All facade and no substance: An English visitor writes about private engineering colleges in Orissa

February 15th, 2008

Following are some excerpts from the article in The Herald, UK.

I found one building particularly attractive: the canteen in the style of a Buddhist temple. But when I went inside to try the fare, I was disappointed: the food was insipid, the interior dreary and the acoustics such that conversation was drowned out by a called order or moving dishes. One of the lecturers said to me: "This is your new college: all facade and no substance."

Typically, the colleges provide the education while an external university provides the actual degree. Thirty per cent of the final marks are assigned internally, and this led to a unique experience in my 30-year career in education: watching a colleague choosing numbers at random between 60% and 90%. No assessment was actually carried out.

Some departments ran what the students referred to as an "autograph" system: the lecturers actually prepared an exam paper, to be shown to the university if necessary, but the students gained their marks – usually a minimum of 70% – if they turned up and signed their names. …

Although some lecturers told me the chairman was simply posturing, accompanied by a senior professor, I went round all the classes advising that the days of fake marks were over. I prepared an elaborate set of internal assessment devices that were duly and diligently used by the lecturers. Some students clearly didn’t take my warnings seriously and absenteeism remained at its normal high level. A fair number of students received fail marks.

But what marks were actually sent off to the university by the college? What I do know is that, when the university published the final results, students who had been given 5/30 somehow or other got 20/30.

The colleges are responsible for 30% internal assessment but the remaining 70% is controlled by the external university. However, in Orissa, the "external university" exists in name more than reality and consisted only of a vice-chancellor and a few office staff. Crucially, the externally supervised end-of-semester exams were invigilated by a mixture of college staff and colleagues from other colleges and all of the colleges were in the same boat: they sank or swam together.

The Indian college system is a huge cesspit: bribery is the norm. …

Entry Filed under: Private Engineering Colleges

1 Writeup

  • 1. Hari Om  |  February 21st, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    There have been many web sites projecting poor technical education offered by University and Engg. Colleges in Orissa.

    Option is open to the state Govt. either to ignore or to best act on it.
    If the remarks made in this article are correct then there is something seriously wrong with the BPUT administration.

    The BPUT Vice-chancellor’s interviews with Indian Express/14.11.2007 and Naxatranews/6.10.2007 (http://orissalinks.com/index.php?s=bput+vice+chancellor) do not give any such impression of poor functioning of the University.

    The Govt.of Orissa is expected to take all possible steps to ensure quality technical education in the state before planning to attract foreign investors for industries.

    Can we enforce the following from the coming academic session?

    *Adequate infrastructure and teaching staff/manpower in all Engg. colleges and BPUT

    *Infrastructure must include Examination halls for all students to appear exam. in two seatings/day if not one.

    *BPUT to enforce non-negotiable calendar with synchronisation of all even/odd semesters

    *Intensive orientation/training programmes(2 weeks)for teachers of all Engg. colleges during semester breaks after central evaluation of exams.

    * Examination system to be made more transparent

    We must keep the University and colleges away from political influence.
    We must have defined policy directions.
    We must ensure effective implementation.

    It’s not the Preaching but Practice which can ensure quality technical education in the state.

    With aspirations of many to see a Better Orissa tomorrow,

    Hari Om
    hriaum@yahoo.com


Calendar

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Most Recent Posts