Severe Educational Crisis: The Stalling of New Professional Courses at BRABU

Severe Educational Crisis: The Stalling of New Professional Courses at BRABU

Introduction

The gap between paper announcements and ground reality at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU), located in Muzaffarpur, has once again been exposed. While the university administration makes grand claims about empowering students' futures and providing modern, job-oriented education, administrative apathy and a lack of coordination between Raj Bhavan and the state government have left several important courses confined to files and proposals.

It has recently come to light that apart from the Master of Business Administration (MBA), the Food Technology course passed by the Senate last year has also failed to take off. Interestingly, these courses received official approval from the university's supreme body, the Senate, nearly a year and a half ago, yet they remain hanging in limbo.

The Incomplete Story and Hurdles of the MBA Department

About a year and a half ago, the university administration made a sweeping announcement to open a separate and new Management Department. In the initial phase, a few classes were temporarily started under distance education, but this initiative also soon went into cold storage.

Plan to separate from the Commerce Department: BRABU's plan was to spin off the MBA course from the traditional Commerce Department and establish it as a fully independent Management Department. Comprehensive preparations were made at the university level, and a list of teachers and non-teaching staff was duly sent to the state government for approval.

Self-Finance Mode vs. Regular Department: According to sources, the university wanted to run these new positions and courses like regular government departments. On the other hand, the state government's clear directive and proposal was to run professional courses like MBA under the Self-Finance Mode. Due to a failure to find common ground between the university's proposal and the government's policy expectations, the entire matter got stalled midway.

Post Creation Committee Proposal: The university had even passed proposals for the creation of posts for teachers and staff through the Post Creation Committee, but ultimately the matter faced a deadlock as the state government was not fully satisfied with the university's responses.

The Food Technology Course and Supervision by the Chemistry Department

Along with the MBA, a proposal to start a postgraduate (PG) level course in Food Technology was introduced last year. The plan was to run this course under the supervision of the university's PG Chemistry Department.

Rushed Syllabus Preparation: Keeping in view student trends and the market demand for food technology, a new syllabus was prepared in a very short time. Completing the procedural formalities, this syllabus was rushed through the Academic Council and the Senate for approval.

Silence or Unsatisfactory Response from the University to Government Queries: According to sources, when the proposal for this new course was sent to the state government, the government raised specific questions regarding the budget, infrastructure, and operational process of the curriculum. The responses sent by the university failed to satisfy the higher authorities and the government. As a result, important and modern subjects like Food Technology could not get the green light and remained entangled within the self-finance framework.

Courses Languishing Despite Senate Approval

This is not the first time at BRABU that courses have failed to start despite policy decisions and the Senate's stamp of approval. The record of previous years also testifies that the university administration passed several new courses on paper but failed to make serious efforts to implement them on the ground.

Plans during the Former Vice-Chancellor's Tenure: During the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Hanuman Prasad Pandey, approval was granted by the Senate for about four different types of MBA and management-related new courses. These courses were passed in 2020 and their syllabi were prepared, but today they only serve as decorations on paper.

The Fate of Mass Communication: The matter of starting popular and employment-oriented courses like Mass Communication in several constituent and affiliated colleges of the university was raised and passed in Senate meetings, but to date, regular classes have not properly commenced either on the university campus or in any college.

Stand of the University Administration

When contacted regarding this matter, Dean of Student Welfare (DSW) Prof. Alok Pratap Singh stated that a proposal has already been sent to the state government for the smooth operation and due approval of the new courses. The university administration is providing clarifications on all objections and points in accordance with the guidelines of the government. As soon as final approval is received from the government level, work toward starting these curricula will begin at a rapid pace.

The prolonged pending status of modern courses like Management and Food Technology at BRABU demonstrates the deep lack of administrative sensitivity and transparency in higher education. While students yearn for employment-oriented and technical degrees in the modern era, precious time is being wasted due to the tussle between the university and the administration. If the university administration does not improve its working style and enhance coordination with the government, such proposals will continue to remain nothing more than empty paper horses in the future.