Teachers want autonomy for colleges to continue

Autonomous status for colleges introduced as part of the educational reforms in 2005 by the Centre has resulted in an improvement in the quality and the standard of students and hence it should be continued.

This was the opinion expressed on behalf of teachers from these autonomous colleges at a press conference in Mysore. Around 80 teacher representatives from these 42 autonomous colleges in Karnataka will engage in a two-day workshop on March 25-26 to deliberate on the matter and prospects of autonomous colleges in the state here at the JSS College for Women, an autonomous institution.

Autonomy to colleges had brought about effective changes in student education as they are exposed to the best and healthy practices, rural exposure through community service and extension activities.

Besides students of autonomous colleges have to do a two-month internship as part of the degree course. “Thus these autonomous colleges are providing need-based education to students. Such students are enabled to take up jobs directly, as they are already oriented towards jobs,” College Academic Dean K V Suresha said today.

Autonomy and special grants from the University Grants Commission (UGC) with emphasis on adopting best practices in teaching methodology has brought about need-based regular changes in syllabus, use of high-end technology teaching aids, reforms in examinations, internal assessments and other such innovative practices for six years after the autonomous college scheme was adopted in 2005 after much discussions and evaluations. Transparency has entered the area of internal assessment and evaluation, he said, highlighting the progress made by these autonomous colleges.

Once they achieve academic excellence, these autonomous institutions are aimed at becoming mini-universities with their own statutory bodies functioning under the UGC norms, he said.

Suresha admitted that there were issues concerning administration. There was some reluctance on the part of some teachers in adopting this autonomous system of functioning as their work pressure would be high, though the standards of the system had shown an improvement.

The two-day workshop, therefore, would discuss these and other issues like reforms, rules and regulations, new patterns in teaching methodology and help autonomous colleges to find and adopt new ways and means to further raise standards so that the objective of autonomous status is met, the dean said indicating their opposition to any move to place autonomous colleges on a par with deemed universities over which the Centre is presently engaged in a rethink.

The workshop will deliberate on issues like administrative reforms under autonomous scheme, best practice, autonomy-issues and challenges, autonomy-vistas and prospects, and a process of internationalisation for expansive innovation, college principal G K Chandrashekarappa added.