Choosing a good college for proper academic pursuit and career growth has become problematic to the students and parents for admission into Engineering/Medical/Pharmacy/MCA/MBA courses. The students who have achieved ranks in the concerned Entrance Examinations are perplexed as they are not in a position to identify a good college matching their rank. Some are being carried away with the appearance and grandeur of buildings, gardens and landscaping in the institutions.
One has to go deep to understand the quality of education imparted in these institutions. Academic performance and career growth of any student largely depends on the academic ambience and atmosphere, teaching and learning process, co/extra-curricular activities, academic and ethical practices and policies adopted in the college. The active participation and exposure to the programs and activities conducted in the college equips the student with all skills necessary to work in good organizations. The quality of education a student gets depends on the good practices and policies adopted in the college. To make the student employable, the college has to take some worthy steps, launch certain programs that culminate ultimately in the overall growth of student personality. A micro-level study of the present Engineering colleges reveals that many of these institutions are not being run on sound lines but being run with commercial considerations. A product of such an institution will be a liability to parents and the nation at large. Unfortunately, there is no objective evaluation of these colleges .The students and parents are going by hearsay or by mesmerizing depictions posted in the college website or by the guidance of ill-equipped counseling agencies. Physical verification of all colleges, detailed study of good/bad policies and practices of each college cannot be done by parents and students though they have a lot of anxiety to identify a good college for admission.
It is in this dismaying situation that some initiatives are being taken to evaluate these institutions to give grading and ranking that helps the student a lot in choosing a good college matching his rank. There is a proliferation in the number of colleges of Engineering, Medical, Pharmacy, MCA, and MBA in our country, thanks to the Policy of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization adopted by both central and state governments. More enthusiasm is witnessed on the part of private agencies with a motive to starting colleges with commercial interests. A single family, forming itself into a registered society, starting and managing not one but six or seven or more colleges at different campuses or at one large campus is a common phenomena.
Having tasted money making pleasure after setting up such colleges in cities and big towns, members of the so called managing committee are venturing to continue the trend of opening up new colleges in small towns and many other cities. Thus there is an emergence of so and so group of institutions/dynastic education empires, just like Industrial houses having more number of factories and industries under the aegis of same group, like TATA or BIRLA. Though the indiscriminate growth of number of professional institutions opened the gates to all sections of society to offer professional Education, a large number of these institutions with their deficiencies are contributing to lowering of standard of education imparted.
The sanctioning authorities like AICTE, MCI, DCI, PCI, though making all efforts to provide the minimum standards in terms of infrastructure, teaching faculty, lab and equipment, these college managements are smart enough to evade the fulfillment of many stipulations by making “make believe” arrangements to the members of Inspection/Affiliation committee sent by AICTE/University. It is not out of place, if a mention is made about the purchasing capacities of college authorities to hoodwink the AICTE/University members. Some managements are very much moneyed and politically powerful that they can get anything done in their favor. They keep one of the office staff of AICTE/University as their liaison at those offices to pass on information and attend to their requirements regularly. The colleges suffer from many lacunae in terms of lack of space, play grounds, labs/workshops/library/reading rooms/books and journals/qualified teachers/programmers/physical education/living conditions in the hostel/college canteen/ professional bodies like IEEE,CSI,ISTD,IIE etc, hosting and attending to co-curricular activities like seminars, workshops, conferences, encouragement to extra-curricular activities to bring out all round development of student personality, Student development programs, focus on placement and pre-placement training, opportunities provided for the growth of creative and hidden talents of students etc,.
Many of our Engineering/medical/dental/colleges definitely suffer from many inadequacies in the above areas. These inadequacies will have a telling effect on the overall growth of students’ personality. With these inadequacies in the institution, it is highly difficult to make the MNCs to accept those students as their employees. The students cannot be made industry ready due to lack of many facilities including expert teaching. There is no adequate number qualified and experienced faculty.
To save more money, some managements pay very meager sum as package to the teacher. Hence there is lot of attrition rate. Mobility of faculty in an institution is an ample indicator of job dissatisfaction of the teacher. The instability of staff of a college makes the student negligent, and he will not take his studies seriously. Having many colleges in the same campus under the same management results in many evil practices of faculty adjustments, common labs/workshops/reading rooms. Some managements in their anxiety to woo the students resort to some unethical practices like manipulation of attendance, internal marks, giving maximum possible marks in lab externals, marks for mini and major projects, not insisting for regular attendance to classes, not conducting the required number of practical classes will make the student hollow and shallow in their knowledge levels of different subjects, thus being rejected at the written test stage in the process of placement.
Such technical and professional course graduates are proving that they are neither useful to themselves nor to the nation. This is resulting in avoidable national waste of technical man power.
The sanctioning authorities are not interested in evaluating the profiles of the promoters of the college, their capacities and value system. They are just carried away with the minimum physical terms and conditions required for starting a college. The mindset of the promoters and their track record is equally important. With a view to making quick money, or to circumvent land ceiling laws, some unscrupulous people are entering into this field of technical education permanently damaging the student’s career. Some college authorities habituated themselves to cash on a student’s deficiencies in the areas of attendance, internal tests, test marks etc.
There are institutions resorting to shameless practices in the conduct of examinations. They throw away the sanctity of examinations to winds. To prevent flying squads from visiting examination halls, they arrange patrol parties to observe the movement of these squad cars at different points en route, to pass on the information to examinees much in advance so that everything is clean and clear by the time the squad actually visits examination halls. This kind of unholy collusion between the student and the college authorities lowers the piousness and seriousness of the examinations.
The authorities resort to these things to cover up their deficiencies in teaching and other areas. A student who is a victim of such practices can never be an achiever in the real life situation.
Some institutions are a total failure in nurturing and nourishing the students on a desired direction to make them responsible citizens, responsible employees, and creative individuals. This is all on account of inadequate and improper guidance of these institutions and their functioning available to the students and parents at the time of admission. Many parents and students are misguided. They are at crossroads in the selection of a good college. They are at the threshold of labyrinth. An education counselor also cannot give all the intricate details of all colleges. Even browsing the college websites cannot make parents and students wise enough to make correct decision in choosing a college as the information in the websites is sugarcoated and photos published are architect designed. Hence most of the parents and students are making wrong choice of the college and being trapped.
In AP, out of 535 and odd Engineering colleges, a student of particular EAMCET rank has to shortlist colleges for which he is likely to get admission. For his rank, he may get seat in 40 or 50 colleges. Out of these 50 colleges, he cannot identify the name of one or two good colleges with tolerably good practices. Most of the parents are uneducated. Even the educated parents cannot make out anything as they themselves are not aware of what facilities are available in those colleges and what kind of academic and ethical programs are being practiced in each college. This should be probed by agencies meant to maintain and promote standards of education.
Recently, the Vice-chancellor of JNTU, Kukatpally, took the initiative for rating the colleges affiliated to it, so that it becomes easy and correct for the parents and students in choosing a good college. This laudable practice is already there in the case of Central Universities.
The UOH is adjudged as number TWO among several Central Universities in our country. The accreditation process of NBA definitely helps in understanding the level of college. But all colleges are not subjecting themselves to accreditation. The software companies have the practice of getting grouped as leve1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 companies done by CMMI (Capability and Maturity Model Integrated). The higher the number, greater the credibility and standing of the company. The job seekers get an insight from this level-wise grouping of the companies. The attempts that are being made by some magazines like OUTLOOK etc, to rate the colleges at the National level is of little use to AP students as only two or three AP colleges are listed in the first hundred colleges. Hence, a systematic, deliberate, scientific, transparent evaluation method is to be evolved by identifying certain academic parameters which are objective. Each parameter is to be given certain marks. A team of experts known for their academic achievements and values with impeccable character should be deputed to visit these institutions for physical verification of the parameters by thoroughly and meticulously cross checking the records of the college. Interaction with management, Principal, Faculty, Supporting staff, Students, Parents, and Alumni separately shall also be done to arrive at the correct picture as to the statements made on every parameter/criterion. This helps to minimize the mistake in forming an overall idea on the college.
Following are the parameters to be evaluated for the grading and rating of the college:
• Land
• RCC constructed space
• Sheds for workshops
• Labs
• Teacher- taught ratio
• Adequacy and functionality of equipment
• Faculty development programs
• Incentives for publications
• Incentives for doing Ph D
• Incentives to Ph D holders
• Workshops on Teaching Methodology and techniques and their periodicity
• Student development programs
• Pre placement training
• Personality development programs
• Orientation to freshers
• Anti ragging steps
• Academic records –lesson/Course plans, Course file
• Ensuring the coverage of syllabus
• Liaison with parents
• Industry Institution interaction
a) Feedback of syllabus update
b) Projects
c) Placements
d) Guest/Expert lectures
• Alumni involvement
• Impartiality and objectivity of Internal tests
• Students –staff transport
• Drinking water and sanitary facilities
• Ladies waiting room
• Arrangements to attend Girl-specific problems
• Day scholars’ center
• Sports and Games facilities
• Financial assistance to academically needy
• Bridge courses/remedial classes
• Professional bodies and their activities
• University ranks obtained
• Proportion of Ph D holders in the faculty
• First aid and Medical assistance
• Service conditions of staff
Ø Leave
Ø Scale
Ø Promotion
Ø Superannuation benefits
• P F, Insurance, gratuity.
• Employee bonding schemes
• Attrition rate
• Financial practices
• Collection of fee other than prescribed
• Use of Library books by staff and students
• Extended hours of functioning of Library
and number of users
• Staff quarters on campus
• Separate hostels for girls and boys
• Style of Management
• Delegation of Powers and Responsibilities
• Proper Accounting and Auditing
• Incentives for good Academic performers—rewards , awards
• Placement – lowest and highest packages offered by the companies
• Number of GRE, TOEFL, CAT,GMAT appearing students
• Activity of Entrepreneur development cell
• Rewards and Awards for faculty and Supporting staff
• Observance of National and International days of importance
• Consultancy services offered
• Research going on
• Opportunities provided for exhibiting creativity
• Endowment lectures organized
• Endowment chairs instituted
• Performance appraisals- student feedback, self appraisal ,appraisal of authorities
• College News Letter/Annual Magazine
• Inter college events hosted/ participated
• National and International conferences conducted
• Encouragement and evaluation of original projects done by the students
• Ground level functioning of mentor system and its evaluation
• Selection Process of faculty and supporting staff.
These are some of the indicative parameters. The list can be increased to further extent.
Apex academic bodies shall take interest not only to maintain standards, but also to recognize the managements adopting best ethical and academic practices and give grading and ranking to each college. This should be made compulsory to all colleges. A serious attempt made by powers that would be, will be of great help to the students and parents in the selection of a good college. The author is of the firm opinion that it is only through this mode that the deficiencies of the institutions can be corrected paving the way for quality education to make the students acceptable to industry and to achieve the real purpose of professional education.
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