Autonomy to Colleges

1. Autonomy to Colleges Dr. N. Prabhu Dev Vice-Chancellor Bangalore University

2. “Autonomous” • ‘Auto’ = Self; ‘Nomos’ = Law • Having a self governance • Functioning independently without control by others • Existing/developing Independently of other • Obliged to account for one’s acts • …….. • If the bigger message is understood, the discussion would be more focused

3. India has 421 Universities and 20,918 colleges

4. Distribution of Autonomous colleges across States (Total in India 300)

5. Autonomous Colleges in Univ. in Karnataka

6. Ratio of Affiliated Colleges to Autonomous Colleges

7. Spirit Behind Autonomy • Colleges with potential needs more autonomy • Teachers need more academic freedom • State holders should be provided with more responsibility • Education Commission (1964-66) recommends autonomy

8. The Need • Due to the increase in number of affiliated colleges, the Universities are burdened with examination work

9. Core features of autonomy • Decentralized management culture • Delegation of responsibility with accountability • Willing and honest participation of stake holders and management • Creative and innovative ambience • Sufficient financial resources • Capacity to mobilize resources

10. Regulation of Autonomous Colleges Central Govt (MHRD) UGC State Govt. University Autonomous College

11. Governance of Autonomous Colleges

12. In favor of Full Autonomy • In matters of curriculum, examination and evaluation, finances as well as management of teaching and non-teaching staff. Freedom brings responsibility • Neither students nor the cause of quality education is served by standardization through a large university with unmanageable number of affiliated colleges • In competitive education/job market, each college has a reputation to protect. Reputation is a more reliable tool than standardization, to sustain the quality of education

13. Academic autonomy has always been regarded as a fundamental necessity for institutions of higher education. The conspicuous absence of academic freedom and institutional autonomy in the case of colleges in India has been the greatest dysfunctional factor responsible for the decline of standards

14. The rigidity of affiliating system also deprives the good teachers of the opportunity to take initiatives for creative, imaginative and more fruitful action. The existing bureaucratic and centralized structure of university has to be radically altered to avoid delays, to evade attempts at rigid uniformities, to create elastic and dynamic system and to promote innovation and reform. Therefore, in advocating Autonomy to deserving affiliated colleges……………….

15. UGC guidelines for Autonomous Colleges during eleventh plan period (2007-2012) • Objectives • Freedom of Autonomous colleges • Relationship with the parent University, the State Government and other educational institutions • Modes of conferring Autonomous status to chosen colleges • What is covered when autonomy is conferred

16. UGC guidelines for Autonomous Colleges during eleventh plan period (2007-2012) • Target Group and Eligibility Target Group • Criteria for identification of institutions for grant of autonomy • Preparation prior to applying for autonomy (Faculty preparation, Departmental preparation, Common programmes to be adopted, Institutional preparation) • Procedure for applying

17. UGC guidelines for Autonomous Colleges during eleventh plan period (2007-2012) • Procedure for approval by the UGC • Nature of Assistance and procedure for release of Autonomy Grants

18. Award of Degrees through parent University • The parent university will award degrees to the students evaluated and recommended by autonomous colleges • The degree certificates will be in a common format devised by university • The name of the college will be mentioned in the degree certificate, if so desired • Autonomous colleges that have completed three terms can confer the degree under their own title with the seal of the university

19. Relationship with the parent university, the state government and other educational institutions • Autonomous colleges are free to make use of the expertise of university departments and other institutions to frame their curricula, devise methods of teaching, examination and evaluation • They can recruit their teachers according to existing procedures (for private and govt. colleges) • The parent universities will accept the methodologies of teaching, examination, evaluation and the course curriculum of its autonomous colleges • It will also help the colleges to develop their academic programmes, improves the faculty and to provide necessary guidance by participating in the deliberations of the different bodies of the colleges

20. The role of the parent Universities • To bring more autonomous colleges under its fold • To promote academic freedom in autonomous colleges by encouraging introduction of innovative academic programs • To facilitate new courses of study, subject to the required minimum number of hours of instruction, content and standards; • To permit them to issue their own provisional/Immigration and other certificates • To ensure that degrees/diplomas/certificates issued indicate the name of the college • To depute various nominees of the university to serve in various committees of the autonomous colleges and get the feedback on their functioning • To create separate wings wherever necessary to facilitate the smooth working of the autonomous colleges

21. Other Resources • Education Commission recommendations of college autonomy (1964-66) • The National Policy on Education formulations of objectives for autonomous colleges (1986-92) • Report of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) committee on Autonomy of HEIs (2005) • National Knowledge commission Note on higher education, 29th November, 2006 • UGC document on XI plan profile of higher education in India • Other Scholarly articles related to autonomy colleges

22. Thank You