Page 24 - EW may 2026

Education News

Amaravati as the sole capital, revive ners/architects including Surbana uous misrule of the Communist Party
stalled infrastructure projects, and Jurong, a Singapore-based urban of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left Front
simultaneously push education and planning giant, which has prepared government which de-industrialised
innovation-led initiatives. the overall city master plan (land West Bengal and ruined the state’s
Naidu’s renewed capital push is use, zoning, transport networks, and education institutions by packing
not merely an exercise in administra- urban structure); Norman Foster & them with under-qualified party ap-
tive consolidation; it is being framed Partners (legislative assembly, high paratchiks, the general expectation
as the foundation of a broader hu- court and secretariat) and Hafeez was that she would accord high pri-
man capital development strategy. Contractor (local partner and col- ority to restore them to their former
Both Naidu and his Stanford and laborating architect) are designing glory. But a series of school teacher
Carnegie Mellon University-educated AP’s new capital. recruitment scams, politicisation of
son and education minister, Nara If Amaravati emerges as a well- campuses, and fiscal neglect belied
Lokesh, have placed education planned state capital offering rare these expectations.
at the centre of Andhra Pradesh’s ease of living and a knowledge hub — The steady decline of the state
long-term development plan with the as seems likely — Naidu won’t only government funded and adminis-
explicit goal of transforming the state quickly vault AP into India’s most tered Jadavpur University (JU) —
into India’s most highly educated developed state, but also earn a place the pride of Bengal — is symbolic of
and skill-intensive economy. In this of honour in history yet to be written. the gradual decline of West Bengal’s
context, Amaravati is envisioned not Priyanka Edupuganti (Hyderabad) prized higher education system. Once
just as a seat of government, but as ranked among India’s premier pub-
a deliberately designed knowledge WEST BENGAL lic universities, JU has descended
capital being constructed with a sub- into administrative chaos in recent
stantial budget of Rs.50,000 crore. Education neglect years. A prolonged vice chancellor
r. Carol Upadhya, professor of vacancy following the retirement of
Dsociology at the National Insti- outcome Prof. Suranjan Das in 2023 was exac-
tute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru erbated by a power struggle between
sounds a note of warning. “In large- the TMC government and the
scale planned cities, there is often a Governor, ex officio chancel-
tendency for physical infrastructure lor of all 38 universities state-
and land development to take prece- wide. This face-off paralysed
dence, with knowledge institutions governance, stalled academic
such as universities and research processes, delayed faculty
ecosystems expected to follow later. salaries and has eroded the
However, it is advisable for educa- nationwide reputation and
tion institutions to be planned and credibility of JU. On April
built as a foundational layer from 24, Prime Minister Narendra
the outset. This will prevent Ama- Modi who campaigned exten-
ravati from evolving primarily as an sively in West Bengal, pub-
administrative and real estate project licly criticised JU as a “den
before it matures into a knowledge of anarchy and anti-national
hub,” says Upadhya. Former CM Banerjee: prophecy foretold activity”.
It’s well-accepted that 21st cen- JU’s numbers are telling.
tury India’s next growth spurt will he unprecedented victory of the State funding has consistently fallen
not come from its overcrowded and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) far short of requirements, forcing des-
unkempt metros and large cities but Tin West Bengal’s legislative perate appeals to alumni to maintain
tier-I and tier-II habitations. After election hasn’t come as a surprise. It basic operations. Simultaneously,
Chandigarh was designed and con- is the logical culmination of a long- nearly half of non-teaching posts and
structed by brilliant French architect brewing crisis in the state’s education over a third of faculty positions are va-
Le Corbusier in the 1950s, no new system — a crisis repeatedly flagged by cant. The consequences of this neglect
towns or cities have sprung up on In- EducationWorld and described as the are declining student applications in
dian soil to relieve the country’s hard Achilles’ heel of the incumbent All In- core disciplines; vacant engineering
pressed 374 cities with over 1 million dia Trinamool Congress (TMC) in this seats in a state once known for tech-
population. column last month. nical excellence, research disruption
This time round, some of the When the TMC led by Banerjee and scholar distress due to halted
world’s most respected town plan- ended 34 years (1977-2011) of contin- funding streams.

24 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2026