India's University System Struggles With Growth

As a visiting student at one of the most renowned universities in India, I don't have much to complain about. My teachers are experts in their fields, my classmates are brilliant and engaged, and the administration bends over backwards to meet my needs.

Not all students are as lucky. In mid-January, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development reported that 44 schools across India should be demoted from university to college status, leaving more than 200,000 students wondering about their educations.

Unlike in the United States, there is a distinction between Indian colleges and universities. The colleges are merely affiliates of the universities, and only universities can dole out degrees. Universities have complete autonomy regarding curriculum, research and tuition.


India's Collegiate Caste System

In the mid-1900s, top-notch colleges got stuck in the bureaucracy of reporting to their affiliate universities. They had no power to change their courses or expand their campuses. So the central government enforced the UGC Act in 1956, which allowed high-performing colleges to become "deemed universities."

These deemed universities are schools that have the potential to become universities. In an op-ed article, R. Sethuraman, vice chancellor of SASTRA University, compared this process to the issuing of a driver's license prematurely, in hopes that the licensee will learn to drive. Deemed universities are promoted on the grounds that they will eventually live up to their preordained status, while being allowed to expand in the meantime.

Candidates for deemed university status have to be open for 10 years, have a quality research program, and have at least five postgraduate academic departments. They must also meet money, space and equipment requirements from the University Grants Commission (UGC). Once they're deemed, they function autonomously as universities, with minor oversight by the UGC (including approval for increased enrollment, starting new programs, buying new equipment or hiring new faculty).

In the last decade the number of deemed universities exploded. According to the UGC, there were only 41 deemed universities from 1956 to 2000. But in the last 10 years, 89 colleges have been promoted, bringing the total to 130 throughout India.


Growing Pains

In 2008 the UGC caught wind that some of these deemed universities were misusing their power. Many had opened new departments and campuses outside of India without the approval of the UGC. Others were using questionable teaching methods, such as distance learning rather than on-site teaching. There were also reports of schools being run by families instead of academic professionals, turning the institutes into "family fiefdoms."

In response, the Ministry of Human Resources and Development launched an investigation last year, examining 126 deemed universities. Forty-four were found unworthy of their status, and another 44 were given three years to fix problems. Thirty-eight proved they were sound enough to keep their status.

One of the universities to be stripped, Christ University in Bangalore, is a private college that used to be affiliated with Bangalore University.

"It was a bit surprising, knowing our college was being stripped," said Nihal S, Narayan, a second-year English student at Christ. "From the student perspective, we were worried our degrees wouldn't hold. How it would impact our future was our primary concern."

A former student, Abhishek -- who has asked not to be identified by his last name while the courts debate the state of his alma mater -- approves of the demotion. "Personally I'm really glad that Christ got stripped of its title because it was just a proper hellhole," he said. "It was so painful. We couldn't help but feel sad for the teacher[s] at times."

Christ College's autonomy was granted in 2008. In the UGC report that recommended the grant, an expert committee found that "students are exposed to relevant knowledge through the quality teaching, text and reference books."

But Abhishek said that after Christ transformed from a college to a university, tuition fees went sky high, organizational issues affected the student experience, teachers were under more pressure to do research, and the school began expanding too quickly to serve the needs of the existing students.

He said students were kept under strict monitoring, jeans were banned, and the "student welfare office" -- a group of counselors and student representatives from each class -- couldn't address the administration directly with student complaints. "It was never student-friendly," Abhishek said. "What's the point of studying at an institution where you're not comfortable with the environment?"


Deemed or Doomed?

For the time being, Christ still operates under the moniker "Christ University." Most likely, if Christ is stripped of its status, it will once again be linked to Bangalore University. Students like Abhishek, who have already graduated from Christ University, will be allowed to keep their university degrees.

Christ and the 43 other schools in review will have the chance to defend their status in the next round of supreme court hearings. The government has repeatedly stated that students currently enrolled at the schools in question will still get a university degree, even if it has to be from an affiliated university. The supreme court will review the investigations for each university in question starting March 8.

Demoting these deemed universities is meant to keep high education standards in India, but it remains to be seen whether the return of central control will limit demoted schools' flexibility and resources for serving students. During the coming reviews, each case will be examined individually. Many deemed universities have abused their power, but some have grown to be better than their former affiliates. The HRD minister, Kapil Sibal, wants to scrap the deemed university system, but students like Narayan say their schools just need some time to work out the kinks. "At Christ we have a high level of education," Narayan said. "Going back [to college status] would be a step back."