Within record time, the greenfield Martin Luther Christian University of Meghalaya has blossomed into a full-fledged professional education institution offering 25 undergrad and postgrad programmes to 4,000 students
Dr. GLENN KHAEKONGOR (formerly Christo) is a man with a mission; he’s also a man in a hurry. During a long and successful career (1986-2004) as senior vice president (planning and development) of the 55-institutions-strong Bangalore/Manipal-based Manipal Education and Medical Group, he played a major role in the transformation of this provincial private university into India’s premier higher education multinational with campuses in Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai and Antigua (West Indies). But in 2006 Kharkongor returned to his roots in the North-east state of Meghalaya to take charge as founder-vice chancellor of the newly-promulgated Martin Luther Christian University of Meghalaya (MLCU-M), established by a special Act of the state legislative assembly in 2005.
Since then, well before the university moves to its own 42-acre campus in 2016, Kharkongor has kick-started this institution founded with the mission statement “to contribute to the sustainable development of Meghalaya and Northeast India, while upholding and preserving its cultural heritage, by providing knowledge and skills that will enable our students to become global citizens” — and which holds classes in rented buildings scattered across the state’s administrative capital, Shillong (pop. 230,000) — into a full-fledged professional education university offering 25 undergrad and postgraduate programmes to 4,000 students mentored by 130 faculty . Not an individual to let the grass grow under his feet, Kharkongor has thus far affiliated 26 colleges and 12 community colleges as far afield as Karnataka and Kerala with MLCU-M.
“Despite its name which suggests an institute of divinity studies, MLCU-M is essentially a professional higher education institution offering employment-oriented, career advancement and livelihood study programmes such as English and communication, allied health sciences, management and commerce studies, tourism, social work, computer science, counseling psychology, fine arts and environment and ecosystem studies. We don’t offer conventional arts, science and commerce degree programmes. Within eight years since this in many ways, unique varsity was promoted, we are well on our way to establishing MLCU-M as a full-fledged inter-disciplinary careers and livelihoods university. I believe we have got off to a good start because all the 1,600 graduates and postgrads we have certified since 2009, have been placed with average start-up remuneration of Rs.12,000 per month, and there is strong demand from industry and service institutions for MLCU-M graduates and even short-term diploma holders,” says Kharkongor, an alum of CMC, Vellore and the Linda Loma University, California, and currently chancellor of MLCU-M.
The unique sales proposition of MLCU-M, which could serve as a model for education entrepreneurs, is the speed with which the university has got off the ground and the methodical and intelligent manner in which it has developed its proprietary syllabuses and curriculums to meet local needs and development. According to Dr. Robert Lyngdoh, an alum of NEHU (North Eastern Hill University) and XLRI, Jamshedpur, and former home and education minister of the Meghalaya state government (1998-2008) who quit politics to take charge as vice chancellor of MLCU-M last year, the quick promotion and operationalisation of this professional education university is a case study for potential promoters of higher education institutions.
“The time lag between conceptualisation of MLCU-M and admission of the first batch is a record by Indian standards. The legislation required to establish this unique university customised to meet pressing local needs, was passed unanimously by the Meghalaya legislative assembly in 2005, following which the Lutheran Health and Medical Board gave us a grant of a building valued at Rs.1 crore on condition we name the varsity after its founder. The syllabi and curricula have been designed in-house. Two-thirds of the content of all study programmes is standard and remaining core content adapted to the needs of the North-east region was developed by our faculty in-house. To develop the critical one-third of core syllabuses on an on-going basis, we have established Boards of Studies comprising eminent academics, industry leaders and NGO experts who help us design study programmes which prepare employment-ready graduates. Quite obviously the syllabi and curricula — focused on experiential and interactive learning — which we have designed and implemented in our classrooms in record time are excellent since we have a 100 percent placement record,” says Lyngdoh, who brings a wealth of corporate (Mafatlal Group), institution-building (Meghalaya Industrial Development Corp, 1988-98) and political (1998-2008) experience to his new assignment as vice chancellor of this new university.
Although MLCU-M is operating out of scattered makeshift premises, it has got off to a fast start because it has got its priorities right — syllabus and content development, and teacher recruitment and training. Given the reluctance of high-quality graduates of mainland India varsities to move to the North-east, the MLCU-M top brass has adopted the strategy of attracting well-qualified academics of North-east origin from the diaspora, offering the prized incentive of return to roots and opportunity to work for the emotionally satisfying cause of upliftment of long-neglected kith and kin.
This intelligent recruitment strategy has paid off with the varsity already having signed up and developed a 40-strong faculty of young (average age: 29), highly-qualified lecturers and professionals actively involved in the design and delivery of balanced curriculums addressing local needs and aspirations. For instance, MLCU-M’s biochem and allied health services department comprises 13 well-qualified faculty who teach in-house designed undergrad degree courses in medical lab technology, medical imaging, surgical technology, physician’s assistant, optometry, and community health, and postgrad programmes in medical imagery, optometry, microbiology and community mental health.
This faculty also contributes to teaching of reproductive health and sexuality addressing subjects such as reproductive biology, sexually transmitted diseases, child sexual abuse as well as life skills such as negotiation, communication, patient care, time management and self-esteem improvement. This foundation programme is compulsory for all undergrad and postgrad students.
“This curriculum has been designed to address the felt needs and requirements of young people in the North-eastern states. Moreover our faculty is trained to deliver this curriculum in transparent, non-punitive, pragmatic and non-judgemental ways,” says Jennifer War, head of the life skills programme at MLCU-M. A biochemistry and education postgrad of NEHU, War signed up with MLCU-M ab initio in 2006.
Likewise, MLCU-M has innovated undergraduate and postgrad syllabuses and curriculums in counselling psychology certifying 60 graduates and 49 postgraduates during the past six years since the university became operational. “There’s a growing need within schools, hosptials, churches and NGOs for trained counsellors and we are only the second university in India to offer the counselling psychology programme and the first to offer a degree programme in community mental health. We believe communities can — and should — recognise, support and rehabilitate mentally challenged people. Therefore recently we have admitted our first batch of M.Phil community mental health students who will set up community health centres and train home caregivers, and village volunteers apart from community health professionals,” says Marybon Sangma, an education and counselling psychology postgrad of the University of Cordilleras (Philippines), who taught in Micronesia (2002-05) prior to joining the eight-strong counselling psychology faculty of MLCU-M in 2008.
THE MLCU-M TOP management’s focus on designing study programmes to meet local needs is also evidenced by the fledgling university’s innovation in shaping the traditional Master of social work programme to suit regional conditions. During the past eight years, the faculty has trained and certified 135 social work graduates and 100 postgrads who have been snapped up by state governments and NGOs in the North-east.
“Our objective is to produce social work professionals and social entrepreneurs with critical thinking, problem-solving, networking and administrative skills with specific reference to the needs of the North-east states. Therefore our graduates are deeply involved in health, water and sanitation projects in tribal villages and habitats. Moreover, the university has established a model village which will integrate education, health, water and sanitation management,” says Melari Shisha Nongrum, a postgraduate of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and head of MLCU-M’s 20-strong department of social work.
Clearly, MLCU-M is shaping into an enterprise of great potential set to give huge impetus to the long-neglected concept of community colleges. The fact that this fledgling university has already affiliated 26 colleges countrywide is clear indication that the motivations and philosophy behind innovating employment-oriented study programmes, which offer a balance of liberal foundational education and job-specific training, is resonating with a growing number of sentient educationists and educators across the country. Little wonder that MLCU-M chancellor Glenn Kharkongor, who conceptualised and expeditiously streamed this distinctive university, is optimistic about its emergence as a model for quick-start higher education institutions.
“Now that our growth model has proved itself, we plan to introduce 20 new vocational programmes, affiliate learning institutions offering niche vocational education and promote a blended online-classroom programme with the Chennai-based Indian Medical Association’s College of General Practitioners to offer courses for MBBS practitioners to upgrade their skills. One of MLCU-M’s affiliated colleges is the Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation. Together, we will offer India’s first degree programme in gaming design and technology. We are also planning to introduce several ‘green industry’ MBA programmes for the agriculture sector in the North-east before we move to our composite campus in New Shillong in 2016. Our 100 percent placement record indicates that we’ve discovered the right higher education model suited to the needs and aspirations of the youth of the North-east states. I am confident that as we create a talent pool of skilled and job-ready youth in this region, industry will follow in a big way,” says Kharkongor.
In the national interest, it’s a consummation devoutly to be wished.