Case studies of colleges

AUTONOMOUS AND NON - AUTONOMOUS COLLEGES - Selected Case Studies: K. Sudha Rao and others; Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 576, Masjid Road, Jungpura, New Delhi - 110 014 Rs. 245.

THE HIGHER education system in India is probably one of the largest in the world. Unfortunately the affiliation system of university-colleges relationship has severely limited the quality of this pattern of education. Since Independence, great concern has been expressed for changing this structure. The Education Commission (1964-66) was the first to moot the idea of autonomy to colleges. The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, brought a new thrust to the demand for autonomy for achieving equity and excellence. Parliament twice endorsed the need for autonomy to colleges, in 1986 and 1992. The Seventh Plan targeted that 500 colleges would become autonomous by 1990. However, by 1997, only 123 colleges, affiliated to 29 universities in eight states, could become autonomous. Very small progress.

It is necessary to disseminate the facts, accomplishments, difficulties and deficiencies associated with this experimental scheme. The authors of the book under review have done precisely this based on their project study. They present case studies of five colleges, all of them in Tamil Nadu and they were the first generation autonomous colleges, in the sense, they attained autonomy in 1970s, prior to the NPE, 1986.

The authors start with an executive summary in six pages. In the introduction, the concept of autonomy, its justification as to ``why, what, how, where and when besides the UGC revised guidelines, 1987 relating to the scheme and its present status'' are provided. Then come the five case studies, followed by ``analysis and points to ponder on''. The book includes the questionnaire used in this study in its annexure, references and index.

The four autonomous colleges are Madras Christian College, Chennai (urban and co-educational); Stella Mary's College, (Chennai urban and exclusively for women); Sri Parasakthi College, Courtallam (rural and exclusively for women) and St. Joseph's College, Tiruchi (urban, exclusively for men at UG level and co-educational at PG level). Except the third mentioned (which is a Hindu missionary), the other colleges are Jesuit missionary institutions. The study includes one non-autonomous college - Bishop Heber College, Tiruchi (urban and for men only) for the purpose to know whether autonomy was necessary for introducing all the changes that the affiliated colleges have effected.

These autonomous colleges are all private-managed and state- funded, plus UGC assisted. They are richly resourceful institutions with adequate infrastructural facilities, qualified and team-working faculty, campus discipline and good reputation for teaching and learning. They have achieved the objectives: rational admission, restructuring of courses, modern teaching- learning style, objective evaluation as part of a semester system, decentralisation of decision-making and implementation based on the creation of many new bodies and structures, both statutory and non-statutory.

How good is the performance of the non-affiliated college? That college is also known for its standards. The authors conclude that the non-autonomous college in this study is ``in no way inferior to the autonomous colleges.'' All the five colleges studied in this project are in Tamil Nadu and they were all affiliated to the University of Madras. They are outstanding colleges, with or without the scheme of autonomy.

When the scheme was launched in the Madras University under the vice-chancellorship of Dr. Malcom S. Adisesiah, it had a vertical take-off. It was his direct influence in the Madras University, the Tamil Nadu Government and the UGC had been responsible in no small measure to usher in the scheme. What is significant to be noted is that at the macro-level, the university, the state government and the UGC should coordinate and at the micro or college level, the stake-holders viz., teachers, students, academic administrators, and parents-public should orchestrate to effect meaningful changes in the style and substance of higher education.

M. RAGHURAM SINGH

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