It needs a radical shift

The University of Kashmir has appointed new Dean Academics Affairs and this time the responsibility has been given to a well-reputed mathematician of the valley Prof. Shariefuddin Pirzada.

I see his position as the dean academics absolutely challenging as it could be! and I wish that he comes up to the expectations in accordance with his potential, proficiency and eminence. Undeniably, the university is doing exceptionally good with regard to national level university rankings and has also been accredited with A⁺ grade by NAAC. Notwithstanding, the facts and figures there are some predominant concerns which need to be looked into and dealt with on priority: 

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has already been effectuated by the university which might prove to be a high-yielding step towards the amelioration of the education system. But it needs to be re-visited in respect of the compatibility of policy document and basic infrastructural facilities available in the institutions. 

There is an alarming decline in the number of students (seeking admission in the undergraduate courses) opting for basic science subjects in general and Mathematics in particular and this year it is at all-time low. This issue needs to be looked upon seriously and adequate steps need to be taken to address this problem.

There is a pressing need for doing quality research in the university for which topics are to be chosen with a lofty gradation care. It has been noticed that some un-natural themes are being connected through research topics by the research scholars. Recently I was discussing this concern with one of my friends who is a professor in the university on which he quoted a strange instance, “that one of the scholars of his faculty had chosen the topic on Sheikh ul Aalam and Kalidass despite the fact that neither of the two, the scholar and the supervisor, knew Sanskrit language. Now pursuing Ph D on some poet without taking the first-hand information and relying on the translation seems ethically unsound.

In a higher education institution, the teaching is unquestionably of paramount importance which should be made more effective. The sanctity of teaching should be kept intact. It should be interactive, effective and inspiring. But in contrast to this a  trend has been adopted by some university teachers for delivering their regular classes through power point presentations (PPT) and the slides are being played before the students without making themselves and the students involved in the teaching learning process. This power point culture is a via media in conference, workshops etc., where one has to disseminate a large amount of information in a shorter period of time but certainly not for regular classroom teaching where the curriculum is framed for a specified duration of teaching hours. There still is room for using the PPTs in some particular situations but certainly should not be a regular practice.

The teachers and research scholars participating in conferences, workshops, and refresher courses is an integral part of higher education. Deputing university teachers and students for attending such academic events should be made not only easy but encouraged. Also, to make it more fruitful the teachers/researchers should be asked to share their experiences with faculty and students of the department after attending the event.

A very few observations which are enunciated above, and there would be some more, need to be taken care of. The university needs a paradigm shift with regard to the academic standards, although the teachers are performing well in research. I am immensely hopeful that the new Dean will take these matters seriously and will work to improve the standards!!!   

By: Nisar Sultan Lone

The author teaches Mathematics at JK Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Srinagar. The views are his own, nothing to do with the organisation.