Surveys, reports and news analysis say educational institutions across the nation are in worst condition; due to lack of funds, infrastructure, and vacant seats of permanent faculties which are the basic needs to run any institutions. In such a time UGC’s decision to grant autonomy to 60 institutions shows government’s failure and lack of interest towards the education sector.
A liberalised regime in the education sector and autonomy would not facilitate education system, but it’s a step towards commercialization of education, where privatization is its first step. When education sectors get privatized corporate/business tycoons enter in the system, and the curriculum will be shaped according to the market demand like share markets, which produce skilled labour which is nothing but legal child labour.
Autonomy to institutions is a step towards commercialization of publicly-funded institutes and government’s withdrawal from financial support towards higher education. Later to run the institutions, autonomous bodies may initiate short term courses which turn universities into private institutions (which run certificate courses). Expenditure of prestigious institutions has already been slashed down, and it will adversely affect students from the economically poor background, which leads to Education for Rich, not for all.
The ‘autonomy’ move in future may be dominated by the corporate sector, and significantly affect diversity within university spaces, democratic spaces will be closed and future of the nation will not depend on universities, but kings and their decedents may rule the nation. The education system will not produce leaders who make leaders but will produce machines which run on the programming of corporate or business tycoons who are supported by rulers with selective mindsets.
There is a need to re-think on the move of centre and intelligentsia of the nation should raise the voice, to discuss, and make policies which make the nation develop.