Higher Education in Punjab in Doldrums–Prof. P K Sharma 

                             

( Prof. P K Sharma )                                       

Nobel Laureate William Butler Yeats ruminating over the theme of quality education remarked, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.” This thought indeed envelops the vast realm of education-be it the primary, secondary and higher education in its true colours. Before analysing the plight of higher education in the land of five rivers Panjab, it is imperative to understand what the term education deeply and exhaustively means if examined in terms of all the nine letters in Toto. Here to my mind, E implies Enlighten, D stands for Development, U means Unflinching, C symbolizes Confidence, A connotes Alter, T signals Training, I equal Intelligence, O parallels Omnipotent and N signifies Notion.

In the light of aforementioned criteria, yardsticks and definitions, the plight of higher education in Punjab calls for thorough and objective analysis. Taking over the reins of Punjab in 2022 Mr. Bhagwant Singh Mann had asserted that he would accord top most priority to raising the standards of the higher education in all respects so that the students from foreign countries would make a beeline for getting admissions instead of Punjab’s youth dreaming of greener pastures seeking visas for higher studies abroad. But on the contrary, what to talk of foreign nationals rushing to India for attaining higher education, the exodus of Punjab’s young ones still seems to be on the higher side bearing testimony to the fact that those assertions proved to be just comic and  building castles in the air exercise.

As a freelance journalist as well as erstwhile State Secretary of Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU)-a representative body of then over 136 govt. aided privately managed colleges of Punjab, I had an opportunity of observing the contours of higher education from very close quarters interacting with many Chief Ministers, Higher Education Ministers and top Higher Education functionaries. Then as a life member of World’s Largest Lesson- A global organisation (in collaboration with the UNICEF and patronage of UNESCO)pursuing as many as 17 sustainable development goals with QUALITY EDUCATION their Goal-4, I got spurred up to invite some objective impressions on the plight of higher Education in Punjab from my academic and intellectual friends who overwhelmingly responded to my call coming out instantly with their free, fair and fearless thoughts on the vexed topic in question.

Ironically, “We the people of India….” are nourishing the dreams of becoming “A Developed India” by 2047, but three incidents in Punjab speak volumes of the poor plight in which Higher Education of the state and ultimately the nation finds itself mired in at present in view of the feedback by eminent scholars and educationists of Punjab. It portrays a hopeless and distressing picture of the state of the higher education at the national level too.

First of all, in this context Guru Gobind Singh College, Sanghera (Barnala) is a glaring example and symbol of the rot in the Higher Education of Punjab since the advent of 21st Century. This privately managed but government aided college did most of the time take a sadistic pleasure in throwing to winds with impunity the Punjabi University Patiala Calendar and Punjab Government norms. In the year 2007, owing to the mismanagement and misappropriation of college funds, the Punjab Government had appointed then SDM Barnala Pushpinder Singh Kailey as the Receiver-cum-Administrator of the college, but at the instance of some vested political interests, the Punjab government after six months decided to retreat and withdraw its decision of handing over the management of college to then SDM Barnala in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. During the past couple of years, the management of the college sans adhering to University and Punjab Government norms showed door to eight teachers including four lady teachers.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) sanctioned on 18.07.2012 a grant worth Rs 1 Crore 70 lac for the construction of a swimming pool and an auditorium in the college. The residents of village Sanghera in a black and white representation to the Punjab Chief Minister in August, 2023 alleged that a fake Utilisation Certificate and Completion Certificate to the tune of Rs.1 Crore 50 lac was submitted to the UGC in connivance of both President Managing Committee and two Principals of Guru Gobind Singh College, Sanghera.

The matter was looked into by the District Barnala Administration, the DPI(Colleges)Punjab, the Punjab Higher Education Department, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Commissioner Patiala Division headed Panel following complaints of misappropriation and bungling of funds but the truth in the matter so far has been illuding the system. Amazingly, the villagers and the aggrieved teachers have been agitating sitting in protest Dharna for over a long span of almost 22 months now (since August 2023). The nation’s polity without any doubt has been at its wits end to dig out truth in this alleged bungling and scam.

Then second instance of the higher education in Punjab a victim of utmost helplessness came to light when the committee of a temple adjoining the college premises with the backing of those at the helm of affairs of Punjab dared to grab playground land of Government College for Women Ludhiana to build its parking space by erecting  pillars and poles, however District Ludhiana Administration turned a blind, deaf and dumb spectator to this alleged trespassing act despite students of the college submitting a memorandum to this effect as well. The girl students of the college valiantly with the active support of Punjab Students Union and Dr. Satish Chander Dhawan Government College, Ludhiana Alumni succeeded in thwarting the sinister designs of the Temple Committee by uprooting the poles and pillars in time. Later, many former principals supported students too. It is now a new norm with the state governments to unduly misuse educational institutions’ land and premises for the purposes other than the educational ones which is quite unfair and undesirable act which can only be curbed with the civil society and public awareness and vigil. Earlier, an attempt was also made to grab Govt. Boys’ college land by Ludhiana District Cricket Association supported by a cabinet minister then for making many practice cricket pitches in college ground without waiting for consent of authorities.

Thirdly, Dr Satish Chander Dhawan Government College Ludhiana a 105 year old premier institution producing galaxy of icons-role models of international fame of the likes of Dr. Satish Chander Dhawan  erstwhile ISRO Chief, evergreen poet Sahir Ludhianavi, Dr.Manohar Singh Gill former Union Sports Minister, Mr.NN Vohra  former Governor Jammu Kashmir, Mr. Joginder Singh former CBI Chief, late Mr. Yashpal Sharma 1983 World Cricket Cup winning hero, Sukhbir Grewal an International Hockey player had to pull on sans a regular Principal for over seven months and sixteen other colleges too had to sail in the same boat, though the authorities concerned kept sitting on the list of seventeen promoted to the chair of Principals.

The Alumni Association of SD Govt. College kept on hammering the issue at various forums and in media then ultimately succeeding in getting the posting orders done to rid seventeen colleges of additional charge Principals tag.

There is obviously no uniform coordination- liaison-cooperation among the UGC, Higher Education Departments and its organs in the states that is why there is no fair play in the utilisation of grants being offered by the UGC to the universities and its affiliated colleges. There is no proper and foolproof checking and audit at all of various grants sanctioned for the purpose thus their ultimate proper utilisation for the purpose it had been offered. Even after thirteen years, the UGC, Punjab Government and entire nation’s polity has not been able to ascertain whether the grant of Rs.1 Crore 70 lac sent to Guru Gobind Singh College Sanghera (Barnala)-no small an amount by any means, has been spent for making a swimming pool and an auditorium or not. Big question marks indeed on the efficacy and efficiency of the system?

Dr. Navtej Singh Halwarvi, former Head of History Department, Punjabi University opined that there was the dire need for more focus on higher education and research minimising privatisation of higher education with adequate and more fiscal provisions for public sector institutions ensuring teachers-students sincere and serious commitments.

Dr.JS Anand, an erstwhile Principal-English poet asserted that higher education in Punjab was a messy affair because those at the helm of affairs of Punjab Higher Education are not true academicians in the real spirit of the word. Education sans ethics is self-defeating exercise as it does not imply sheer jobs and skills but a lot more too.

Dr. Kuldeep Singh Kalsi- two times Senator Panjab University-former Principal observed that higher education in Punjab is in deep crisis as it is bulldozed by private players. He regretted that Private Universities are flourishing whereas Punjab aided Universities and Colleges are starved of funds. On the one hand, Punjab aided institutions are under bureaucratic scanner, on the other hand free hand to the private players. No regulator in Punjab though neighbouring state Himachal Pradesh has Higher Education Council to act as a check.

Mr Brij Bhushan Goyal, Organising Secretary Alumni Association SCD Govt. College, Ludhiana in his response reflected stark gloomy plight of higher education in Punjab despite the lofty claims of Sikhya Kranti bragged by the Bhagwant Mann regime. Migration of youth overseas and then mushrooming of universities and colleges failing to address vital issues of channelising and absorbing youth in the development of Punjab either through jobs whether public/private or self-employment narrates unfortunate a tale, rued Goyal. Expressing his displeasure at the cost of higher education quite unaffordable for rural and poor populace, very often the posts of Teachers, Principals and Vice-Chancellors too vacant for months and long spans pulling on with guest faculty and additional charge basis paints a dismal picture of Punjab higher education. Pointing out a very meagre allocation of amount of Rs.199 Crore(2025-2026) for vast network of four public sector universities, sixteen private universities and 675 colleges (64 Govt.Colleges,33 constituent colleges, 426 private self-financed colleges and 152 private govt. aided colleges) under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Siksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme only for a few identified colleges is a mockery indeed of the higher system of learning in the state, remarked Goyal. He finds the Higher Education Department to be in shambles as its website is seldom updated with yawning gap among Punjab Higher Education Department, DPI(Colleges) Punjab, Universities and Colleges. Mr.  Goyal after thorough study and analysis detected that no accountability of any Principal or Vice- Chancellor was ensured in light of decline in grades after National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of any college.  The libraries’ functioning in colleges of Punjab leaves much to be desired.  He advocated very strongly in favour of active alumni association culture at university, college and school level so that congenial academic atmosphere, book reading and library facility utilisation up to the optimum extent is cultivated to boost up higher education in the state.

Prof Amrik Virk commenting upon the plight of higher education remarked, higher education scenario less said the better. He apprehended that many colleges were in the process of being clubbed with bigger colleges as existential crisis looms large over the small colleges. Regarding the Punjab Higher Education Scenario, he sounded a note of caution will face the music when the layers of the “so- called New Education Policy” will unfold themselves with the passage of time.

Erstwhile Principal KV Porbandar as well as alumnus SCD Govt College Ludhiana– Manjit Singh Sandhu, too deems quality education in Punjab a casualty because of a big gap between education and employability, for want of research and development, found fiscal crunch and political interference a stumbling block in the way of higher education to yield its best.  He laid stress upon curriculum revamping by a team of education experts, education autonomy, tie up with industry and teacher training.

Dr. Sunil Chopra too found the Higher Education predicament to be really gloomy one. Finding higher education to be unaffordable phenomenon, Chopra beckoned that for want of strong will power on the part of present Punjab Government, universities and higher medical institutes too lack ample research opportunities and facilities, hence to overcome these challenges, the government should accord top most priority to higher education on war footing by enhancing investment in higher education manifold.

All in all, in wake of above-mentioned thoughts and learned inputs, a celebrated philosopher Aristotle haunts in this context who viewed quality education realistically in this style,

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Here bitter roots of education in Punjab are paving way for drug addiction menace and shifting to foreign soil on mass scale as frustration looming large instead of sweet fruit in this present land of five rivers popularly known as Prosperous Panjab at one time! Is it not the right and ripe time for pondering over and deep introspection for everyone to tide over this grim and grave crisis?

Contributed by: Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist & Alumnus SCD Govt. College, Ludhiana 

Associate Professor of English (Retired),Pom Anm Nest,BARNALA(Punjab)

Mobile: 94170-02504 Email:  profpksharma3040@gmail com