Forwarding Harvard!

 Yet again, America is our theme. This time around, it is the universities. Yup, the left-leaning Democrats, like the universal Dear Dahling Obama, have begun mourning the Death of the University. Arthur Miller would sure forgive me this word play on his world famous title.

Don't you know the issue? Well, ever since his ascendence to presidentship, Mr. Trump has been vroom-ing all sorts of 're-forms'. In his opinion, for sure, it would be brooming away the cobwebs. As part of the process, he has written a letter to all the (major) universities.

The background to this fracas is the pro-Palestine démonstrations at the major universities, not to forget the DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) programmes. During the heat of the mo(ve)ment, even the private donors who fund many "chairs" and departments in such centers of excellence had put forth a demand similar to Mr Trump's. 

Their feeling then was that student activism, rather than being youthful idealism, was absolutely more in to politicking, and international at that. Students could not possibly tell the University how/what its, or the government's, relationship with Israel should be, was their  leit-motif.

Now Alan Garber, President, Harvard University, has assumed a similar high moral ground. In his response to the Trump advisory, he argues that the government exceeds its legal authority if it tells private universities what to teach, whom to admit, which areas of study to forward, et al. In extremely evocative and emotional language, he talks of  how a university cannot "surrender its independence", nor "relinquish its constitutional rights".

Both the sides feel that each of them is forwarding Harvard, that is, taking the great institution in the right direction. Of course, at stake are nine billion dollars of research funding, not to forget the international students who are the cash cow of the American universities. The international students' fees are more than double the 'native' payment, not to forget the convenient relaxing of the standards. So, after all said and done, it is the money, honey!

Well, as in India, in America, too, the party that lost its power position has the "opposition for the sake/heck of opposition" mindset and rhetoric. "Hate Trump and all that he does/says" is often the one point programme. In the whataboutery, conveniently hence are forgotten their own extremely debatable decisions and positions.

A parallel in India could be the furore over Hindi. Well, the 'Three Language Formula' has always existed. Why should not india have a common national language? Possibly it cannot be English, right? Incidentally, the highest applicants for the syllabus-external national level examinations in/for Hindi are from the South! They, mostly Tamilians, are often the toppers, too!! Do Malayalis use their mother tongue in the Middle East? They do learn an extra language, right?

 As for the compulsion bit, how many, even so-called progressive, schools, have so far taught Tamil/Telugu/Malyalam/Gujarati as the third language out of choice? If five students are ready to opt for Sanskrit/Pali as the third language, which school would allow that freedom to this minority? Suddenly then would emerge, in fact, shoot issues about "co-ordination". Incidentally, how many parents have taught any such extra language to their kids? At least as the Summer Hobby Programme/Camp?

Anyways, students are way too smarter in the ways of the world. Suddenly, for example,  many of my M.A. students started learning the "Modi'' script. They used to tell me a lot about their achievements in this regard which I used to find extremely praiseworthy. The bubble soon burst when I realised that the passion for the "Modi" script had nothing to do with academics. Rather, the caste certifications of yesteryears were in that script!

Personally I do feel that any type of politicking, any form of gangster groupism in academics is absolutely wrong. Students can neither be the victims nor the flag-bearers of all sorts of interest groups. As it is, industry-led syllabi are lording over academics which always touts the Chinese proverb which says that it is better to teach a hungry man how to fish, rather than directly feed him fish daily! Nobody is debating such encroachment in the field of academics in the name of "industry relevant" 'life' skills which provide easy credits to credit-crazy students who rarely take any (such, especially) course(s) seriously. 

Look at the Fourth (or is it already the Fifth?) Revolution that is striding the wor(l)d. How should academics deal with it creatively should be the urgent debate. Who cares though? In the meantime, the storms in the tea cup rage worse than all hurricanes put together!

Pratima@Autonomy is yet another most 'interesting' issue. Most often, it consists of a loose affiliation with some university or the other as per the dominant 'interest' group in the institution, while in actual terms, it translates to teaching the minimum most (if lectures get conducted at all) and setting the question paper accordingly. Everybody is absolutely happy, and "all is well, all is well" with the whole world!