Bihar forms 4 panels to improve health of beleaguered higher education

Social analyst and former head of department of economics, Patna University, professor NK Choudhary said that adhocism at the top was at the core of all the problems with the higher education system in Bihar.

The Bihar state higher education council (BSHEC) has constituted four different committees comprising vice chancellors and experts to undertake sweeping reforms in state’s beleaguered higher education. A decision to this effect was taken following a meeting of the SHEC, chaired by education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, officials said.

Patna’s BN College’s example was cited in a recent report by NAAC to highlight the reasons for decline in quality of education in state institutions of higher learning. (Courtsey-BN College website)

The first of the four, academic reforms committee, comprising vice chancellors (VCs) of the Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), Patna University, director higher education, Patna Women’s College principal, state project officer and an expert, will provide academic inputs to the education council for preparation of the state higher education plan by reviewing the curriculum.

Besides, it will also suggest academic reforms, viz. implementation of semester system, choice-based credit system etc. The semester system, started at the post-graduation level in Bihar, remains half-baked, while at the under-graduate level it is still a non-starter despite several attempts. The committee will also give inputs for mainstreaming of vocational education, which is suffering due to lack of facilities and quality faculty support.

The second committee will aim to find ways to boost accreditation of state institutions, assessed under the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) norms. Bihar has barely 100 colleges out of 250 constituent units that are accredited with most of them in B or C grade. None of the state universities managed A grade, which could be won by only seven colleges. There are only seven colleges in the A grade. Under the new education policy, NAAC accreditation is a basic requirement, linked to funding. Several state institutions have slipped further in new rankings due to the stringent NAAC norms. For example, a NAAC report released earlier this year said Patna’s BN College slipped to C grade from B++ due to “many of the faculty members being actively engaged in political activities of the state that affects the academic work of the college”.

With an aim to improve the gross enrolment ratio (GER) and quality in higher education centres, the BSHEC was constituted as a basic requirement under the national higher education mission (Rashtriya Uchchatara Shiksha Abhiyan or RUSA). The BSHEC has been given the responsibility of suggesting a roadmap for implementation of the new education policy (NEP) in the higher education sphere.

Social analyst and former head of department of economics, Patna University, professor NK Choudhary said that adhocism at the top was at the core of all the problems. “Putting the right people in the leadership role will solve a lot of problems, which unfortunately is not happening. Higher education needs vision and continuity. Hopefully, this will also be addressed. The large-scale vacancies in the universities and colleges also need to be filled at the earliest,” he added.