Opinion Private vs public universities: Education fails where ‘knowledge’ has a market value
The emergent politics of knowledge tends to devalue critical thinking, or the very idea of liberal humanistic education. The result is the mushrooming growth of all sorts of technical institutions selling education as an overpriced packaged commodity
It is sad to see that our public universities — even the most reputed ones — are in decline, writes Avijit Pathak. (Express File Photo)
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As I reflect on the steady decline of liberal, affordable, inclusive and intellectually vibrant public universities in the country with anguish and sadness, I feel that I was at least lucky. With deep gratitude, I recall the contributions of two leading public institutions — Presidency College in Kolkata and Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi — in shaping my thoughts and visions. Of course, these two institutions enriched my academic foundations. But I learned something more that today’s hyper-competitive, career-conscious generation can seldom think about. Education, I learned, is not merely the acquisition of a market-driven or job-oriented “skill”; there is something more to education than the mythology of “placement and salary package”. No wonder, I learned how to think, raise critical questions, sharpen the democratic art of listening, and above all, see beyond my specialised academic knowledge, and take active interest in cinema, politics, literature and social movements. Moreover, because of the largely inclusive and pluralistic character of these universities, my mental horizon began to expand. I learned the lesson of empathy, or the ability to go beyond my caste, class, religion and other markers of “identity”. Possibly, these institutions helped me to sharpen the power of dialogic citizenship.
However, things are changing fast. It is sad to see that our public universities — even the most reputed ones — are in decline. There are two reasons for this. First, in recent times, the political landscape of the country has changed drastically. Call it authoritarianism or electoral autocracy — the fact is that the spirit of democracy is in danger. With the rise of hyper-nationalism, religious fundamentalism and cult of narcissism, all creatively nuanced critical voices, it seems, are suspected and stigmatised as potentially “anti-national”. No wonder, academic freedom — the fundamental prerequisite for free and creative thinking — is seen to be a threat. Any careful observer of the prevalent academic scenario would concede that these days politically appointed vice-chancellors make it a point that everybody follows the “line”. A professor, for instance, will hesitate to organise a seminar on the Palestine crisis; a student of sociology will not feel comfortable to write a critical paper on, say, the politics of Golwalkar and Savarkar; and it will be exceedingly difficult to teach Tagore and Gandhi in the prevalent toxic environment. It is like attacking the very idea of studentship. It is like restraining the oceanic flow of knowledge, and confining it to a fixed dogma or an ideology.
Is it the reason why all efforts are being made to stigmatise some of our leading public universities? Ask an average citizen. Because of the ruling regime’s propaganda, she/he is likely to tell you that no meaningful learning takes place in JNU because it is full of “tukde tukde gang”; that the students of Jamia Millia Islamia are funded by Islamic fundamentalists; and that Maoists/urban Naxals cause all sorts of disturbance in Jadavpur university. It is like creating an environment in which public universities are being perceived as essentially problematic and disturbed zones.
Second, together with the stigmatisation of public universities, we see yet another trend — the neoliberal assault on the very idea of libertarian education. As market fundamentalism becomes the order of the day, education is being seen as just a tool for economic productivity, or an instrument for producing compliant workers for the techno-corporate enterprise. The emergent politics of knowledge tends to devalue critical thinking, or the very idea of liberal humanistic education. The result is the mushrooming growth of all sorts of technical institutions selling education as an overpriced packaged commodity — a “skill” that neoliberal techno-capitalists can use. It is like devaluing history, literature and political philosophy, and giving one-sided importance to technology, finance and management.
Likewise, we are seeing yet another trend: The establishment of fancy/corporate private universities that promise to “rescue” liberal arts and humanities. And those who belong to the economically affluent and aspiring class, it seems, do not want to study in “politically disturbed” public universities like JNU and Jadavpur; instead, they prefer elitist/exclusivist/corporate “liberal” universities. No politics, no protest, no disturbance! Instead, spend, say, Rs 12 lakh per year, enjoy a “peaceful” campus — its swimming pool, its cafeteria, its golf garden, and prepare yourself for “holistic development”. It is like reproducing socio-economic inequality. While the state is neglecting public universities in terms of funding, infrastructure development and recruitment of competent faculty, those who can afford it will begin to send their children to corporate private universities — sanitised, depoliticised and “value neutral”.
Even though it is exceedingly difficult to resist the decline of public universities in the age of rising authoritarianism and neoliberal instrumental rationality, we need to raise our voice, assert the importance of liberal/democratic/inclusive public universities, and celebrate the praxis of libertarian education. I recall philosopher Martha Nussbaum’s reminder that not everything is for the market. Education is not merely for economic productivity; meaningful education sensitises us, and makes us alert and awakened citizens for a democratic society. Likewise, Henry Giroux — a leading proponent of critical pedagogy in our times — is repeatedly reminding us that it is only the spirit of critical thinking that can inspire young minds to resist what we are witnessing in our times — the rise of authoritarianism, religious fundamentalism and neoliberal techno-fascism.
Is it time to initiate a movement to save our public universities for libertarian education?
The writer taught sociology at JNU for more than three decades
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