Aryabhatt Knowledge University (AKU) was established in 2008 through an Act of Bihar legislature. The university is supposed to function as an apex regulatory body for maintaining academic standards in all colleges and institutions of Bihar imparting degree courses in engineering, medical, law, management etc. It is mandatory for all such colleges to be affiliated to AKU. Already, the vice-chancellor and few skeleton staff have been appointed. The vice-chancellor is reportedly working very hard to give proper shape to this nascent university, even though he has to work from the bed-room of his own two-room flat in Bahadurpur, Patna and his salary is yet to be fixed by Bihar Govt.
In spite of all the sincerity, I have no hesitation in professing failure of this venture as I wonder if AKU will ever achieve the inteded objectives. I may be wrong, but I can’t help - I am a staunch supporter of autonomy of knowledge centers.
I fail to understand how a centralized university will be helpful in ensuring quality by prescribing syllabi, conducting examinations and awarding degrees under its own seal. At one hand smaller universities catering to the needs of local students are being created for efficient administration, and on the other hand a centralized univerisity has been conceived for maintaining standard. Why the universities like Tilka Manjhi University, Bhagalpur; Magadh University, Gaya; Veer Kunwar Singh University, Arrah; Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga; Kameshwar Singh Sankrit University, Darbhanga; Jai Prakash University, Chapra; B.N. Mandal University, Madhepura etc have then been created?
If the government is really serious about ensuring quality, it can follow the simple rule. Let us take, for example, the engineering education. In the present era, one has to see in global perspective. Look at the best of the institutes, say IITs. Their infrastructure is much above the minimum prescribed by AICTE for other technical institutes, the minimum educational qualification for the entering faculty is PhD and not BTech, selection of faculty is not based on just the minimum qualification, each IIT prescribes its own syllabi, conducts its own examination etc. They have never felt the need for common syllabi, common examinations, yet they maintain a global standard. They are autonomous.
In my opinion, the standard of an academic institution of higher learning is directly determined by the quality of its faculty and their commitment to excellence both at national and international level, and the matching infrastructure and also the necessary freedom to live upto their commitments. Unfortunately, what we see in our state is mostly to go by the “minimum standard prescribed”. The teachers are therefore there just to engage routine classes and the academic activity of faculty is limited to school-type teaching — there is hardly any commitment to research and excellence in global perspective primarily because it is neither expected of them nor there is any incentive.
It is because of the above factors that I believe the formation of AKU is superfluous. It pains me when I ponder as to why Govt engineering colleges like MIT Muzaffarpur and BCE Bhagalpur are still gasping for breath and have not been able to make a mark of excellence in the field of engineering education. It is hardly convincing that simply delinking these institutions from their present universities and affiliating to AKU is going to make any qualitative change in the academic standard.
Another factor that goes to discredit AKU is its name. “Aryabhatt” was a Mathematician and Astronomer; AKU vice-chancellor is a renowned Physicist and ex-principal of Patna Science College; then why Patna Science College or for that matter any other college teaching Science does not fall within the perview of “Knowledge University”. It gives the impression as if “science” is not “knowledge”. May be the name “Aryabhatt Technical University” is more appropriate.
When I put forward my views in an informal gathering of friends and relatives, I was simply ridiculed - you have a very poor knowledge of the education system in Bihar - you don’t know why the universities are created and how they function - look at the ongoing stand-off between Chancellor’s office and HRD Ministry of Bihar Govt - who understands and who is concerned about the needs of academics and academicians in higher education - watch out the power struggle - policy decisions or administrative decisions, they are always political in the name of maintaining high academic standard, but the standard has not improved.
Thanx God. Bihar students are really intelligent. They excel themselves wherever they are on the globe. And that is the plus point for all the governments of the state to claim.
Dr P R Prasad, Patna