There is also a Type III institution – the “minority” community run type. An institution run by minority managements – mainly Christian and Muslim groups – can seek central “affiliation” independent of the state it operates in; operate clear of all “interference” actually oversight. This has led to the mushrooming of abominations such as Karunya University our own version of the evangelical diploma mills of the US. The doddering old buffoon who runs our misnamed HRD ministry – Arjun Singh, possibly in keeping with the Kangress’s ambition to remian in power eteranally has issued a blank check to “minority” groups, hpoing in return for their undying support for our first family. The Christian church is already the 2nd largest owner of property in India after the government, and has a disproportionate number of schools and colleges the bulk of which are just glorified diploma mills. While it is true that some of the classic institutions of yore such as the Jesuit/Catholic run and a few Methodist run colleges have done very well, mainly due to hiring and retaining a diverse faculty they have today descended into nurseries of fundamentalism.

Thank you for taking the time to wade through a long and very verbose comment. I am flattered that you choose to dedicate time and space to clarify your stand, in response to my comments. I also love your style of writing!

I sincerely appreciate and learn from the very valid points you bring forth. Your last comment “Unless you are willing to compromise and pay someone major amounts, you cannot legitimately get into education” seems very credible and I respect your first hand experience and insight in the field.

I think where we might diverge a little is your pain at seeing us approach a foreign source for assistance. I am with you if you argue that the style, manner and level at which this was broached was poor. I am also in agreement with the view that we have a lot of house cleaning to do first – easing regulations and reducing government interference, before this step yields dividends. However, I believe that we seem to be lacking the creativity and endurance to establish the seeds of excellence for a world class university, without some serious involvement from external sources at the inception. Given the magnitude and charter of establishing a world class university, the experience in building a similar institution plays a vital role in recreating a new one. Hence, approaching the British and/or American systems for assistance is an excellent idea, but will fail if we do not correct the pitfalls you refer to.

On a slightly tangential note, I read with much joy your wonderful description of Instituto Thomas Jefferson. http://www.deeshaa.org/2006/12/05/instituto-thomas-jefferson/

Private schools in India, I presume, are less dependent on the government and have more latitude to be run as an enterprise. Do you think there is, or soon will be, any school in India that compares well with ITJ? If your answer is no, is it the government’s fault ?

Aditya

ISB does not even come under the purview of the current discussion.

And it can hardly be taken as a case study of a success.

Actually ISB only supports Atanu’s claim.

Lurker #1, do you know the degree from ISB IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY UGC, AICTE OR FOR THAT MATTER BY ANY ARM OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ( sorry for typing in capital).

Actually, ISB did not want to conform to the gubernatorial confinements and so has been robbed off any recognition. Another instance of lack of freedom given to educational bodies.

I wonder how many greenhorn engineering, medical or any UG student will go to a school without any recognition a la ISB ( I held ISB in highest regard, but to expect parents of a High School passout to send her to an unauthorized college is too much in India).

So, ISB actually stands out as an example of the curb of freedom rather than an example of a freedom in academics

ISB originally was to be in Maharashtra. The Maharashtra government wanted 15 percent reservation for Marathis. ISB said FU. Chandrababu Naidu then pleaded for ISB to locate in AP and helped with overcoming existing hurdles.

Yes, the example of ISB shows that one can say FU to the government and their endorsements. It can be done. But the effort required is heroic. And it does need a whole bunch of very influential very rich NRI to get this done. We are talking of one solitary institution with a few hundred students in a country with 200 million in the student age cohort.

The ISB is a case study of how difficult it is to start a world class institution in India because of the stranglehold of the government.

For the last few years I have been talking to people who have started and are running educational institutions. What I found gave me the heebee-jeebies. Unless you are willing to compromise and pay someone major amounts, you cannot legitimately get into education. That is a valid generalization and I stand by it.

Description of Hasty Generalization

This fallacy is committed when a person draws a conclusion about a population based on a sample that is not large enough.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/hasty-generalization.html

Regards,
Idler.

Business studies is more liberalised than most other studies in the country. However the conditions above apply to all engineering, medical, science and arts colleges. They also apply to post graduate study and PHd’s colleges.

It makes me wonder if Atanu has ever lived in India!

Ever heard of ISB? Let me know which one of the conditions mentiond here apply?