Teaching Outcomes

The Assam government does not want temporary teachers and other staff in provincialized colleges. A recent notification by the State Higher Education department banning engagement of teaching and non-teaching staff ‘where no sanctioned posts exist for the purpose’, has caused dismay among college authorities. Principals must submit compliance report by April, else grants will be blocked, the notice has warned. Considering the higher salary bill for provincialized colleges, the powers-be in Kahilipara may well think of enforcing stricter fiscal discipline by lopping off additional expenses. The finances of many colleges are in parlous state, making them utterly dependent on government funds. But there is a catch, which has to do with the kind of teaching colleges ought to provide. As in other parts of the country, varsities and colleges in Assam are beginning to switch over to the choice based credit system (CBCS) as mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). And as usually happens, the objectives of this system are laudable but hardly in keeping with ground reality. The idea is to scrap the rigid curriculum and marks/percentage evaluation, to allow students to customise their learning programme. Based on interest and capability, students can choose their own basket of courses, made up of essential parts of their chosen stream as well as elective and soft skill courses. This freedom of choice and flexibility will make higher learning a rewarding experience, help acquire knowledge and skills better and develop personality, so it is thought. But when UGC introduced CBCS in 2015-16, questions were asked whether the new credit & grading system would be seamless enough for institutional migration (also going abroad to complete studies) or sufficiently reliable for securing placement. Another serious question was how many colleges had the ‘revenue model’ and infrastructure to properly implement CBCS. New courses would have to be introduced, which means inducting more teachers, which requires fixing their qualifications in an emerging field. The curriculum may list many new electives, but will not students perforce opt only for those on offer in the college they manage to secure admission?

If we consider the scenario in Assam, the gap between aspiration and reality could not be starker. There has been virtually no intake of college teachers in past several years. Over 1,000 sanctioned teaching posts are lying vacant, the Assam College Principals’ Council (ACPC) points out, adding that colleges are already offering a few new courses on ‘self-sustaining mode’ by paying these teachers from their own funds. When teachers have to be hired on contract to keep new courses (and some traditional ones) running, the chaos after adopting CBCS can well be imagined. In fact, the situation could be worse considering that there has been no sanction to recruit non-teaching staff like lab demonstrators, office clerks, hostel cooks, watchmen and cleaners. When the country is grappling with the twin problem of unemployment and employability, clearly it is high time for our education planners to take a hard look at the courses on offer and the manpower required. It is difficult to bring a curriculum up to date, and it could also involve shutting down courses and putting teachers out of work. But courses and teaching methods can and should change to be better aligned with market needs. The India Skills report last year, covering 5,200 varsities and professional institutes, showed employability rising to 47%, but the growth was found uneven between sectors, cities and States. Even if varsities raise entrance norms, most youths will still seek a college degree. But rather than a general education that gets them nowhere, they need problem solving skills and learning how to innovate. The challenge for our colleges is to give them this better deal.