University

Professional development of faculty of higher education in India started formally with the establishment of academic staff colleges in 1986. Since the last three decades, this domain has undergone several changes in its format, objectives and content, but has not developed into a robust and professional area with deep research foundations. A critical look at the decisions taken by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission reveals the reasons behind the current chaotic scenario. Policy changes, and the establishment and enrichment of dedicated nodal centres of faculty development, are essential to address the pressing concerns.

In response to the editor’s column, “University as an Idea’’ by Gopal Guru (EPW, 11 January 2020) and Swatahsiddha Sarkar’s article, “The Idea of a University in India” (EPW, 4 April 2020), this article seeks to begin a critical examination of the normative ideas that were presupposed in the earlier articles.

The first three Indian universities—at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras—were set up in 1857, inaugurating the Indian higher education system. The University of the Punjab was the fourth Indian university, which was set up at Lahore, the capital of undivided Punjab, in 1882. After India’s partition in 1947, this was the only Indian university that was split up into two. One part continued at Lahore while the other shifted to a new campus in Chandigarh. The story of this journey of the university through the tumultuous years of partition is both fascinating and painful.

A lifelong associate of Jawaharlal Nehru University reflects on what JNU means to higher education, research, and indeed what it means to the people of India.

It is time to break the mythical divide between general higher education that raises consciousness, and professional education that is instrumental to employment and marketable research.