This bears reference to a couple of
articles published in GK in response to the joint press statement issued by
KUTA and JUTA against the order issued by Principal Secretary, Higher
Education, Govt. of J&K authorizing all college teachers to act as guides
and co-guides for supervising M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars. Pointed references
have been made to the joint statement of KUTA and JUTA in these articles
vehemently criticizing the same and taking jibes at their stand on the issue.
While constructive criticism is the life and soul of any democracy, undue
criticism not based on reason and facts is not only unwarranted and distasteful
but divisive too. While putting across their point authors have used some
choicest invectives to describe KUTA, University Teachers in general and
University Research which is highly unbecoming owing to the fact that use of
such language does not help in any manner to promote collaborations and foster
inter-institutional relationship rather it only dents any such advancements.
While initially KUTA didn’t deem it
necessary to respond to these articles since our initial press statement was
self-explanatory wherein we had made our stand amply clear. Furthermore the
arguments made in these articles were based on faulty premise and ill conceived
conclusions. However since a wrong impression and incorrect message was being
passed on to the readers it was deemed needful to clear the haze and set the
record straight. It is quite surprising that while authors seem to be
reasonably well-read, articulate as well as eloquent in putting forth their
point, they seem to have willfully chosen to ignore the assertion made in our
joint statement that reads, “It needs to be clarified that KUTA and JUTA are
not against authorizing college teachers to act as research guides but against
the way it is sought to be done. KUTA never had any problems with that as long
as it is done within the purview of statutes and regulations in vogue at
present. But if attempts are made to circumvent and override the existing norms
and guidelines, overstepping one’s authority, undermining the statutory bodies
and usurping the autonomy of the institutions of higher learning, KUTA will oppose
any such move,”. There was hardly any need to say anything more after having
said that in so clear and unambiguous terms. Nowhere in this statement has JUTA
and/or KUTA opposed the recognition of college teachers as research
guides/co-guides following codal procedure and statutes in vogue. Even the
subsequent clarification issued by the Kashmir University authorities emphasized
upon the fact that UGC regulations and statutes in vogue at present shall be
followed while recognizing college teachers as guides and co-guides for
supervising M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars. It is beyond one’s comprehension as to
what makes the authors doubt the intentions of KUTA and JUTA and not believe
their assertion. It is not clear as to what makes them believe that the
University teachers somehow feel threatened or insecure by this govt. order and
that they vie to have a monopoly on research. These apprehensions are totally ill-founded
and baseless. University teachers have never at any point of time stated or
done anything that remotely points towards these conclusions.
It is really astonishing how unsolicited
motives are being attributed to KUTA and how sweeping judgments are being
passed on the quality of research being done at KU as well as on the competence
of university teachers while it has never been a case of university versus
college teachers even though the authors in question have tried their level
best to make it appear like one. At least KUTA never intended it to be that
way. There is absolutely no point in pitching college teachers against
university teachers for we consider both as the pivots of higher education
sector in the state. Both have to work shoulder to shoulder for taking the
higher education system of the state to all new heights. No sane and seasoned
individual, group or association can ever seek or claim a monopoly or fiefdom on
research. Research is a collective means of creating knowledge and evolving
solutions to the most intriguing problems faced by the society. All
stakeholders have to work in tandem to achieve these goals.
University teachers will be among the
happiest lot if government allocates sufficient funds from its kitty for the
upliftment of facilities and development of world-class infrastructure in
colleges that is necessary to make them capable of conducting high quality
research. College teachers should actually press for that rather than going
gungho about an order issued from an office of the secretariat that has little
significance owing to the fact that college teachers have to anyhow fulfill
criteria laid out in the existing statutes and regulations and follow the
proper procedure laid out in rule books before getting recognized as guides and
co-guides. Kashmir University has been recognizing college teachers as
co-guides since its inception several decades back and there is nothing new
about it. This government order can only serve as opium for those who want to
thrive upon its euphoria and enter into a mud-slinging match against university
teachers. Even the Chancellor of Kashmir University, Governor of J&K state
in a recent meeting held with Vice-Chancellors of Jammu and Kashmir University on
March 6th, 2018 has made it clear in presence of Education Minister
and Principal Secretary Education at Jammu that, “The decisions relating to
academic matters such as introduction of new courses, framing rules and
regulations for running courses, authorising Professors, Associate Professors
and Assistant Professors of the colleges to act as guides, co-guides for MPhil
and PhD scholars should be taken strictly in terms of Jammu and Kashmir
University statutes”.
Cluster
Universities of Jammu and Srinagar have been established under the provisions of Srinagar and Jammu Cluster University Act 2016
as an initiative of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme, RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar
Shiksha Abhiyan) with an aim to create new universities through upgradation of
existing colleges and conversion of these colleges into a cluster. Five prominent
and leading colleges of Jammu and Srinagar each have been clustered into these
two universities that offer undergraduate, postgraduate, integrated masters and
research degrees in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, applied
sciences, management and commerce besides some professional courses. That means
they have to anyhow recognize the senior faculty working in their cluster of
colleges as research supervisors and co-supervisors in order to enable them to
guide M.Phil. and Ph.D. scholars registered with these universities. So when
nobody has opposed establishment of these two cluster universities why would
anybody oppose the research degrees that they intend to offer and the
associated recognition of guides and co-guides from colleges. Only matter of
concern could be the availability of adequate facilities, infrastructure, staff
and funds to go ahead with research at these colleges. Furthermore as per news
reports more cluster universities are in the pipeline (GK dated March 6th,
2018: J&K seeks 6 more cluster
universities: Altaf Bukhari) implying that more colleges of J&K state will
be clustered together to become part of these upcoming universities paving way
for more college teachers to be recognized as guides and co-guides and more
infrastructure getting created at these colleges to establish research
laboratories. These are all positive developments that are always welcome. This
will only pave way for radical developments in the higher education sector of
the state provided sufficient funds, manpower and necessary infrastructure is made
available to these college and they do not meet the same fate as newly
established colleges many of whom were being run in cow-sheds as per news
reports. It should not be reduced to just paperwork with no substantial
progress on ground and that is what college teachers and their associations
should actually push for rather than prowling upon an authoritative order flown
like a paper plane from some office and feeling overwhelmed about it. I am sure
university teachers and their association will lend all possible support in
this endeavour at every stage.
While the
college teachers strive to achieve these goals they need to simultaneously
protect and preserve the dignity and stature of the office of Vice-Chancellor.
It is quite shocking that one of the prime constituent colleges of Cluster
University Srinagar is going to organize a conference in the fourth week of
March, information brochure of the conference as well as its website shows
Principal Secretary higher education as Chief Patron, Principal of the college
as Patron and some faculty of the college as members of organizing committee of
the conference. Astonishingly name of the Vice-Chancellor of Cluster University
Srinagar does not figure anywhere either in the brochure or on the website. He
is nobody in the conference. This shows the level of sycophancy that some of
the college teachers and principals are resorting to throwing all conventions
and norms to the wind. This type of approach will not lead us anywhere.
Supremacy of academics in all academic institutions has to be maintained at all
costs and that is the prime issue KUTA or JUTA had with the order issued by the
Principal Secretary who had marked a copy of his order to all vice-chancellors
of the state with directions of immediate compliance thus attempting to reduce
the vice-chancellor’s office merely to a post-office that could not have been
allowed to go unopposed since no respect had been shown to the office of the
vice-chancellor in this very order. Unfortunately authors in question have
given the joint statement a totally new and unwanted diversion that was never
intended to be the case. Perhaps they found a vent for their victimhood syndrome
under the garb of our joint statement and started firing their salvos against
us. We are being made a butt of the ridicule for no fault of ours.
Due to
constraints of space I am not going into some other debatable issues raised in
the articles like quality of teaching and research done in the university,
quality and quantum of teaching in our colleges, basic mandate of colleges and
universities as per statutes and regulations, contribution of college and
university teachers towards the progress and development of higher education
sector in the state and promotion of science, technology, social sciences and
humanities. Those issues will be discussed in another piece but one thing needs
to be emphasized that one-upmanship and self-righteousness will lead us
nowhere. Mud-slinging and passing the buck will only push us further into an
abyss. Negative campaigns do not serve any purpose other than creating
animosities and bad blood among two communities of the same system. Rather we
need to join hands and work together to improve our lot and uplift the
standards of our education and research that will entail this state on a path
of sustainable progress and development and enable us the meet the challenges
of globalization of education in twenty first century. Drawing sadistic
pleasure out of unduly criticizing an entire community of teachers while
blissfully ignoring one’s own shortcomings and lacunae will not serve any ends
other than bringing some solace to the hurt egos and complexes. Magnanimity
demands working above all levels and sects for the benefit of our student
community.
(Author is General Secretary of
Kashmir University Teachers Association and can be reached at ishaqgeer@gmail.com)
