Will establishing more colleges improve our higher education sector?

College education being a major component of Indian higher education is in need of reforms, in tune with societal needs and national development. Indian higher education sector is the third largest in the world and about one fourth of Indian population is in college going stage. Amongst which few prefer colleges outside the country to gain quality education and degrees to empower them towards a world class academic and job fitness. The bulk has to rely on colleges available within the country itself. India has more than 40,000 Government or Government aided degree colleges that has greatly helped in increasing the gross enrolment ratio and awarding various undergraduate and post graduate courses at affordable fees. But this huge number of degree colleges have not yet achieved excellence in providing quality education or innovative learning facilities as compared to colleges of western world or some top private colleges in India alone.

The problems behind lack of this excellence or imminence are many and multifactorial. Overall, the strength of college sector has tremendously increased during last few decades perhaps in tune with political aspirations mostly and less as per the academic needs. If we will have a superficial look at the expansion and growth of college sector in India, 70% of the colleges have been created in the past one and a half decade alone (from the year 2000 onwards). However, one third of all colleges are shared by UP, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Similarly, among the top ten Indian states in terms of maximum concentration of degree colleges, UP has the largest number of colleges while as WB has the lowest.

   

Now coming to our state, we had more than 100 Govt. and Govt. aided colleges and around 200 private colleges imparting various degree, diploma and certificate courses before the recent establishment of fifty more degree colleges across the length and breadth of the J&K State. There is no denial of the fact that majority of these institutions are deficient in multiple ways in imparting quality teaching. If we take an example of district Srinagar, two new colleges in Hyderpora and Alochibagh have come in close vicinity to an already existing boys and girls colleges in Gogjibagh. Similarly, a college has also come in Eidgah area that is again close to Islamia College and Nawa Kadal College. This establishment of college imparting almost similar type of courses in close vicinity in the long run will not prove useful instead will be a problem. We already know the fate of Baghi Dilawar Khan College which was created near the two already established colleges – SP College and Gandhi College. This BDK College could not attract the student enrolment for many years the reason being simple preference for SP or Gandhi College or just two KM’s away the Islamia College.

So we can ask, do we have enough of the students available to enrol in these new colleges? Do enough of the students pass their 12th and wish to join the academic colleges. Let us analyse this situation briefly here. In the beginning of this year when the results for class 12th were declared by JKBOSE only 36,227 out of 69,982 candidates passed the examination. During this decade it is the lowest pass percentage falling from 53.50% of 2008 through 75.47% of 2016 to 51.77% of 2018. This indicates we have already diminished number of students available and majority of top ranking students have already chosen to go to professional colleges. Now if we have around 100 colleges waiting for their enrolment and how many will finally get admitted in our undergraduate colleges when certain universities like Cluster University and Central University of Kashmir have attracted the student admissions due to integrated courses and availability of good and adequate learning atmosphere much to the satisfaction of students. Further, a good number of students prefer to join colleges outside the state for various academic or professional courses either sponsored by their parents or PMSS.

No doubt, we need more colleges and institutions to provide access and facility to deprived sections of the society. But lack of adequate infrastructure, deficit teaching staff, lack of diversity in the subjects and inadequate or deficient modern subject combinations do not attract student enrolment. For example, the colleges in southern Kashmir have not attracted much of the students this year is a living example because these colleges have been established in a close circuit of radius differing by a few kilometres only. The students certainly have preferences for an already established college due to attractive or serene atmosphere, subject combinations of choice, fear of lack of spacious or clean campus, fear of inadequate teaching learning atmosphere, inadequate co-curricular and extra-curricular facilities and repulsive ambient peripheral atmosphere (like lack of urban outlook, hustle bustle of markets, etc.) of these newly created colleges.

Therefore, there is a need of proper plan or procedure in place to devise the setup or location of new degree colleges with unique courses and subjects to attract students in tune with fruitful academic expectations and better career options. So making every college unique in terms of subject combinations or specific degree and certificate courses will somehow help in achieving uniform enrolments. Similarly, converting the already established and premier colleges to full-fledged PG colleges will also prove useful.

Therefore, creating more and more colleges will not suffice only but creating sufficient infrastructure blended with up-to-date courses and teaching learning technologies is the prerequisite. Another question to be asked is, do the newly established colleges really meet the aspirations of student community? The protection of interests of students is a must. To maintain a right momentum and adequate teaching learning ecosystems in our colleges, proper and planned initiatives from the government or policy makers are needed. The thrust must be on providing the quality learning and mere creation or mushrooming of degree colleges will not help but create additional problems ranging from misadministration and quantitative production of graduates with least subject expertise, rationality, job oriented skills and knowledge. Because working for the cause, welfare and betterment of the society is the true purpose of gaining education. Therefore, this network of new colleges along with the older one’s should make it possible that students are enrolled and empowered with skills, training and entrepreneurial qualities and provide best opportunities for career path in academics.
The writer teaches Zoology in the Islamia College of Science and Commerce, Srinagar.

drkatariq@gmail.com

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