Government Educational Institutes ... better than Private Institutions.
Really??
With the entrance exam result season coming closer, the keenness of the students to fill the college option form has drastically increased. This is the time when media also gets interested into analysis of educational sector to increase it's TRP among youth. But whatever the media suggestions are and however it rates different colleges; the most preferred colleges by the students are government institutions. Let's analyze the reasons underlying this phenomenon.
I would like to start the article by emphasizing on almost any process that takes place in a Government or University college. Government Institutions have such long and frustrating process for everything that most of the times the students have no other choice than to leave the task uncompleted. I give a case to clear things. Students of a government institution won a competition and received prizes which were in the form of a cheque on Institute's name. Now the student had to wait nearly 6 months to get that petty amount cleared. Over and above this, the students had to go to office nearly daily for reminding the administration about the issue. If this is the way the activities are carried in an institution then god forbid me for complaining about it. It seems the institution does not want to change. If we talk only in terms of Management Institutes, compare the infrastructure of any private institute and its University or Government counterpart. One clearly gets the hint of the differences. When talking in terms of Faculty only few know what is the actual status of the teaching going on in the institutes. Somewhere there are six professors in place of twenty-four like in the case of VJTI. (As expressed by Times of India in the Article "VJTI teachers draw two salaries on paper" dated March 24 2008), at others the institutes are dependent nearly completely on the mercy of visiting faculty. People may argue that visiting faculty forms an important part in any higher education institute but what if the majority faculty is working in contracts of 6 months, right from the director to the lowest peon.
Pick any government institution at random one would find following things common in every one of them. No body will be on time. The higher the post of an official, the late he gets in coming to the college, however near he stays to the college. The reason - We have lots of work which we can't explain to everyone. One wonders how private institute directors and faculty make it up on time. Is it the lax atmosphere or lack of financial and other motivation that's hindering the progress of these institutions.
Discipline is another aspect one observes in the Government Institutes. When the recent blunder by one of the Universities (marking absent in the final examinations to students who were present) occurred, there was a general uproar, very good, but if it would have occurred with some private or for that matter, with some privately owned autonomous institute, would the results be the same. I think the media would have forced the institute to apologize in pubic. Not following which the institute could face the danger of even losing its accreditation from the regulating authorities. Isn't this unfair? Why such step brother treatment?
Second important issue is of personal hygiene. Most of the University Departments or Government colleges do not have proper cloakrooms and water filters. The water coolers are not properly maintained in many such colleges. When compared to their private counter parts, most of the personal hygiene related facilities seem substandard. Same is the case with the hostels and canteens. One clearly notices the difference.
Like every other government agency, the management here believes in 'Passing the Buck'. Where as many-a-times the private institutions are like the American President who say "THE BUCK ENDS HERE". Whether this is due to job insecurity or other reasons, whatever the reasons maybe, the end result is proper delegation of authority. If a Government or University Management Institute students want to perform value addition activities, most of the times it happens (generally in newer institutions) that there is no or negligible support by the management. If this is the kind of approach the authorities keep for student motivation and upliftment,,, then I think preferring a private institute may sound better. The feather on the cap is the attitude of the administration. The response of the admin department is such that, they are giving favors when they do something. It does not matter weather the act is obligatory or really a favor on the part of the management.
The flow of information follows a such strict organizational hierarchy, that any decision requiring urgent attention, gets caught up in the organizational hierarchy and the decision is only taken when the time has gone and the decision becomes irrelevant.
Last but not the least one thing that needs to be addressed is; the government institutions cannot pursue marketing or branding activities. (At least that is what I have been told) Whether be 'Above the line' or 'Below the line'. As a result, the only way, the name of a newly established Institution comes up in the industry is after its alumni gets into some higher positions in MNC's. Unfortunately this happens at a very slow rate. Take for example, the industry recognizes that Jamnalal Bajaj Management Institute is one of the best Institutes in the country after the IIM's. Why ?, It's because Industry has seen that Nitin Paranjpe is a student JBIMS or LIT college of Chemical engineering is one of the premier institute for Chemical Grads. It is so not because LIT is branding itself in such a manner but because the Alumni of LIT is in good position today.
After observing so many flaws in the government or University institutes one does not understand why students opt such institutes as their first choice. What can be argued as a good reason is that they have a low fee structure. Another point that can be argues upon is; most of the government institutes had their beginning long before private institutes even existed in India and they have build their brand with time. But what about New University and Government Institutes coming into existence. Will their future be as bright as their elder brothers. THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP
Regards
Manish K Gupta
FYMMS Semester II
Alkesh Dinesh Mody Institute of Financial and Management Studies
Vidya Nagri, Kalina
Mumbai
+91 98337 11550
FYMMS Semester II
Alkesh Dinesh Mody Institute of Financial and Management Studies
Vidya Nagri, Kalina
Mumbai
+91 98337 11550
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