University teachers demand state funding of Higher Education

New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) Coming down heavily on the government move to privatise higher education, a group of central university teachers here on Tuesday strongly pitched for state funding of higher education.

This was the view of teachers attending a day-long national convention on higher education held at Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi.

Criticising the union human resource development ministry for launching Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) initiative, a web portal where Massive Open On-line Courses (MOOCs) will be available on all kinds of subjects, Haragopal, a professor termed the move as a conspiracy to further curtail the staff of various universities across the country.

A sum of Rs.100 crore was allocated by the government for setting up of virtual classrooms as Communication Linked Interface for Cultivating Knowledge (CLICK) and online courses.

"The teachers today are in deep trouble. Teaching as an idea is in jeopardy. The state has withdrawn itself from patronising higher education letting private players play a more more vigorous role," said Krishna Kumar, a professor from Central Institute of Education, Delhi University.

Describing that copying originality is a term in contradiction, Abad Ahmad, chairman of Aga Khan Foundation, maintained that western model of education be imposed on Indian mould.

Slamming privatisation of higher education, he said: "Marketisation equates academic works to that of a factory."

The day-long convention titled 'Higher Education at Crossroads' was organised by Coordination Committee of Associations of Teachers in Delhi (CCATD).