Letters: Soulless creation

While private universities may not be centres of excellence, several of them are not as bad as implied in Anjuli Bhargava’s column, “Falling short of expectations” (February 21). However, frequent intrusion by family members of owners in managing the universities is a major reason for their inability to raise the standards of education.

Running an educational institute is significantly different from running a family business; it calls for high-calibre human and intellectual capital rather than financial acumen. Interference serves as a deterrent for academics to join such universities; they value autonomy more than a high salary. As the success of educational institutions depends on the experience and fulfilment of aspirations of their students and parents, a steady fall in performance reduces enrolments and eventually brings about closure.

Those putting money in education should rise above their business interests and appoint qualified individuals as the head of their institutes and faculty, give them the freedom to operate and make use of the management by exception as policy. Without this, expensive infrastructure is just a soulless creation.