It is time varsities allow teachers’ assessment by students: Bais

Staff Reporter

Stating that universities and colleges have no right to mess with the future of their students, Governor of Maharashtra, Ramesh Bais said, “In the best universities of the world, teachers are often assessed by students. This system should be initiated in our colleges and universities too. The ranking of teachers is as important as the ranking of universities. This will help the students to make better choices of colleges and universities. Recruitment of the best faculty should be given priority by universities and colleges.” Bais was the chief guest at the centenary celebration awards function organised to mark the occasion of Teachers’ Day, by Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) on Monday at Dr Vasantrao Deshpande Hall. Former Judge of Supreme Court, Justice Vikas Sirpurkar was the guest of honour. Vice-Chancellor Dr Subhash Chaudhari, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Sanjay Dudhe and Registrar Dr Raju Hiwase also shared the dais. “I strongly feel that universities should improve their governance and make it student-centric. Universities should respond to students' questions. When students’ grievances are not addressed at the university level, the students approach the Vice Chancellor. Delay in declaration of results of various examinations is not acceptable at all. In many colleges and universities, 30 to 40 per cent of the posts of teachers are vacant. We must find ways and means to make our universities financially self-sufficient so that they can recruit and retain the best faculty members,” suggested Bais.

Commenting on the National Education Policy (NEP) and its advantages, Chancellor Bais pointed out, “NEP seeks to position India as a knowledge hub in today’s knowledge economy. Its aim is to prepare our youth for the 21st century while preserving our ancient values. Today, universities around the world are competing to provide the best courses and scholarships to attract and retain students. Often, these students stay abroad for better prospects, even after completing their education. It is about time that we also attract the best students from around the world to our universities and colleges. This can be made possible by bringing our education system at par with the level of the best universities and colleges in the world.”

“We need to accept new technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. You can create projects, write letters, make presentations, translate using AI tools like Chat GPT. While AI will bring many benefits to teachers and students, there will also be job losses. According to a report by McKinsey and Company, automation will make 40 to 80 crore jobs redundant by 2030. It is high time we introduced our graduates to Artificial Intelligence,” stressed the Governor. Justice Sirpurkar praised the university and its leadership for choosing the right people on whom the awards were conferred. He hoped that university would try to raise the bar. Vice Chancellor Dr Subhash Chaudhari also spoke on the occasion. Dr Varsha Deshpande, Dr Amruta Indurkar compered the programme while Dr Sanjay Dudhe proposed a vote of thanks.