There are some cracks developing in Goa’s higher education landscape. Though these cracks are now hairline, they are deep rooted, widening and converging of these cracks will ultimately affect 40,000 odd students studying in various affiliated colleges in Goa and may be a also affect a further 2,500 students who are directly enrolled at Goa University.
Goa was able to have its own University only in 1984, until then the colleges in Goa were affiliated to a University outside the State. Though Goa’s higher education cannot be classified as ‘excellent’ it is quality education and Goa as such did not face any scams, thanks to a band of dedicated college principals as well as teachers.
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Post Goa’s Liberation, with acute shortage of Science and Maths teachers, Goa welcomed many Science and Maths teachers into Goa’s School system. This has greatly helped in initial struggle at quality in education, and now the school systems in Goa are sufficiently well stocked with adequate, trained and qualified personnel.
Successive Governments in Goa, were, conscious of the contribution from faculty from outside Goa and recruited them on an all India merit base, as and when required.
It is lately, that the insistence, of 15 years residence in Goa and working knowledge of Konkani or Marathi, has struck at the route of quality and as a result, of the 65 colleges affiliated to Goa University, 25 of them don’t have a regular fulltime principal. Added to this is the fact that for the very same reason, Goa University remains short of faculty, a threat to quality higher education.
One can very well understand the political advantage of a ‘regionalism over drive’ but why at the cost of quality of education? It would be wiser and realistic to make such requirements as a preferred qualification, as it is not part of UGC requirements, so that institutions could, depending upon the circumstances and availability, choose appropriate personnel to head the institutions .These are all a transitional phase and the greater motive to provide quality education should not be drowned in petty or political issues, that too never at the cost of the future generation.
The second crack is the differential fee structures for various courses in Goa.The fees payable for the same course differs from, a government run college, to an aided college to a self-financing college/course. Why should the students be discriminated in this way? The courses are same, the syllabus is same and the degree awarded is also same. The institutional grant-in-aid scheme has to be revisited into a student-based institutional funding scheme for all the courses in Goa and not discriminated on institutional basis.
Similar is the case with faculty remuneration, violating the principle of ‘equal pay for equal work’. The reason given is that many teaching, the self-financing courses have not passed NET/SET examinations. True, but they have been teaching the courses for years together, some even up to ten years or more and the students who are taught by them, get the very same degrees. There cannot be so much of disparity in faculty remuneration. It is unjust, unfair and not conducive to quality education.
A third crack, is regarding the faculty for the various post graduate courses, run by the affiliated colleges. Most of them, have very little or nil teaching experience, and are not NET/SET qualified, despite availability of experienced faculty in the same institution. The directive of the department of higher education, prohibits the senior faculty members from teaching the self-financing post graduate programmes, but at the same time allows such arrangement in government colleges. The quality of teaching at post graduate level seems to be least of the concern of Directorate of Higher Education, Goa.
In the recent past, officials of DHE Goa have issued a plethora of directives, randomly by email or telephonic mode, in matters which are purely academic at the colleges. This is a gross violation, as Goa University is a statutory body incorporated under a law to carry out the function of conducting university education in Goa to the exclusion of all other authorities. In view of Section 4, read with Sections 5 & 6 of the Goa University Act 1984, this power cannot be and should not be exercised by any other authority.
In the absence of any specific law, the Directorate of Higher Education’s role is as specified under the grant-in-aid code and the general administrative power. The directorate cannot usurp a power or function specifically entrusted to an autonomous body by a statute. This is not just improper exercise of power but abuse of power.
The Supreme Court of India has laid down the basic rule of exercise of power by the executive in Ram Jawaya v. State of Punjab,(AIR 1955 SC54) that ‘ordinarily, the executive power connotes the residue of government functions that remain after legislative and judicial functions are taken away… The executive government can never go against the provisions of the Constitution or the law…’
Further in S L Sachdev v. Union of India (AIR 1981 SC411) the Supreme Court has unequivocally ruled that an administrative direction which is discriminatory, illogical or irrational or has no nexus with the object sought to be achieved may itself be held void with reference to Art 14.
Goa University is the appropriate authority, to discuss, deliberate and approve any new course or idea, and if the government wants to intervene, two government officials, the Education Secretary and the Finance Secretary are ex officio members of the Executive Council of Goa University. The top most body whose approval is necessary for all academic, innovation, change or restructuring.
It would be better if this whole system of higher education in Goa , is X rayed by a judicial scrutiny as the discriminations are violative of Art 14, of the Constitution and the administrative overdrive, usurping the powers and functions of a duly constituted statutory body, like Goa University, could not only create chaos in higher education, but could affect the future of nearly 40,000 odd students, who are enrolled for various courses in the affiliated colleges.
(The writer is a Professor of Law & an education consultant)
