STEP TO HOPE

The quest for excellence had become a forgotten pursuit under the Left Front. The comrades flourished under the star of mediocrity. The biggest loser in this was the realm of higher education, which came to be dominated by loyalists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The new political dispensation under Mamata Banerjee is trying to break out of the cast set by the CPI(M) and to bring back the pursuit of excellence in the field of higher education. The first step in this direction has been taken by the appointment of a mentor group for the new Presidency University under the chairmanship of the Harvard professor, Sugata Bose. Another Harvard don, Amartya Sen, arguably the most distinguished Indian academic in the world, has agreed to act as advisor to Mr Bose and the group. Presidency College was, not very long ago, India’s premier undergraduate college. It was destroyed primarily by the irresponsible and narrow-minded policies of the Left Front government, which wanted to eradicate what it considered to be the “elite” character of Presidency College. Later, perhaps realizing its mistake, it thought academic standards could be restored in the college by making it a university. This was no more than a token gesture since no guidelines were put in place about how excellence was to be pursued in the new university. The latter was encumbered by an act that was a replica of the Calcutta University Act and by the appointing of a vice-chancellor for only one year.

The new government obviously wants to rescue Presidency University from this mess. The chairman of the mentor group has already indicated that he will work with a small committee of outstanding individuals; he has also been assured by Ms Banerjee that Presidency will be kept above party politics. It is good to remember, before euphoria gets the better of reason, that these are only enabling conditions. The mentor group by no means faces an easy task. It will have to draw up an appropriate governance structure for the university; this structure should provide space for the distinguished alumni of Presidency College to be involved in restoring standards of academic excellence in the institution. This governance structure must set down procedures for the appointment of vice-chancellor and faculty, and also for establishing syllabi and pedagogic methods. It will have to create conditions that allow ideas and research to flourish. The transition from an undergraduate college to a full-fledged university is fraught with difficulties.

The government will have to stand by this mentor group not only with adequate resources but also with the courage to take decisions that may not be altogether popular. Only then will hope become reality.