Let PU flourish, Central status alone can help

The issue of conferring Central status on Panjab University has again cropped up as Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has squarely blamed the Punjab government for stalling the move. As is well known, Mr Parkash Singh Badal had first agreed to PU getting Central status, which essentially means more funds for the premier institution, but later backed out on the advice of some critics, who feared the move would dilute Punjab’s claim to Chandigarh. Punjab has got two more Central universities, which will come up at Amritsar and Bathinda.

With its finances going from bad to worse and allocations for education falling over the years, Punjab has failed to meet its financial commitments for Panjab University. Instead of paying 40 per cent of the budget of Panjab University as agreed, the state pays only 10 per cent. Haryana, which was also to pay an equal amount under the initial arrangement, has disaffiliated its colleges from PU and stopped paying its 40 per cent share. As a result, the university has been left to fend for itself and forced to raise money through various means, partly by raising the charges for students and virtually selling NRI seats in top courses. The other universities in the state too suffer from the resource crunch. Higher education has become very expensive and gone beyond the reach of students from families with modest means.
If Panjab University is to grow into an institution of global standards — and a rising India badly needs such academic institutions comparable to the best in the world — then the university cannot be left at the mercy of some myopic academics and politicians. The faculty members of the university firmly stand behind the demand for Central status and they have not stooped to street protests to press the issue. But such dignified behaviour has not made much impact on politicians with goals other than promoting academic excellence. 

Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India.

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