PANAJI: Indicating that all is not well with the health of the Goa University, the Vice-Chancellor of the lone university in the state, Dr S R Shetye said that state government in association with the university should set up three task teams of concerned citizens of the state, dedicated to creation of a plan of action on the three tasks namely faculty, infrastructure and resources of the Goa University.
Dr Shetye, in his foreword to the annual report of the Goa University for the year 2014-15 which was tabled by Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar in the state legislative assembly on Monday, further said the core competence of any university is determined by quality of its faculty.
“During the last one year we found that getting good faculty is by no means an easy task,” he added, pointing out, “We are today facing an acute shortage of manpower with excellence in teaching and research, particularly at senior level, and therefore, need to explore all such possibilities to ensure that our students have access to the best faculty possible under the realities of today.
“My second concern revolves around building of infrastructure that is required to upgrade our education system by bringing in new programmes,” said the GU Vice-Chancellor, whose tenure at the university ends later this year, maintaining that this means being able to open new programmes, reorganise others, put in place faculty to teach them, and create laboratories and other infrastructure demanded by these programmes.
“Today, our campus of well over 400 acres sits amidst one of the most valuable land in the state,” he observed, mentioning that as it happens everywhere in the world, public land is often eyed for both public and private good, and the university will be able to withstand pressures on its land only if it has a well thought out campus development plan, a master plan. “Thirdly, any rejuvenation of the campus will require resources,” Dr Shetye said, adding that the university requires to put in place how much of it should come from the state, how much from private sector, and how much from philanthropists and alumni. “The three tasks I have outlined, and the ways to address them arose out of our discussions with one of the most respected sons of Goa, Charles Correa,” he stated, pointing out that the social and political system in this beautiful and small state with a unique history needs to arrive at a consensus on an action plan, to sustain long-term health of the university.
“(In that case), the future generations will be grateful that our generation stood up for them,” Dr Shetye said, concluding that let us also be aware that they may not take it kindly if we fail.
“That is how important higher education is in the 21st century,” he ended.
