“One whose
knowledge is confined to books and whose wealth is in the passion of others can
use neither his knowledge nor wealth when the need for them arises.”
______________________________________________________________________________–Vishnugupta Chanakya
Before
starting a discussion about the role and importance of management in a
university, which contributes tremendously in developing man’s personality, or
which accords a dimension to human life, it is appropriate to get first of all
familiarity with the meaning and purpose of management.
Management,
an academic discipline, covering all faculties of the process of
education, is, in reality, the function to co-ordinate the efforts of
people to accomplish objectives and achieve the goals using available resources
efficiently and effectively. Further, planning, organizing, staffing, directing
and leading, controlling and taking initiatives to reach the
goal are the parts and parcels of management. Along with this, deployment and
arrangement of human resources, financial resources, learning resources,
technological and natural resources are the prime features of management.
Thus,
how important is management and how vital is its role in the ongoing process of
globalization, it could be well comprehended from the short discussion we have
had. Especially, when forecast, plan, organization, command, co-ordination and
control emerge as its important tools, the worth and significance of management
at all levels and in all walks of life become apparent.
II
Education
is, undoubtedly, the most important feature in human life. It is a lifelong
process. Ramakrishna Paramahansa, a great contemporary mystic from
India, rightly said, “As
long I live, so long do I learn.” The all-round
development of one’s personality is possible only through education –Shiksha in
Indian terms.
The Vedic-Hindu
philosophy calls for a worthy living. It urges that each and everyone can make
her or his life valuable by taking it to a moral and spiritual height. The
acid test of worthy living, the high life, is to base her or his life on
purity; in other words, imbuing it with ethics and dedicating actions to the
great cause of the welfare of humanity as a whole. It is, in fact, an
altruistic notion and urge of Vedic-Hindu philosophy with a
universal objective. In this regard, important is that the Vedic-Hindu
philosophy declares education as the only basis, means or the way to achieve
the goal. From this, the significance of the process of education could also be
realized. It is due to this reality that a person like Mandela has
admitted, “Education is the most
powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”
In
such a significant discipline, which, to re-iterate, plays the vital role
in making and shaping one’s life, or leads a human being towards achieving a
goal, the importance of management is also self-evident. In this regard, it can
be said with certainty that at every level of the process of education from
primary to higher stage, proper and smooth management is inevitable. Along with
this, in comparison to primary and secondary levels, it is more important at
higher stage of education, institutions of higher studies, or universities.
Why? This question could naturally emerge in one’s mind. In answer to this, it
could be said firmly:
1-A
university or an institution of higher studies is a centre of knowledge and
learning for people of high age-group. Co-ordination between teaching staff
[Professors] and managers and those who are of high age-group is naturally
important and, at the same time, it is also a challenging task. For this, there
is a great need for the best and co-operative management;
2-A
university or an institution of a similar stature is essentially a centre for a
wide range of researches and experiments besides imparting education through
various faculties at the higher level. Here, education is not confined to
attending classes for lectures and reading books as it cannot take to the real
task. The accomplishment of task of generating energy is very much
expected for the development of one’s personality, mental level in particular,
and achieving the fixed objective or the one previewed already. It is possible
only through an able-bodied management, by its foremost features mentioned
above;
3-A
university, an institution of higher erudition, plays a vital role as
directing-force through studies and by conducting tests including field work,
to raise a man as a law-abiding and responsible citizen, under the supervision
of well experienced and knowledgeable professors. It is quite necessary for
proper conduction of the system –from individual to national, from national to
global and from global to universal level. For this, planning, which is the
foremost and preliminary part of management, is required; and
4-A
university or an institution is meant to prepare, in a nutshell, a solid ground
for the one, who studies and carry out research to achieve the goal. It plays a
vital role by providing varied experiences for making one’s personality, or in
developing individuality, not only for her/his own sake, but, in fact, for the
purpose of working on the basis of her/his achievements for the progress and
uplift of the society and humanity as a whole. This is indeed the purpose of
education and the basic spirit is in its root. True education urges for use of
each and every accomplishment, newly developed whole-person approach, method or
model for larger welfare of one and all. It necessarily demands utilization of
built up programmes, organizations, and human systems for people without any
kind of discrimination –racial, gender or community-oriented. It is to
integrate all fellow beings by promoting goodwill through human services in all
manners.
The
brief discussion we have had till now, particularly having the four points in
the centre, categorically reveals itself the importance of a university or an
institution of higher studies in the making of one’s life. It emphatically
unveils side-by-side, the role, contribution and significance of management in
achieving the desired goals.
III
Currently,
the world has reached to its new and unprecedented state. In reality, it is
rapidly converting into a global village as per Indian dictum of Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam. In such a situation, stepping forward together has become
necessary, and for this, co-operation of each and everyone and co-ordination among
the all persons on this planet is a pre-requisite. For certainty of this, the
role of process of education is vital, especially, well-managed education in
the universities, or institutions of higher studies and that too directed by
ethical values could lead the world for the purpose. This can pave the way to
accord appropriate opportunities to everyone to rise.
Today,
there are a number of challenges before any university. Non-preparedness for
adequate studies1 and shortage of competent teachers-professors2,
low standard, non-availability of sufficient facilities and finances3,
high cost, lack of co-ordination among faculties, or continuously increasing
competition at the different levels, could be counted in this regard. They
hinder studies and research, both; the skill development. Almost all
universities face these challenges, more especially in developing countries of
the world.
All
these challenges or other related problems could be met only by effective and
accountable management. Through available resources at local and regional
levels, and by gathering national and international support in the form of
co-operation and co-ordination, university education could be made more
conclusive for universal good.
Management
is itself an act to solve the problem, or to meet challenges and to pave the
way to achieve. This is the only effective way to solution and to accomplish as
per the expectations. But, while doing so, the significance of values cannot be
overlooked, as they are the only base to make the tool of management, worthy
and meaningful.
References:
1. In
the United States of America, almost half of the students [fifty percent] in
four-year degree programmes do not graduate. In the Netherlands, the
completion rate for students enrolled in four or five years programme is
approximately fifty percent. In New Zealand, the completion rate for students
enrolled in Bachelors programmes is little less than fifty percent.
2. For
various reasons, renowned universities in India like DU, JNU, Madurai Kamaraj
University, Patna University, and IITs are, according to the report, lack in professors-teachers
up to fifty percent. It has been reported recently by P Pushkar, a research
fellow at the Institute for Study of International Development at the
McGill University through his article entitled, In Search of India’s ‘Missing’ Professors,
which has appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education [September 12, 2014]
that India faces a shortage of 3,00,000 faculty members in its universities and
colleges. It further estimated that the shortage will increase at the rate of
1,00,000 each year. These are big numbers even for a country of one
billion-plus people and counting.
3. This
is the problem being faced more or less by every university or an institution
of higher studies in the world. Just for an example, one of the prestigious
universities of the world, the St. Augustine’s University at Raleigh, North
California, United States of America, was in heavy debts due to lack of funds,
it has stopped payments of many bills of which one amounting to approximately
$675,000 came to disclose in 2013.
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