http://www.sakaaltimes.com/sakaaltimesbeta/20111205/4704413316152401302.html
Sakaal Times - Is Pune still the Oxford of the East?
Two factors have contributed to Pune’s emergence and predominance as a centre of excellence in education. The first was the presence, over the years, of stalwart figures like Phule, Gokhale, Tilak, Karve, Agharkar and others; and later, the establishment of some of the finest institutes of learning and research in the city. By the mid-90s, Pune had been called the Oxford of the East. But are we still so ? Sakàl Times finds out.
WE HAVE LONG WAY TO GO, MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE
Yes, I do believe Pune is entitled to be called the Oxford of the East, but we still have a long way to go, and much more needs to be done to come up to internationally acceptable standards as far academic excellence is concerned.
It is not as if we do not know what needs to be done. The Union HR ministry, the AICTE, the universities, all have viable plans, but our systems are slow.
My institute has just signed an MoU with the Statfordshire University in UK. We will be exchanging students and faculty. There must be more such tie-ups to bring Pune on the world academic map.
The initiative lies with both private sector as well as the government. If Pune is to retain its position as Oxford of the East, we will have to attract students not only from all over the country, but from all over the world.
Capt. Shivaji Mahadkar, honorary secretary, All India Shri Shivaji Memorial Society
PUNE PROVIDES AFFORDABLE AND QUALITY EDUCATION
Pune is still the most sought-after city for Indian and overseas students aspiring to pursue higher education. Hence, even today we can boast of being the Oxford of East. The education imparted in institutes here is the best in terms of quality, yet it is affordable to all. This is an unique feature of our educational system, and the reason why the city shines on the global map.
Dr Gajanan Ekbote, president, Progressive Education Society & former pro-vice chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
LET US NOT COMPARE OUR EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS WITH FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES
As it was in the past, Pune remains the educational capital of India even today. But I believe we should not draw any comparison between education offered here and that in any eminent foreign universities.
If we refer to history, Nalanda and Takshasheela vidyapeeths in India were the global hubs of education in the olden times. Taking inspiration from that, we should try and carve our own distinct identity by offering high quality education in all streams of knowledge.
Dr Vishwajeet Kadam, secretary, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Pune
STUDENTS FROM INDIA AND ABROAD THRONG TO PUNE
Yes, Pune is still recognised as the Oxford of the East because a number of quality educational institutes are being established here even today. Students across the country and around the world are attracted to the city due to the wide range of professional courses, quality education and academic environment here.
Dr R G Pardeshi, principal, Fergusson College
PUNE LEADS IN IT AND BIO-TECHNOLOGY TOO
The city is indeed the Oxford of the East! Earlier, it pioneered in imparting education in
streams like Arts, Commerce and Science, and now Pune leads in professional education as well as newer streams like IT and biotechnology. In my opinion, the city scores over many renowned foreign universities, in terms of the number of educational institutes as well as the quality of education offered by them.
P A Inamdar, president, Maharashtra Cosmopolitan Education Society
FACILITIES AND ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT HELP INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Pune is still the Oxford of the East. The literacy rate in the city is on the rise. The infrastructural facilities and academic environment are also conducive to intellectual growth. Pune has a good number of colleges and universities, which offer various kinds of opportunities, especially in research and development. There are facilities that help students acquire super-specialisation skills required over and above the professional skills that are already available, like knowledge of a foreign language, additional computational tools, access to industry for practical projects and so on. Students also get exposure to the global scenario in their respective fields, as they share space with foreign students who come to study here.
Sanjay Chordia, founder-president & chairman, Suryadatta Group of Institutes
WE HAVE BEST RESOURCES FOR MEDICINE AS WELL
Pune was and still is the pioneer in the field of education and can be aptly identified even today with the sobriquet, the Oxford of the East. As far as medical education is concerned, Pune has the best resources too. The city is producing doctors whose expertise are acclaimed all over the world. Also, medical colleges in Pune have been producing the best faculty that have a thorough understanding of the field. All this makes Pune a global leader in education.
Dr Mrudula Phadake, former vice-chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
THE NUMBER OF OUTSTATION STUDENTS IS RISING RAPIDLY
Among other cities in India, Pune is still the most preferred destination for education. Over a period of time, we have witnessed a marked rise in the number of educational institutions in the city. The number of outstation students, who come to Pune to pursue their studies, has also been growing rapidly. Therefore, we can proudly say that Pune today is the Oxford of East, like it was in the past.
Dr Anil Sahasrabudhe, director, College of Engineering Pune
MODERN AND ANCIENT STUDIES GET PRIORITY HERE
Yes, it definitely is the Oxford of the East. No other city in the country holds the status of being the Oxford of the East. It’s not only due to the large number of educational institutes, but also because of the quality of education imparted here. Along with modern branches like engineering, medical, computers and so on, it’s a prime centre for archaeological studies as well. Historical institutions like Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Bharat Itihas Samshodhak Mandal, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, University of Pune and Deccan College Deemed University have retained the quality of research and education. Pune has the right combination of research centres of modern studies and ancient art and culture. Mushrooming of educational institutes and colleges in the city has not affected the degree of excellence in education; in fact, Pune has maintained its standard of education.
Dr G B Deglurkar, president, Deccan College Deemed University
WE SHOULD BECOME A MODEL FOR OTHERS
Pune is known as the hub of education, not only at the national level but also on the global map. However, we have to strive hard to keep this status intact. The quality of education offered by our institutions here should be of the international level or say even a step ahead, so as to become a model for others to emulate. This would only ensure that Pune remains a preferred hub of education.
Dr AV Patwardhan, chairman, Deccan Education Society
NO OTHER INDIAN CITY CAN DO JUSTICE TO THIS TITLE
As of today, Pune has retained its identity as a centre of education and culture. When we compare it with other cities in India, none of them is on a par to hold this title. I have visited Oxford and Cambridge universities and I can say that in spite of various problems like environmental pollution, vehicular traffic, increasing population and so on, Pune is competent. There will come a day when Western countries will look at India, Pune in particular, for a value-based universal education system. I believe in the prophecy Swami Vivekanand made in 1893 that India will emerge as a knowledge corner of the world in the 21st century, and I think Pune will be its knowledge centre.
Dr Vishwanath Karad, founder, MIT group of institutions
(Inputs by Prasad Joshi, Supriya Shelar, Prachee Kulkarni & Shashwat Gupta Ray)
NOT OXFORD, PUNE IS THE BOSTON OF THE EAST !
Dr S B Mujumdar, Chancellor, Symbiosis International University, recalls, “It was in the late 50s that the then prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru play casino happened to visit Pune and saw several constituent colleges affiliated to the Pune University, and he commented that Pune appears to be the Oxford of the East. That was the genesis of the sobriquet.”
“But I think we need to re-think on how accurate that label is in the present context. The vice chancellor of Oxford University, Prof. Andrew Hamilton was in India this year, and he informed that Oxford has 31 colleges which are all autonomous, frame their own syllabi, and are either self-financing or funded with endowments; only their degrees are given by Oxford. This is quite unlike the situation that now prevails in Pune. We now have one university and seven deemed universities, and therefore it is not quite accurate to call Pune the Oxford of the East,” explains Dr Mujumdar.
“I would much rather call Pune the Boston of the East. You see, Boston in US is an academic center with more than 100 colleges and universities including renowned ones like Harvard, Cambridge and Massachusetts. Pune is more like Boston than Oxford,” he points out.
On a lighter note, he adds, “There is another curious similarity between Boston and Pune. Just as the well known educational institutions of Pune were largely set up by Puneri Brahmins, the wealthy and influential British origin families of New England in US who developed academia in Boston and Harvard are known as the ‘Boston Brahmins’.”
WE NEED A REALITY CHECK TO MATCH GLOBAL QUALITY
Prataprao Pawar, chairman of the Sakal Media Group, an engineer by qualification, who studied in Pune, feels that the city earned the title of the Oxford of the East at a point of time when Pune was the preferred destination for students seeking professional and technical courses which were offered by institutions which had earned a reputation for academic excellence. But that was more than three or four decades back.
“We need to take a reality check. We still do not match global standards, and several institutions in the city do not offer the quality of education that can match industry expectations. We need to be able to match the standards of the IITs and the IIMs,” he points out.
“I am told that 25 % seats were left vacant in Pune. This means the city is no longer the sought after academic destination that it once was. There is a strong need for involving industry to create courses that fulfil existing requirements. Examples like the participative content created with Bharat Forge in a Baramati college, need to be replicated,” he says.
“I am not against commercialisation of education provided there is upgradation of standards of teaching and research. Eventually we will have to contend with market forces,” he adds.
“But honestly, Pune has a long way to go if it has to truly justify the title of Oxford of the East,” he adds.
AMITABH DASGUPTA
editor@sakaltimes.com
EDUCATION HAS BECOME A PROFIT-MAKING BUSINESS
Actor Dr Mohan Agashe feels there is a vast difference between the past and present situation in Pune. He believes that with privatisation, education has become a business with profit as its aim. And that we shouldn’t even talk of Pune being the Oxford of the East.
“The current American pattern of education in the city is way too expensive and lacks professionalism. Degrees can be bought by paying money. Honestly, education in the city has neither quality nor reliability. At present, there are very few institutes that really impart education to students.” He also thinks this is affecting the lot of dedicated teaching professionals. “Moreover, the education today is also widening the gap between the rich and poor,” he says.
THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION LEAVES A LOT TO BE DESIRED
Dr Deepak Shikarpur, an IT entrepreneur and writer, says that Pune has a vast base of educational institutes of global standards and has created an impact as far as the number of institutes is concerned. “However, the quality of education offered here leaves a lot to be desired. Whatever worked in the 20th century need not work in the 21st. We should keep in mind that in today’s technology-driven higher education scenario, history will not repeat itself on its own.” He adds that Pune is a preferred destination for many, including foreign students, but if it has to continue to lead the race, then the focus must be on quality and value-based education.
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