Ranchi, Oct 1 (PTI) Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday underlined “cancerous corruption” as the root cause of all evils in the state-run universities and asserted that all irregular practices would be eradicated from these institutions.
In an interview to PTI, Radhakrishnan promised radical reforms in state universities in the next two to three years and said he has asked the Jharkhand government to go for a separate service commission for recruiting teaching and non-teaching staff in varsities.
He also said no major drives were taken up for recruiting teachers in higher education in the state post-2008.
“I am trying to make all our universities corruption-free. Cancerous corruption is the root cause of all the evils. I want to eradicate that. Fake certificates can never be generated from Jharkhand universities,” the Governor, who completed four months in office here, told PTI.
Unfortunately, none of the state-run universities has been featured in the list of first 100 varsities in the country, he said.
“I am trying my level best…at least five universities should be there in the next 3-4 years so that people will look at Ranchi and Jharkhand as a hub of talented human resources,” the Governor said.
He also lamented that “post-2008 there were no major recruitments for professors or assistant professors, and promotions were also held up”.
“These factors will not motivate teachers. I have asked (the government) to set up a university service commission in Jharkhand like other states. Unless we transparently recruit meritorious teachers, give them timely promotions and address their grievances of pension, etc., we may not become the leader in the higher education sector. The teacher selection is also linked with the NAAC Grading and NIRF Ranking, so the state must do the needful on a priority basis,” he said.
Emphasising that improving the quality of higher education is essential as everybody will have to compete globally, he said educational standards need to be revived in eastern India, which was earlier known as the education and knowledge centre.
“I don’t interfere in the selection of vice-chancellors. That is totally transparent. I go as per the system. We are trying to put the right VCs as they are the leaders in the field and they should lead. We are monitoring them from the Raj Bhavan,” the Governor said.
Bringing reforms in the state universities is a priority for the Raj Bhavan, and for this, all the state universities have been asked to prepare a vision document and a strategy up to 2035, he said, expressing concern over existing research quality.
“It seems that a large number of PhD theses have been submitted to obtain degrees rather than contribute to the world of knowledge. Now, research ethics is being emphasised in the universities, and attempts have been made to enhance the quality of publications. We have been working on the mechanisms to avoid plagiarism in the research work.
“Departmental Research Committees and Ethical committees of the universities should come forward to promote original and innovative research work from the state,” the Governor said.
Unless Jharkhand produces quality students and research work, the “trust deficit will keep hampering the prospects of the students and teaching community” of the state, he said, adding that the “enrolment is increasing in higher education” with more girls coming to the colleges and universities.
“So, you can sense the aspiration of the young students of Jharkhand. Some new college buildings are also coming up in the remote areas, but unless the government recruits university teachers, we won’t be doing justice to the young students. Teachers are the core of the learning system, and without them, wow can students and colleges compete in this global world?” he said.
The Governor emphasised that the development of the state is a “collective responsibility” of all the elected, selected, and nominated representatives.
“Various dimensions of higher education require attention. So, all the state universities have been asked to make their websites up-to-date and dynamic. Digitisation of the libraries has been emphasised, and examination system reform is also on my agenda,” he said.
The role of universities and colleges is not only to provide degrees but enable students with knowledge, relevant skills, professional attitudes and confidence, the Governor said.
Technology in education and sports activities should also be promoted as Jharkhand’s students are doing well in archery, athletics and other sports, he added. PTI NAM BDC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.