Concern over slide in academic standards of Assam University

Special correspondent

SILCHAR, April 24: In the midst of controversy centering round the decision of the education department of Assam University to ignore Bengali in B.Ed. course, questions and concern have been raised in academic circles about the sliding down of this centre of higher education on the parametres of academic standard. This concern is quite justified seen in the context of the assessment of academic standard by a reputed magazine of the country India Today which invited universities of the country to participate in their evaluation.

 50 universities including Assam University responded to the call for assessment and was ranked 43rd in 2013 clocking up from 45th spot in 2012. But, academia blame some vested interests within the campus of Assam University who are more interested in meeting their own selfish ends than in working for the overall interest of the University and its students. It is due to their lack of prudence and academic good will.

 Assam University has slided down to the rank of 77 in the list of 100 universities. This is in glaring contrast to the position of Tezpur University ranked at 5, NEHU 15, Gauhati University 22, Mizoram University 51, Sikkim University 61, Dibrugarh University 74 and Tripura University 88. In every sphere, particularly in maintaining a tiol academic standard, a section of intellectuals and academicians have failed to contribute towards achieving the excellence expected of a central university.