M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Sept 22: The Nilamber Pitamber University is yet to begin the Student Feedback System as suggested by the secretary of the Higher, Technical Education Department of Jharkhand, Rahul Kumar Purwar, two weeks ago.
The secretary had shot off a missive to the Vice Chancellors of the government universities in the state to initiate regular and surprise inspections of colleges by themselves to find out whether regular classroom teaching is being conducted or not.
Purwar in his letter (lagatar24.com has a copy) had stated that ‘information/complaint’ regarding college teachers skipping classes, their unwillingness to take classes, late arrival of the teachers, principals and other staff on the campus causing inconvenience and harassment to poor students, especially girl students coming from far off locations, are reaching the department which needs to be mitigated by all means.
The secretary had also suggested a ‘Student Feedback System’ which will keep a tab on the regularity of classes held by the teachers.
However, even after two weeks of the missive, the initiative to start a Student Feedback System in colleges and departments of various subjects of NPU is still a non-starter. Colleges that go for assessment and rating by the peer team of the NAAC temporarily launch this student feedback system and once the team pushes off, this system is rubbished.
Pro-vice-chancellor of Nilamber Pitamber University, Dr Deep Narayan Yadav, said: “We have received the letter. We are working on it and urge our students to come to the colleges and make it their point to ask the concerned teacher to engage their classes.”
“We have asked our registrar Dr Rakesh Kumar to convey this message to all concerned that classes must go on and there should not be any laxity,” he added.
One professor in charge of a college requesting anonymity said the instruction and modality to set up Student Feedback System is yet to reach the college from NPU. The official said if and when it comes, the college will be acting on it.
According to sources, there is everything on the campus except a regular display of classroom teaching. It does not look as if the college is ‘morning’ or ‘day’ as the campus starts wearing a deserted look soon after 2 pm every day when students start heading towards their houses or lodges followed by the teachers also.
The students said that the college routine has become redundant. The traditional bell that used to ring every 50 minutes on the working day of the campus is not heard anymore. They alleged that no one takes care of the attendance too.
Academicians here have hailed the concern of Rahul Kumar Purwar as never in the recent past, any secretary had ever written to the VCs for regularisation of classroom teaching.
A teacher not ready to be identified said, “St Xavier’s college in Mahuadanr which is under the Nilamber Pitamber University is a flagship college in terms of holding of classes, practical classes and for strict adherence to the percentage of the students. Why other colleges of NPU don’t follow the suit of St Xavier’s college?”
M K Sharma, who is a pass out of the college here said, “If the departmental secretary writes to the VCs to see if classes are taken by the college teachers, then no one should take more time to learn that the crisis of non-holding of the classroom teaching is acute and severe in the colleges and the departments of the universities.”
