Higher Education - Some Reflections

HIGHER EDUCATION – SOME REFLECTIONS

“Human History becomes more and more a race
between education and catastrophe”

These are the words from “The Outline of History”, a gem of H. G. Wells, who is a man of great literary merit and deep thinking. About the word catastrophe, there is no ambiguity of the meaning. Then, what does education mean here? From the context, it is clear that by education he verily means quality education. What he said long is very much relevant to the present scenario of education in general and higher education in particular.

Unfortunately, like English language teaching, education is an arena into which any one can step and step out at will and do their utmost to make it more messy, more often than not. Not that there are not enough Commissions on education that did their best to propose what is to be done and how is to be done. To be sure, there are surfeit of them. For a pretty long time, that is to say, from the beginning of independence till the later 80’s certainly something was done to spread higher education from the public funds. There was a definite commitment on the part of all the stakeholders (in spite of oneself one cannot but use the word stakeholders, for such is the currency of and fancy for it, given the ambience of globalization) to make use of education in a purposeful way.

Particularly after the onset of reforms from the early 90’s, so much has been on the progressive slide inthe regressive direction. To begin with, the state felt free and in a way bold enough to forego its responsibility towards public education. Naturally, to fill the vacuum, the private sector has come in a big way to meet the growing needs of higher education. Even if one sets aside the philosophical arguments that are pro or against the private sector per se, for the moment, it is time all the stakeholders of higher education did sit up and think about the question – Whither Higher Education?

When this problem is being probed in its varied ramifications, many disturbing trends are to be seen everywhere. To cover all those trends in a piece of this sort is not possible. Hence a particular attention is focused on one basic aspect of higher education or to be more precise, any level of education i.e. the quality component of it. The basic premise is that, not that quality is history. Undoubtedly it is there. For that matter, in certain respects, there are some sections that are being exposed to a kind of education; whose quality at least, in utilitarian terms is extremely excellent. About the value system that it is promoting, there are many serious doubts.

But the issue that is pathetic in the short term, and deeply unsettling in the tong term, is the mediocre education that is being provided to the weaker sections of the society. Tragically the great chunk of the students who pursue their education in public funded institutions don’t feel confident enough about their degrees and their inherent worth. They spend nearly 15 years in schools and colleges and at the end of it - the tunnel is without light. The woods are deep and dark, but not lovely. Apart from the massive wastage of their time, there is a poignant dimension to this sorry state of affairs.

At a time, when knowledge has become the real wealth, it is precisely quality education that has been denied to the weak. In the past it was land that was a source of wealth. Then, they were kept away from it. That way, at every period such is their situation that they cannot lead from the front. Is it not a great affront to any democratic polity of supposed socialistic soul? A question does naturally arise in this context. Who is to be blamed for this mess? Yes! The answer is simple and straightforward. Every stakeholder starting with the state is answerable and accountable. With regard to the state,it has come out in its true colors. The lesser one speaks of it, the better.

Therefore, the question is, “who are the next big stakeholders that are to become socially sensitive with a touching concern for the systern?” Truly it is the teachers of higher education. Unless they reorient themselves to the changing realities and offer a stiff resistance to the menacing LPG phenomenon, certainly a stage does come sooner than later, when the teachers become redundant and devoid of self-worth. Hence it is time, the teachers of higher education did pose right questions and respond to the events in a spirited and a committed way. They must teach with a passion and feel that their work is a mission. It demands a deep concern for the students, which is very often missing on the part of many teaching brethren.

Does one imply that everything is lost? Is everyone so rotten that there is nothing to hope for, nothing to aim at? It is not all the intention here. But truly in the absence of commitment, the time for serious reflection and love for wide reading have been thinning out on the part of the teaching community. The above tense is used not in the feeling that, it does best convey the spirit of the times. Simply because sometimes it so happens that calling a spade a spade is not that easy.

Therefore, “What is to be done?” Sorry! The right question is “What steps are to be taken?” Many things are to be done and ought to be done. At least, I for one feel that the teachers of higher education should attempt to teach in such a critical and creative way that the students become sensitive to the spirit of our constitution and the positive ethos of our culture, which is truly liberal and plural. It is the responsibility that every teacher has to shoulder, more so, it is the teachers of Social Sciences who must rise to the occasion and see that the worst is avoided.

It is in the fitness of things to pose one more question at this stage. What is impending, given the societal drift in the context of enervating LPG. Syndrome? The word syndrome may suggest that something is sick. Because of LPG, the weak feel helplessness, Helplessness is a kind of sickness. The first casualty of any societal disorder or imbalance in society is–whether it is the disparity in the quality of education or unimaginable economic inequality, the social equilibrium gets disturbed. Societal equilibrium is the very corner stone of any civilization of enduring values. The significant symptom of any healthy society is, social harmony, which by itself is a product of a sense of inclusiveness and a sense of equal opportunity that one feels.

Besides, there is an additional or one would say an all-important reason, why one needs to strengthen higher education. It is that, when higher education does not deliver the goods, in the direction in which it is intended to do – the primary education is the worst casualty. There is an organic link between higher education and primary education. If a graduate is a man of straw, as a teacher he cannot produce men of mettle. The great significance of primary education goes without saying. Finally, one hopes, it is not again that it is the teachers, more so the teachers of higher education alone, who can impart the critical capacities and intellectual cutting edge to the coming generation of students, so that they can logically encounter the western or the American hegemony in the days to come.

“These are the best of times,
These are the worst of times”
-Charles Dickens.