College Vs. University

There is an intriguing, imperceptible, even interesting, cold war on with the affiliating universities on the one side and the affiliated colleges on the other. Intriguing because in the affiliating model the two can't survive without each other and the symbiosis is expected to contribute to not only mutual growth but also to the growth indices too. The Colleges, affiliated units of HE, too need the shade and warmth of the the Universities for guidance and support in many forms. But the question is what happens when both are caught in a battle for survival. Both brace for the uncertain future in sight  with a plan which promises to encroach into each other's territories and to provide causes for discomfort but on legitimate grounds! With the kind of decline in enrollment we have been witnessing in Higher Education scene, this is a tussle which will end in the disappearance of many HEIs. 

This is played out at many levels. The Universities in Kerala are searching for means to hike their enrollment so that the NEP-stipulated student enrollment figures will be attained. All universities offer PG and Research programmes. But it is difficult to reach the target student strength solely on the basis of the number of postgraduate students and research scholars, however the intake is raised. Hence many of the universities are launching UG /integrated programmes. When universities offer UG programmes, it takes away a chunk of the students who would have otherwise opted for affiliated colleges under it. The colleges which are fighting lower enrollment, finds this as another battle front opened by, this time, it's own University. It is quite hard for many of the affiliated colleges to compete with the state universities in terms of facilities and social perception. The huge university campuses with its spaces, programmes, events and access make life hard for the affiliated institutions when it comes to attracting UG takers. The only hope for affiliated colleges could the student community preferring colleges as the fun-quotient will be higher. Perhaps sensing this, one can already see universities too getting into the act of organising fests and carnival! 

Now the prerogative/burden of conducting examinations has been partially shifted to the colleges and that is a blessing in disguise. On the one hand the colleges are expected to be happy that their long-standing demand has been granted. But this comes with two catches: there is a financial and administrative burden this places on the shoulders of the colleges as universities collect the fee and colleges conduct the examinations, though a part of the expenses is reimbursed to the colleges. Consider also that with each exam being taken away from their shoulders, the affiliating universities are apparently becoming slimmer and, hopefully, more efficient. This sure puts pressure in some form on all affiliated colleges as they need to update their game. A slimmer, more efficient, University will prove more than a handful for the colleges, while colleges have to put in more effort, hire more staff, spend more to run the examinations, especially in the multiple major-minor scenario of FYUGP. It is possible for colleges to take this as a challenge and opt for the path of growth. But how many of the colleges can do so remains to be seen. 

The PG intake is another issue. The  Universities have increased the PG intake long back and the repercussions were already there.  Though the quality of teaching-learning-research in State and Central Universities may not be evenly good, the public perception is different. This has but impacted the PG intake of affiliated colleges. Even otherwise, PG programmes are shutting down in many HEIs as there are no takers. Add to it the attraction of the admission in central universities! Surprisingly this applies to even M Com though the number of B Com graduates who walk out of our colleges is huge. This drop too is hitting the colleges.

The Centralised Admission Process (CAP) causes worry for affiliated colleges. CAP, put in place some time back, has its many advantages. But this has taken away the  money which came to the affiliated colleges through the sale of application forms and now the money, a huge amount, goes directly to the university coffers. Though the system is not without its convenience for some colleges, many others are capable of managing its own admission process/portals. If not for CAP, many could close their admission with higher intake without waiting for the close of the long allotment process run by the University. They feel that, had they been doing it on their own, the admission process will not drag on as it does these days. More importantly many students who belong to the catchment area of the colleges are distributed in faraway colleges under the scheme, practically denying the possibility of these students joining the colleges near their homes. 

The slow spike in the number of Autonomous colleges is a matter of another worry for both the Universities and the non-autonomous colleges. There's a drop in the number of affiliated units when a college turns  autonomous and it can affect the universities in many ways. The issue of the excess staff obviously is one of those.  When the number of affiliated colleges drop, what we have is arguably a leaner, more efficient University. This is to be seen as a welcome change from the perspective of the affiliated colleges, though the nature of added benefits this will bring to the Autonomy-conferred institutions and to the university which has lesser number of colleges affiliated to, are different. The social perception of Autonomous colleges will be a stiff challenge for the non-autonomous institutions. Though many Autonomous colleges may not be doing much to justify it's autonomous status (other than admission-on-time, exams-on-time and results-on-time activities), the way society views Autonomous colleges will be something for the non-autonomous HEIs to take seriously. The public vests trust in the autonomous colleges as the next in capability to the universities. This brings in challenges to the colleges.

A recent news item mentions the plan of Kozhikode IIM to offer an Undergraduate programme next year. Kerala is opening up for Private Universities too, and the foreign ones will follow suit. The dropping enrollment is already coercing the HEIs to compromise on many fronts: discipline, quality of intake, academic rigour, character of celebrations, in-class environment, well, many. There are those colleges which allow private admission councelling institutions to open their offices in the campus illegally and try to boost admissions! The Universities, in many forms - private, foreign, State and Central - aiming to meet the NEP 2020 target figures, is the other major player now the colleges have to fight. 

A fair sense of competition among the HEIs is welcome and it guarantees healthy outcomes too. But when it is state universities Vs affiliated colleges , somehow the odds are against the affiliated units. How will the affiliated colleges hold this interesting rival off is the key. It looks like the withering away of HEIs and which can't gather the requisite number of students or can't grow into Autonomy, the spirit of the new educational policy, will be realised. 

Babu. P. K. Ph D.