The falling standard of education in various universities at present is causing great anxiety. The administration, educationists and others concerned with education are making efforts to check this deterioration.
Many proposals have been put forward to check this evil by Commissions and Conferences of Vice-chancellors. According to many surveys the main cause of this evil is the lack of interest shown by the teachers in teaching work.
There are many reasons which have led to this situation. These days teachers have to take a large number of classes. Man’s capacity of doing work has a limit and teachers can only prepare themselves for their lecture to a certain extent. So, by increasing the working hours or the number of classes the standard of teaching naturally goes down.
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Another factor responsible for the fall of the standard of education relates to the emoluments of the teachers. The status and emoluments of a teacher do not compare favourable with those of other equivalent posts.
So good teachers after accepting the teacher’s job to start with try for a better job elsewhere and as soon as they get government or other remunerative jobs they leave the teaching professions. They, therefore, during their stay in the institutions do not show much interest in their work.
The third cause relates to training. The appointment of students coming straight after completing their studies in the university, as teachers is also responsible for the low standard of education. Although it is only at pre-university stages that demand for trained teachers is made, but trained and experienced teachers will prove of much value to universities also.
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It will be better if, at first, university teachers are appointed as research assistants and made to do research work, or such persons are selected as teachers who are working as research assistants. It will also be better if a degree or research experience of a definite period is fixed, as a precondition for appointment on the teaching staff of a university.
Removal of other shortcomings will also prove helpful in raising the standard of education. The teaching hours and the number of classes should reasonably be reduced, pay scales should be raised and facilities and opportunities for further studies should be provided. Financial help during study leave or ordinary leave, maintenance of funds, and assistance for higher studies and research work should also be given to teachers.