Good to hear that DU is doing well. It just points to mismanagement by previous
administrations at GU that set GU behind by many crores of rupees. I did only
my high school and pre university education (old days)under GU but I do feel
sad when I drive by GU from the airport.
I am hoping that the current VC, whom I knew from childhood as someone with
integrity, will turn things around. He is capable of doing it if internal
politics in GU and Dispur does not derail him.
Dilip Deka
Buljit Buragohain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
DATELINE DIBRUGARH/Wasbir Hussain
Vibrant University, good business sense
Dibrugarh University (DU) Vice Chancellor Dr Kulendu Pathak gave me a pleasant
surprise during a conversation over dinner last fortnight. We have an
accumulated surplus of around Rs 8 crore as of now, he told me when I asked
him about his Universitys fiscal situation. First of all, I asked him that
question because his counterpart at Gauhati University (GU) had put in his
resignation a few days back, apparently fed up with the perennial cash crunch
that has hit the Varsitys growth. Dr Pathak didnt elaborate, but the
Universitys Registrar Dr Kandarpa Deka said that fiscal management
initiatives, including austerity measures and efforts at resource generation,
are the primary reasons for the surplus that the VC was talking about.
I dont know much about the DUs internal matters, but I found the University
vibrant, the location really scenic and lush, and the 500-acre campus neat and
clean with well-paved roads. That itself is creditable, compared to the
dilapidated environs of many institutions across Asom, GU included. Im glad I
accepted the invitation from the Universitys Centre for Management Studies to
participate in a panel discussion on the occasion of its annual extravaganza
called Sanmilan. Well, before I talk a bit about the Management Studies Centre,
I must say that the dinner venue was the nice little Guest House within the
University campus. Im saying this because the sight of the GU Guest House, as
one drives by, is saddening.
The University started its Management Studies Centre on February 3, 2003 and is
currently running three programmes: MBA, BBA and Postgraduate Diploma in
Tourism Management. What is important, as the Vice Chancellor told me, was that
all these courses are paid courses, and this has enabled the Management Studies
Centre to be self supporting. If the students at the Centre are young and
vivacious, the faculty is equally enthusiastic. Yes, the auditorium called
Rangghar was fairly good, except for the poor acoustics. But, during events
like these, organized by students and a group of young teachers, the sincerity
of purpose and enthusiasm helps cover up minor shortcomings.
Universities, particularly in states like Asom where funds have been a problem,
must try and generate their own resources. For that to happen, these
institutions must think out of the box and come up with courses that are job
oriented, interesting and unconventional. The Management Studies Centre is one
such initiative. Im glad that the Centre has roped in the expertise of people
with imagination, initiative, resources and drive to be on its Board and steer
it to success. People like industrialist Manoj Jalan or tea administrator Robin
Borthakur have the experience and exposure behind them to do exactly this by
being on the Centres Board.
Now, coming to the topic of deliberation at the panel discussion organised by
the Centre on the occasion: Unlocking the North-easts potential: Challenges
Ahead. One way to unlock the regions potential, I would say unhesitatingly,
is the initiative of the institutes of higher learning located in the eight
states. We must come up with tailor-made courses that can provide employment
avenues to our youths. Bringing out graduates and postgraduates is fine, but a
state like Asom needs youths trained in tea factory management, tourism
professionals, even mule and horse breeding (Manoj Jalan, who owns several
horses, all thoroughbreds, told me mules are in great demand among the troopers
in the frontier), professionals who can bring the self-help groups into some
sort of an organised sector etc. It is futile waiting for an odd gas cracker to
take shape. We need to cash in on our potential and move on. What we lack are
workable location-specific projects that actually yield
results. The Centre can come up with a list of such projects to start with. I
quite liked what former State Chief Secretary H.N. Das said at the meet. He
said Indias Look East Policy might succeed in acting as a bridge between the
country and the neighbouring Asian Tigers, but the North-east could continue to
remain the underbelly of this bridge unless its infrastructure gets a massive
boost and the region is readied to reap the benefits. The North-east must learn
to change and succeed under any conditions. Well, thats the motto of the
book Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber that Himadri
Barman and his team at the Centre for Management Studies had presented me. The
story of the penguins can inspire all of us, and we in the North-east certainly
need loads of that!
(The Sentinel,20.10.2007)
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