NAME: BIDISHA MUKHERJEE

 What do you mean by autonomy in higher education?

INTRODUCTION:

At 1948, 4 th Nov, University education commission was formed by chairmanship of Dr. S

Radhakrishanan and 9 reknowned educationist who first reference the term of Autonomy for higher
educational research and system of the higher education development.

The term Autonomy means self directing freedom,which is added to educational system in higher
education. The capacity of University to govern by self with out any interference of state or central
government, that's called autonomy.

Higher academic autonomy means to provide degree supply, curriculum, teaching and research
methods etc.In higher education autonomy is play a great role to students future and Universities or
institutes. Autonomy which is ostensibly for the benefit the teaching community and the academic
profession at large, permits the academic institution in question to design its own courses and syllabi,
conduct its own exams, and administer itself more or less independently of any regulatory body.

Few meaningful meaning of of Autonomy as given by Thesaurus and independence, self sufficiency,self
rule,self determination etc. Etymogically autonomy means self norm.This concept is the main meaning
of autonomy of higher education which is given below-

Autonomy in Higher Education:

To guarantee higher quality and to attain better performance of education,teaching and learning
process. Academic autonomy is the freedom to decide all the issues related to academics like
development and value addition to curriculum, instructional and learning material,techniques of
student's evaluation, academic research, content development etc. Administrative autonomy is freedom
to institution to manage its own affair with regard to Administration. For growth of higher studies
finance is the most important part which is set by autonomous body. This autonomous body is also part
of the autonomy. For success in development of quality education, quality  infrastructure,quality study
material which is set by autonomous body of universities or institutions, Autonomy play a great role in
the surface of higher education. For development of quality of educational Curriculum Autonomy play a
main role. For provide best maitainance and proper guidelines to educational system autonomy is the
big factor which help to improve the quality of education.

 Do you think that  higher education requires autonomy in Indian education system?

Yes I think that higher education requres autonomy  in indian education system.The facilities for carrying
out autonomous functions such as updating syllabus, designing modules ,content,various systems of
examination and evaluation, different pedagogical things, practical learning, etc. require not only
sufficient financial resources but also continuous training and up gradation of teachers. Autonomous
institutions should, therefore, have the means to mobilize resources on a predictable basis. Their
dependence solely on governing authority and state governments which have their own limitations for
resource allocations, will be a major issue. In the rapidly changing environment, an autonomous system
can facilitate much needed innovations such as inter-disciplinary programmes, inter-organizational
sharing of academic loads, transfer of credit points between different models of learning.The capacity of
a university to govern itself without state interference is defined as autonomy. Countries have various
types of autonomy in institutions of higher education, and some universities may have
more autonomous system than the other universities.

Importance:

As India is the population country. For proper education to all people. To  provide best equipment.For
helping proper growth of education. As India is the 2nd largest population country, so many universities
and colleges is here. For  proper distribution of education autonomy is more important.Maintaining
institutional support for teaching and research.Managing Institutional performance in relation to
performance related funding model. For meeting the challenges presented by private and commercial
provider to develop the educational organization.Developing proper infrastructure of the universities or
organizations, Autonomy play a great role for future of the academics.For proper funding way to
economically growth of the universities or institutions, Autonomy also play a supportive role for proper
and quality growth of the education. Autonomy works as a carrot and stick policy for the other
institutes, pushing them to improve their educational and administrative quality from others like as a
competition which is the way of growth of the higher education.For providing the technologies offer
huge opportunities for progress in all aspects of life. It offers opportunities for economic growth,
improved health, better service delivery, improved learning and socio-cultural advances.Though efforts
are required to improvise the nation’s innovative and inventive capacity, yet the efforts should be to
build on the existing strengths in light of new understanding of the research and innovation- creative
growth etc.

Quality is paramount of higher education. For uninitiated eligible colleges can apply to UGC for
autonomous status which gives them a good amount of  academic and Administration freedom to
design and offer many new courses, conduct their own examination for their excellency and
improvement of higher education. Higher education plays a crucial role in the realisation of India’s
potential for economic and technological growth than autonomy is so helpful and it is help to improve
proper learning process and process of Curriculum development and best teaching process also. Cause
autonomous body can improve only in faculty Development. Other wise faculty of an institution is not
perfect cause they have no pressure issue on their head which pressure is given by autonomous body.

Quality and quantity of higher education is a great land mark which is only provide from autonomy.
Autonomy mean self depending infrastructure of an University or institution. This self dependent
process help to grow up the quality of higher education as like as research content etc. In higher
education convocation and conference is more important part which is also given from autonomy.For
growing up better relationship with foreign academy Autonomy also play a great role. For better
equipment and better performance autonomy plays a most important role. An autonomous status
expedites these operations and thus enthuses constant fluidity in the pattern and curriculum, apart from
accelerating and improving evaluation.
Autonomy is granted to institutes based on the parameters of excellence in academic performances,
capability of self-governance and enhancement in the quality of  higher education, and it can be seen as
a great opportunity to meet the emerging and evolving needs, in sync with the industry. While
expanding new horizons for higher education and strengthening the quality and relevance, autonomy
can be considered a possible solution to enhance the quality of education and incorporate methods of
skilling the students, thus contributing to creating a knowledge-based economy and paving the way to
gear up the young workforce for higher educational activities. Proper channelling of efforts and
government impetus for autonomy can propel the global ranking of Indian institutions and push India
higher on the world charts for education. By bringing this into effect, there are high chances of reducing
the brain drain, turning it into a brain gain. In those reasons autonomy is more important for part of the
higher education. Well Public relation is the most important of the higher education which is set by
autonomous body. Autonomy is also effective in development of public relations. After higher education
employment is the big issue. In this issue, autonomy play a pivotal role in this competitive market.
Autonomy play  a vital role of making students perfect or employment ready. Internship is the best way
of making proper which provides by autonomous body. In autonomy system Students are provided with
multiple opportunities to intern at various Laboratories, during their vacation time to groom them for
the Industry after higher education.

autonomy should be a key part of the conversation. Recruiting people with right mind set and attitude
will help to improve quality of the higher education. This can maintain by Autonomy only in proper way.
For higher education Autonomy is more important to choice right person for developing organization.
For higher education admission procedure is one of the more important thing. In this, admission
procedure will well maintain if autonomy is there. Cause self dependent structure is help to improve
admission process and it also help for transferency in admission process of higher education.

In this reasonable part of the higher education Autonomy is more important to perfect or proper
guidance in development, curriculum, and research content, public relation, better infrastructure, best
equipment etc.

So I think it requires in higher education which is shown a perfect way of higher education and it's
future.

 Write in this back drop how UGC play Pivotal role in higher education?

UGC mean University grant Commission. After independence at 1948 University education
commission was set up by chairmanship of Dr. S Radhakrishanan and than on 28 December 1953,
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (former Minister of Education) inaugurated University Grants
Commission. There after in November 1956, UGC (University Grants Commission) was formally
established as a statutory body of the Government of India via ‘University Grants Commission Act,
1956’ of the Parliament. The vision was to supervise the coordination, determination, and
maintenance of standards of university education in our country. UGC is also a autonomous body
who provide fund to Universities, determine and maintain the ethics in institutions of higher
education.UGC has also set some standards for the universities for being UGC approved University.
With the growth of higher education in India, many top, medium, and small universities are being
established day by day which are maintained
Pivotal role of UGC:

UGC is also a autonomous body for higher education. For coordinating and promoting of higher
education.UGC take part a big role. To Frame rules on minimum standards of higher Education,UGC
provide a big factor. setting standard examination for higher education as like as NET, CSIR NET, ICAR
NET, UGC take part a great role. For growing up quality of higher education UGC is the most important
part. This Commission allow to grant universities, colleges or institutions for higher education. Maintain
connection between central government and state government and institutions of higher education.

It also suggest mandatory procedures to Central and State governments to make positive changes in
University Education. The Indian higher education system is one of the largest such systems in the
World. there will be a tremendous pressure of numbers on this system and a large number of additional
students will be knocking at the doors of higher education institutions in the country. There are also new
challenges of management and regulation being faced by these institutions, which require serious
attention. For this requirement UGC help to provide a proper maintenance and guidance.

Public/Private relationship is  the primary responsibility of the State to provide the eligible with good
quality higher education at reasonable cost. Indian higher education system has undergone massive
expansion in post-independent India with a national resolve to establish several Universities, Technical
Institutes, Research Institutions and Professional / Non-professional Colleges all over the country to
generate and disseminate knowledge coupled with the noble intention of providing easy access to
higher education to the common Indian. The Public initiatives played a dominant and controlling role in
this phase. Most of the Universities were Public institutions with powers to regulate academic activities
on their campuses as well as in their areas of jurisdiction through the affiliating system. Even the private
institutions enjoyed large-scale financial support in the form of grants from the public exchequer.
Private funds as well as individuals played key roles in the cause of higher education.

With the public funding being no more in a position to take-up the challenging task of expansion and
diversification of the higher education system in the country to meet the continuously growing demands
at present, there is little option other than bringing in private initiatives in a massive way to meet the
various challenges. The deregulating mechanism of controls started with the granting of “Autonomous
Status” to identified Colleges in the 1970s.. Some of these Colleges have graduated further to receive
the “Deemed to be University” status in later years. Now, the country is on the threshold of the
establishment of Private Universities in different States. These and related issues figured prominently in
the discussions at this Seminar. In this part UGC take part a great role to establish and well maintain of
relationship between universities or institutions with people who are interested in higher education.
Strong quality control measures to assure performance above an acceptable benchmark is essential for
the institutions of higher education. A Total Quality Management for courses offered, monitoring the
achievement of the students at all stages of the course, shall be introduced at all higher education

institutions.

It is important to realize that we live in a fast changing world, dictated by the developments in
technology. Quick access to information has made knowledge creation fast, and the multiplier effect has
made it even explosive. It is increasingly difficult to anticipate changes and respond to them with
creative purpose. Designing courses with relevance to the future and developing the necessary
manpower to deliver them is a challenging task. All this calls for a team of professionals in different
areas to come together to develop proactive strategies for higher education to meet the future
demands. A Strategy Planning Body and an Institution to design and develop futuristic courses for
transferring higher education to each place and people also, UGC take part a great role.

Good Faculty is a must for any higher education institution aspiring for Quality of the higher
education.UGC  take part a big issue for recruiting the right person for higher education.With some
restrictions on faculty appointments, UGC help to improve the higher education system. Autonomous
Universities are a reality now and, as such, strong regulatory mechanisms are to be put in place
immediately to monitor and control their activities with the objective of ensuring quality and social
accountability. Higher education is a Public Good and cannot be left to the market forces to control.
Those who venture investment in this area shall be properly scrutinized. Those with commercial
interests dominating over the interests and ethics of higher education shall be eliminated. In this issue,
UGC play a good role in higher education.

Governance has been observed that policy framework is carefully planned at the level of the Planning
Commission, Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission. However,
the policies are not fully implemented mostly because of faulty management of the institutions of higher
education. The administrative structure of the Universities, which was devised in the pre-independence
period seems to be still continuing. The new challenges facing the system of higher education in the
country cannot be met without a total overhaul of the structure of management of higher education
institutions. This has become all the more necessary because of globalization, which requires talent,
competence, drive, initiative and innovation at several levels. This can not be achieved without
overhauling the administrative set up of Universities/Institutions which are including in autonomy
system. To Complete transparency should be maintained in the working of Executive/Academic Bodies
and other Governing Councils of the Universities, UGC take part a pivotal role in higher Education.
Higher Education should be developed as an infrastructure for social and economic growth of the
Country in which UGC play a vital role of learning in higher education.

Strategies for higher education should be set within an educational chain extending from early
childhood to post- graduate education to career advancement. Improving the interrelationship of all
stages and levels of education should be a long - term policy goal which is set by UGC also. Universities
have to attempt seriously to improve the pattern of allocation of resources between various activities
and items of expenditure. Core academic activities should obviously receive top priority which is also set
by University Grant commission. At the Universities, students’ welfare, particularly scholarships,
stipends etc., For higher education, should  be given due importance. Expenditure on administration and
other miscellaneous activities needs to be rationalized. In this step UGC take part a big issue for
improving the higher Education system.

For Increasing economic integration across the World over the past decade has cast tumultuous impact
on all the areas supporting human life in the developing countries. The so-called structural adjustments
in national policies and the new international economic order have brought about severe stresses never
perceived before. There are exhortations to the policy planners of higher education emanating from
GATT regulations made under WTO formulation e.g. withdrawal of subsidies, reduced control of the
State, larger privatization and access to corporate players, designing of courses to meet the human
resource needs of the markets in the changed scenario, and reliance on self-financing type
management. There are also obligations to allow free import of higher education as a service
commodity from developed nations in the form of cross-border supply, consumption abroad etc. The
cumulative effect of all these factors and the prevailing competitive environment have hustled the
morale, confidence and commitment of the University community in general, even inducing trepidation.
For issue  this steps UGC provide a vital role in higher education system. Cause UGC is also a
autonomous body who regulate to maintain this in a proper way. To provide diversified academic
products and services of high quality and with a strong market orientation. These issues and concerns
were the focus of attention at these two Seminars, whose main recommendations are providing through
UGC in higher education.

                 Access to higher education needs to be widened in the country, both within the formal
system and through other effective innovative measures, such as a truly open system and
networking of Universities, UGC also play a vital role as a autonomous body.