University of Pune vice-chancellor Dr Wasudev Gade on Tuesday said the university would extend all possible help to Fergusson College in its quest for autonomy. He said that if the government wants Indian institutes to be on par with international ones, it should trust them and give them freedom by way of autonomy.
He was speaking at a two-day state-level conference titled ‘Autonomy to colleges and role of internal quality assessment cell (IQAC)’. Dr Sunil Shete, joint director, higher education, Pune; Dr Ajit Patwardhan, chairman, governing body and council, Deccan Education Society (DES); Dr Ravindrasinh Pardeshi, principal, Fergusson College; and Dr Shrikrishna Kanetkar, secretary, DES were among the dignitaries present. The conference is being held even as Fergusson College gets set to press for autonomy.
“I am confident that Fergusson College will become autonomous and independent soon. Presently, there are only five autonomous colleges in Pune, whereas in the south, in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other regions, there are numerous such colleges,” Gade said.
“Every region must have its own focus and gauging by the way its scientific community is progressing, along with other factors, must decide its curriculum for itself. Why not give students a choice to decide what they want to learn too?” Gade said.
“The most important thing for any teacher or professor is freedom. Without that, he or she is just like any other government servant,” said Dr Gade, adding, “In India, our educational institutes don’t enjoy much freedom, apart from a few like Jawaharlal Nehru University or Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Recently, there was talk that all universities in Maharashtra should have a common syllabus and that the appointment of teachers should also be centralised at university level. Are we moving forward or backward?”
He said that becoming an autonomous institute is not undertaking a risk, but making a bold decision. He went on to address the common concerns voiced by most teachers about autonomy.
“Many teachers are apprehensive about autonomy, asking: What will happen to our jobs? They can be assured that no one is going to take their jobs away from them,” he said.The implementation of the credit system is something the University of Pune has been discussing for over a year, revealed Gade, adding that the system gives freedom and flexibility to the teachers. He said every institute must have an IQAC in place to collect data and formulate comprehensive programmes and ensure academic quality.
“It should be a competent cell, though, monitoring changes in curricula internationally as well as nationally, devising modes of assessment and bringing in new methods of learning. The cell must also be strong enough to intervene when necessary,” he added.
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