Free to be flexible

RA Podar College, Nirmala Niketan’s College of Social Work, and SNDT’s MMP Shah College have joined the bandwagon of autonomous bodies in Mumbai. Will this move impact the quality of higher education?

Aashrith B Arun, IV, CS, National Institute of Engineering, Mysuru

Granting autonomy status to institutions is always highly debated. One faction feels that the number of entrance exams a student has to take will increase. The others, talk about its benefits by associating autonomy with progress. However, autonomous institutions are expected to be self-financed, which in turn might make education more expensive. This where the government needs to step in. Existing autonomous institutions have had a good run so far, and hence provide a ray of hope for the upcoming ones.

Yash Bardia, I PGDM, VESIM Business School, Mumbai

A university becoming autonomous is now emerging as a trend, but in a good way. Backed by funding from the central government and existing credibility, a new autonomous college can do wonders. Constant change in syllabus is needed, for students to keep pace with the fast developing world. A flexible syllabus and an opportunity to learn new things will help the youth make creative progress. So, in a way, colleges going autonomous can prove beneficial.

Chirag Sehgal, I, PGD in Broadcast Journalism from Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bengaluru

Autonomy of colleges may be a great step towards academic independence. But, at the same time, there is a serious concern that after becoming autonomous, a college may not get as much funding from the UGC as before. Therefore, it may try to make up for it by increasing students’ fees. Will all students be able to pay more?

Vaibhav Dwivedi, I, M.A. English, Ambedkar University, Delhi

The ‘Goldrush’ for autonomy in higher education is on an unprecedented high, as more colleges are looking for academic and administrative liberty. The result may be diverse assessment patterns, experimental curriculum, and less cumbersome administrative structures. However, institutions must not exist in complete isolation from each other. A balance must be struck between autonomy and providing a well-connected academic network to students.