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Indifference affects GU admissions Wednesday, June 13, 2001

AsianAge
Ahmedabad, June 12: Come May-June and it is time for the Gujarat University to gear up once again to cope with the admission rush for first year degree courses. Introduction of new admission criteria, inviting admissions on first cum first basis, has fueled the crisis in 2001-02.

Lack of coordination between the Gujarat University and its colleges, paucity of seats across various degree colleges, substantial vacancies of teaching staff over the last three years now, unavailability of need committee’s report at this hour of crisis are some of the serious issues yet to be dealt with.

The Asian Age talked to some of the syndicate members, whose perplexity could be well felt. That the state government is doing almost nothing to keep the Gujarat University problems at bay, is a cause of concern to them.

“Merely blaming the Gujarat University or the students will not solve the crisis. Unless the state government steps in and takes a note of the problem at every level — administration, academic and execution — the problems will go on, and will chatacterise the Gujarat University admissions each year,” observed syndicate member Narhari Amin.

Dr M.N. Desai, the former vice-chancellor of the Gujarat University and presently its syndicate member added, “The state government is not ignorant to the pathetic demand to supply ratio between teachers and students. Yet, as many as 100 posts of teaching staff is vacant across colleges of the Gujarat University for three years now.

Despite repeated reminders to the government about granting permission to new self-financed colleges or permitting the existing colleges to increase the divisions, nothing has been done.”

Syndicate member Sudhir Nanavati added that although minister of state for higher and technical education Bharat Barot has promised to look into filling up the vacancies at the Gujarat University by July 31, it is unlikely that it would be done.

“The minister has specified that the government is in no position to open self-financed colleges or increase the number of divisions in colleges,” he informed. “While the university had asked all the colleges to grant admission to 130 students per division, the numbers were increased by 10 later in wake of the crisis. However, there are several candidates still lurching,” Mr Nanavati said.

The members even disapproved of the conduct of the Gujarat University regarding the admission. While they spoke in favor of the new admission criteria, they vehemently objected to the university’s lack of foresightedness while implementing the criteria.

“There was complete lack of coordination between the university and the colleges as regards mutual dissemination of information. It is ironical that the university has been unaware of the status of admissions across the colleges affiliated to it,” Mr Amin said.

Mr Nanavati remarked that the Gujarat University did not pre-plan the admission procedure at all. “A committee consisting of representatives of government, university, its administrative officials, syndicate members, principals of different colleges, management personnel and student representatives should have worked round the year to gather feedback about the pitfalls in the existing system, which could have been put to use now and other forthcoming academic sessions.”

Even the need committee report focusing on demand of colleges, has not been prepared as yet, which would further compound the problems, felt Mr Amin. “There are loopholes in every system, but one has to be careful enough to see to it that they do not mar the system repeatedly,” Mr Nanavati said summing it all up.

News Source : The AsianAge Ahmedabad Edition [ The coolest Newspaper for city ]

 

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