An open Letter to Ms Smriti Irani- HRD Minister

Dear Ms Smriti Irani,

Let me first congratulate you on your conferment as the guardian of one of the most watched ministries in the new Government. No! I was not rooting for the BJP. I was not cheering for any party for that matter. They have all disappointed us for several decades- some more than others. I hope you prove my skepticism wrong, at least as far as the HRD ministry is concerned.  It was however a pleasant surprise when you were named the HRD minister. Much noise has been made about your qualification for the post. Degrees, in my opinion, are of no concern. You seem to have enthusiasm. And in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”. I think that alone will suffice.

For several years I have written about and petitioned the HRD department on the functioning of some Deemed Universities in this country. To understand the angst of the student community, one must go back into its history. The Radhakrisnan Commission (1948) had mooted Deemed Universities as a means of making innovative higher education available to meritorious students. Private sector participation was sought as a means of corporate social responsibility- not profit making ventures. Until the mid 90’s Deemed status was given to only the best institutions. Suddenly, the flood gates opened and a slew of institutions were accorded the ‘Deemed to be University’ status. The reason is obvious. The objectives of Deemed Universities were turned on its head. The autonomy vested in them became a means of cheating the system. Institutions, mostly medical and engineering colleges, wanted greater autonomy in their admissions, to by- pass the state merit quotas. The HRD ministries in those days were headed by highly qualified professionals. It is surprising that they saw nothing amiss when medical and engineering seats in some of these institutions were being auctioned off for crores of rupees. It goes on unhindered. This is why many of us feel that the HRD ministry does not need doctorates to head it. We need honest persons who can empathize with the plight of disadvantaged meritorious students who have been systematically sidelined in the last decade and a half. Ms Irani, you may be in a position to do what your ‘highly educated’ predecessors failed to do!

The decision to grant Deemed Status in most of these institutions was not in keeping with the established guidelines and norms which required that these institutions strive for a policy ‘leading to excellence and innovations’. In fact the Deemed University objectives specifically exclude routine courses like BA, MA, MBBS, BDS,B Pharm etc. Clause 3.2 in the extraordinary gazette dated 21^st May 2010 says that one of its objectives is “To engage in areas of specialization with proven ability to make distinctive contributions to the University Education system that is- academic engagement clearly distinguishable from that of an ordinary nature that lead to conventional degrees in arts, science, engineering, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, management etc routinely offered by conventional institutions.”

Thankfully, the Government has not sanctioned any new Universities after 2009. On the contrary, in 2010, the Government moved the Supreme Court to withdraw the Deemed Status from 44 Universities based on the recommendations of a high powered committee. The fact that these Universities continue to brazenly admit students after collecting huge capitation fees and conducting fake entrance examinations, is an indication that there are powerful political forces behind them. The Chancellors are often the owners of the institution. Vice- Chancellors are often handpicked and appointed from within the family or close inner circles.

The least that the HRD Ministry and the UGC can do is to regulate and oversee the entrance and exit examinations.  In fact the first step would be for the UGC to conduct a common entrance examination to ensure merit at least for the Medical and Engineering courses (UG and PG) in all these institutions. Deemed Universities certainly cannot claim exclusivity in the award of routine MBBS, BDS, BE and their post graduate courses. The Supreme Court, in several judgments has clearly stated that all professional and higher education admissions should be governed by the triple test which is based on an examination that is fair, transparent and non- exploitative. An entrance examination can be fair, transparent and non-exploitative only if it can be accessed by everyone and a rational fee structure for the course is clearly announced in their admission brochure. Many authentic Deemed Universities conform to these norms. They should have no objection to a common entrance test.

Ms Smriti Irani, as the honourable minister for HRD, this should not be a tough act. It will vindicate your claim that you should be judged by your actions and not your qualification. You will also earn the everlasting respect from generations of meritorious students for restoring their trust in the system.

George Paul

June 2nd 2014