Newspaper clipping from Hindustan Times
The residents of Allahabad have been in jubilant mood ever since it was announced that the “sangam city” would be turned into a “smart city” as part of an ambitious developmental plan involving the government of USA. But we must remember that merely economic growth and infrastructural progress is not sufficient to propel inclusive development. India has repeatedly sidestepped human development resulting in the country registering a dismal rank of 135 in the human development index maintained by UNDP.
The seed for balanced development has to be sowed in the education sector. In the case of Allahabad, the government must initiate the process of reclaiming the lost glory of Allahabad University which was earlier referred to as the “Oxford of the East”.
In the contemporary era, education is the single most potent weapon through which individuals transform their lives. We often hear of success stories of students from prestigious institutes like IITs and IIMs who go on to fetch crore plus salaries. But such tales of triumph, though not entirely absent, are nevertheless negligible in the case of Allahabad’s ancient varsity.
What are the reasons behind this? It is a matter of fact that many of the departments in AU do not even hold regular classes. This practise needs to be completely done away with. Instead of manual computation of attendance which provides ample space for interpolation, attendance records should be maintained via computer software. Disciplinary action should be taken against errant professors who spare time for political activism instead of lecturing in class. Absenteeism on the part of students should be dealt with equal firmness.
The education imparted in the varsity should make appropriate use of information communication technologies (ICTs). Besides building on strong theoretic fundamentals, students should be enabled to improve upon their communication skills and become computer literate. The university should have at its disposal the required technical infrastructure to provide hands on learning to its students. New age courses involving media, animation, designing etc need to introduced with students being provided access to laboratories with cutting edge technology and sophisticated equipments of professional standard.
Projectors should be installed in classrooms for computer backed teaching through PPTs or power point presentations which would help in better comprehension of complex topics. Lectures should be recorded and made available on the university’s website in the form of videos or podcasts which can be downloaded by students. E-libraries must also be created.
Moreover, political goodaism in the name of student politics on the campus should make way for rational debates and discussions as witnessed in places like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
Technology is an asset which cannot be ignored by educational institutions. The smart city initiative has to necessarily combine intellectual capabilities with technology. If this is achieved then the resurrection of Allahabad University is bound to follow. The varsity will attract the best of talent from across the nation and once again be recognized among the foremost centres of higher education. But for that to happen the education sector has to be given primacy in the smart city initiative.
(This article was originally published in Hindustan Times.)
The Polemicist 