Aside from the debate on devolution of Higher Education Commission, the community would aspire to the revamping of universities and other degree-awarding institutions:
(a). Regulations.
(b). Financial management.
(c). Human resources management (including remunerations of all the employees).
(d). Curricula - in all disciplines.
(e). Efficacy of courses which do not attract enough students to pool teaching in such subjects between the relevant universities etc to avoid duplication and ineffective use of resources. With the existing state of mushrooming institutions of higher learning, and flying bachelor's and master's degrees, posterity would be nowhere, many like me believe.
A new agency needs to be put in place at the provincial level, which should operate with a small nucleus. To be headed by a multi-disciplinarian, having served as head of at least two universities or degree-awarding institutions for a period exceeding six years, its function should be specific - beyond which it should not travel. To do away with the possibilities of being branded biased and partisan, glued to its intent and purposes, staying 'thin and flexible', the agency should outsource the studies etc needed to be undertaken to independent outside experts.
Its writ should extend to all universities and degree-awarding institutions. To provide transparency, justice to concerned quarters and to avoid politicising, appeals against its orders may lie with the high court. A committee comprising four professional accountants, out of which two should be from local correspondents of the world's big 'four'. The province's senior-most former judge of Supreme Court, President High Court Bar Association and chief of proposed agency, should report on 'market' for the output of the degree-awarding institutions. Whether some private degree-awarding institutions be closed, the matter should be given serious thought.
Closure of these BBAs and MBAs producing outlets may move the youth, withdrawn from these institutions, to polytechnics etc, whose training suits more the genius of our youth.
Services of faculty and non-faculty, including heads of the institutions, should be transferable, inter-university. Pay packages of all employees, including their chief executives (by whatever name referred) should be identical in all the institutions. Allowing special packages to anybody in any form should be beyond the boards or senates etc of these institutions. Incentives should be global - not individual or institution-specific. Same discipline code for everybody. No holy cows please. Pegged-up facilities and higher remuneration proposals be taken-up by the legislature through its regular agenda item. The sort of diminished elasticity proposed would work as the atmosphere's pollution killer and anti-depressant to the existing heads of institutions being given message that they are an inferior lot or that they are clueless to get a bigger catch in terms of perks.
Postulates that with only money, people put to demonstration their skills, need be discarded. Has to be shunned the tautology that money is the motivating factor? Rather institutions should be away from 'the learned' who profess that imparting education is like the supply of a commodity - the more money dished out, the greater weight you carry, the better you would teach. Of course, they can be posted to an institution with a low rating. They should deliver at such institutions. The ones with the claim of better brains should go to seats of learning with lower-rating. When re-employed they should be allowed pay, inclusive of pension, equivalent to their last pay.
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