Page 34 - EducationWorld April 2020 9-5-20

Cover Story

INDIA’S BEST PRIVATE ties aren’t necessarily financially

independent institutions. Autonomy
is conferred upon them by the Delhi-
AUTONOMOUS COLLEGES based University Grants Commission
(UGC) in acknowledgement of their
superior academic standards and
better learning outcomes. Under its
charter, UGC (estb.1956) monitors
It’s a sobering reminder to a nation being swayed by anti- and regulates all colleges and univer-
sities in India (except higher educa-
minority rhetoric that four of the Top 5 private autonomous tion institutions directly established
colleges are institutions promoted by various orders of by Acts of Parliament (IISc, IITs,
India’s minuscule Christian community IIMs etc) and technical education
institutes supervised and regulated
by the Delhi-based AICTE (All India
Council for Technical Education).
Under ss.12 and 26 of the UGC
Act, 1956, the commission is empow-
ered to confer autonomy on selected
undergrad colleges of over ten years
of standing with A Grade NAAC
(National Assessment and Accredita-
tion Council of India) certification,
if they apply for autonomous status.
However, award of autonomy to col-
leges of ten years-plus standing and
NAAC A grade certification is not
automatic. Additional inspection and
certification of high academic and
administrative standards by specially
constituted UGC task forces is neces-
sary. In short, the country’s 747 (De-
cember 2019) autonomous colleges
(out of a total 39,931 countrywide)
are officially acknowledged as a class
apart and above the vast majority of
SXM’s Dr. Rajendra Shinde (centre) & students celebrate: continuous reinvention the country’s undergrad colleges.
In the circumstances, it’s unsur-
n these troubled times when Ditto two of the Top 5 in the league prising that Dr. Rajendra Shinde,
the damage inflicted upon the table of the Top 100 non-autono- principal of St. Xavier’s College,
economy and society by the mous colleges ranked separately in Mumbai (SXM, estb.1869), is
Irampaging coronavirus aka Co- the EducationWorld India Higher delighted this 151-year-old college
vid-19 is being compounded by the Education Rankings 2020-21. is ranked national #1 in the inaugu-
anti-minority majoritarianism of the In these difficult times when the ral EducationWorld India Private
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) country is being divided by politi- Autonomous Colleges league table
and its ideological mentor organisa- cians and the economy debilitated with top scores under four — faculty
tion, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak by the coronavirus epidemic, it is competence, faculty welfare and de-
Sangh (RSS), it’s a sobering remind- apposite to appreciate the huge con- velopment, curriculum and pedagogy
er to the nation that four of the Top 5 tribution that the minority Christian and leadership — of the five pa-
in the EducationWorld India Private community and particularly its men rameters of education excellence by
Autonomous Colleges Rankings and women of the cassock and habit, which colleges have been evaluated
2020-21, are missionary institu- have made to undergraduate educa- this year. SXM provides high-quality
tions promoted by various orders of tion in post-independence India. arts, science and commerce degree
India’s minuscule (2.3 percent of the Contrary to popular belief, and some postgrad progammes and
population) Christian community. autonomous colleges and universi- has introduced its own self-designed

34 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2020