THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 20 March 2020 (Need for re-orientation (The Hindu))

Need for re-orientation (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2:National
Prelims level: Higher education institutions
Mains level:Role and performance of state universities in higher education sector

Context:

• Out of about a thousand higher education institutions (HEIs) that are authorised to award degrees in India.
• About 400 are state public universities that produce over 90% of our graduates (including those from the colleges affiliated to them) and contribute to about one-third of the research publications from this country.

Background:

• Their quality and performance is poor in most cases is accepted as a given today.
• It is evidenced by their poor performance in institutional rankings, the poor employment status of their students, rather poor quality of their publications, negligible presence in national-level policy/decision-making bodies, ..................................................

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Support for Central institutions:

• Central government HEIs are valuable and should be supported in all ways.
• That they have hardly ever been short of funding and patronage has been ensured by the Central government and its arms; national-level parties, industries and businesses; and the national elite and the intelligentsia.
• It is the existence of such an unwritten contract at the national level that appears to be the key factor for the performance of these Central government institutions.

Why state universities are failing behind?

• However, a similar consensus and contract has never been built between the State universities and State governments, State-level political parties and organisations, industry and businesses; and the elite and the intelligentsia. It is as though State-level players do not have much stake in the stability and performance of the State university system.
• One reason why State-level ...............................

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For a state contract:

• In order to receive much more funding and support from the State system then, State universities would have to commit to delivering lots more to the State and its people where they are located.
• They must come up with a new vision and programmes specifically addressing the needs of the State, its industry, economy and society, and on the basis of it make the State-level players commit to providing full ownership and support to them.
• In other words establish a contract between the State universities and the State system similar to what seems to be existing between the Central institutions and the Central government and other national-level stakeholders.

Conclusion:

• The initiative to start a larger dialogue on the future of our State universities would have to be taken primarily by the academic community of these institutions.

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  General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1)Consider the following statements:
1. Viruses such as coronavirus, influenza-causing viruses, Ebola, Zika have their genetic material encased in a layer of fat called the lipid envelop.
2. Soap molecules are pin-shaped with a head that is water-loving (hydrophilic) and a tail that is oil-loving (oleophilic).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer:

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Mains Questions:
Q.1)What are the reasons behind the state universities are falling behind to deliver quality education as they needed?