping to develop the society?” A modern style of living and using a lot of gadget etc cannot be considered as a really developed society. A real developed society is something were every people work for the society. Such a society would have good governance. People work for honour not for 1
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money. A teacher should be an elite educator who respect sentiments and have skills to develop eternal wisdom of learners. The learners could be considered as the seeds to spread knowledge and wisdoms of an educator to society at large. It is through them an educator lives through generation to generation. We are thankful to teacher of past i.e. the teachers of our teacher and his teacher for whom we have learned to live a civic life and have gain wisdom to judge between “right” or “wrong”. Our education systems are something that built a nation. In one way, we can view the job of a “soldier” and “educator” from the same footing. A Soldier safeguards his nation from external attacks and enemies. Similarly, educators safeguard society through his work and wisdom. Good educational policies help educator to impart good education to learners. Better evaluation of learners should be a process to make learner aware of his weakness and strength, so that a potential learner may get chance to improve. Quality is said to be achieved if the evaluation process helps a learner to know his weakness. Capitalization of Knowledge: Rejection of a potential learner to study a subject or rejection a potential educator to teach a subject due to reservation policies and other un-ethical policies is something which may destroy an education system and a society. It may be considered something like giving a cook the job of a soldier and a soldier assigned with job of cook. Neither of them could work. Educational policy should be such that an educator as well as leaner should be judge correctly to avoid rejection of potential learner as well as educator. We may engage good student of an institute of higher learning to take part in education process by giving him opportunity to become a part of teaching -learning process through short time assignments. The courses at PG level should be module oriented so that the student have the option to select among different modules. Such view-point is directly linked with degree of satisfaction of learner. The time has come to understand the real problems of drop-outs and dissatisfaction of stake holders before the collapse of the education system due to wrong educational policy of higher education. Soldier and educator should be kept at the same footing while making the education policy. Quality of education system may increase or decrease but it will take time for the same. So, a well designing & planning is necessary to keep the quality in higher education. The processes that may help to achieve quality in higher education are listed below: Developing appropriate knowledge and skill for self learning Expansion and diversification to avoid rejection of leaner to choose subjects his choice 2
Greater transparency and accountability so that potential learner person can work as educator Increased focus on multi-media strategies for promoting teaching and learning process To measure the available aspect of higher education in different education institution certain indicators are used which are called bench markings. It is the six-sigma standard of performance. It helps the organization to identify the standard of performance and adopt them successfully which assist the institution to target the problem area and identify solution to improve results. Hence, Bench Making Procedure involves: To identify level of standard To target the problems areas To look for the solution of problem Measures to restore Quality Quality is not a chance but a choice. Quality is not an accident but a design. Quality is not a destination but a continuous journey. Some essential problems in keeping the standard in higher education are the following: Garth of faculty Lack of finance Low quality research Administrative Difficulties Poor Curriculum & examination system Lack of sufficient number of Colleges and Universities Detritions of Value system Out of the above problems first six can be categorized in two categories (i) Finance Related (ii) Human Resource Related. The problems though seem to be independent are really not independent. The same has been kept in mind while the Central pay packages were declared for teachers in India. Implementation of Higher limit of income-tax exemption for all sections of Teacher would help further to give honour to teacher rather than difference in grade pay that exists in Central pay package. The same has created an invisible acceptance among academic administrator, reduction of philanthropic activities by society and slowly withdrawal 3
of support from field of education. So, the same may be hopefully revised in future pay commissions. But the last point is very important. The same has been a thing that is causing a lot of problems that cannot be fixed with money and good governance. Now, higher education is viewed as a very attractive investment, yielding huge & quick profit. A lot of private investment with unparalleled greed of high returns has caused the detritions of value system. Impact of Cost-Recovery Measures (ICRM) Most of the ranked universities are in process to increase fees at graduate and research levels. The policy of uniform elasticity that excess demand of higher education can be met with higher fees enabling the university to have enough fee for new courses. But the overall impact is negative. With the stress on cost-recovery measures, many areas of study, including the humanities and social science and even the natural and physical sciences, have came under great pressure. Only the marketable areas of study may survive. The days are ahead where the greed of revenue-generating programs may cause serious problems like extinction of novelty. Students paying exorbitantly high fees are unlikely to feel any dedication to national interests such as public service, service in rural areas, or service to the poor. All cost-recovery measures are necessarily regressive, and scholarships and loan programs have not proved to be effective antidote to the regressive effects of cost recovery measures. With the process as given in table 1, Universities are becoming financially efficient, generating more and more resources, but in the process lose sight of their main academic goals and objectives.
Conventional Systems Welfare approach Public higher education No fees/low fee Emphasis on formal/full time education for all sections.
Emerging Systems Market approach Private higher education Introduction of fees/ High fees Open/distance/part-time education for economically weaker section and formal/full time education for better-off sections Scholarly/academic discipline of study Self-financing, commercially viable/profitable disciplines of study Heads of Institutions selected for Heads of Institutions selected for academic background expertise in financial / money management and resource generation. Table 1: Difference between Conventional System and Emerging Systems
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Activities hitherto peripheral to universities tend to become the dominant ones. Universities tend to undertake increasingly more commercial and quasi-commercial activities- such as consultancy, sale of physical products and services, publication of books, training and so on. But, there is a need to encourage the institutions of higher education to improve their responsiveness to socio-economic needs of the society and economy. In view of the academic, sociological and equity considerations, they should be provided financial and administrative support. The ever-increasing proliferations of institutions of higher education in private ownership, without adequate facilities, have to be contained. The fees of technical courses need to be reviewed based on welfare approach not market approach at national level. And, the manpower requirements on long terms basis should be correctly predicted before opening new institutes of higher learning for professional courses. Lastly, equal emphasis has to be laid on the introduction of non-monetary inputs like restructuring and modernization of curriculum, introducing better teaching methods, improving procedures of evaluation etc.
Acknowledgement: The authors are acknowledges the help and all support from the all distinguish faculty members including researchers and specially Officers’ of West Bengal Universities for providing guidelines and opportunity to presenting this topics.
References: 1) Ansari, M.M. (2003), “Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Institutions in India: Some Perspectives” paper in ICDL Conference Hong Kong 2) Etzkowitz, H. (1998) “ The norms of entrepreneurial science: cognitive effects of the new university-industry linkages” 3) Ansari, M.M (1997) “Cost-Effectiveness of Higher Education” New Delhi: Concept Publishing 4) Freeman R and Lewis, Roger (1998) Planning and Implementing Assessment. London: Kogan Page 5) IGNOU (1999) “MES-101 Higher Education: Its Context and Linkage” New Delhi: IGNOU; ISBN: 81-266-0964-8
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