Caveats for Manipal Group

I was pleased to learn that the Manipal Group has ventured into school education (cover story, EW April). Given their long experience of providing high-quality medical and engineering education, I’m sure they will do a good job. However your story is not clear on how they will promote 50-100 schools within the next five years. I hope they don’t intend to adopt the franchisee route. In higher education, the Manipal Group has been able to maintain academic standards because all its 55 institutions are owned and administered by it. They must follow this ownership-administration model in school education as well.

Moreover I urge private educationists such as the Manipal Group to adopt government schools, and help bridge the technology and management gaps between private and government schools.

Nitin Khandekar
Ahmedabad

Advice for IIMs

The special report on the Bhargava Committee’s recommendations for the IIMs (EW April) made interesting reading. The author has done a good job in examining each recommendation dispassionately. Yet while it’s true that complete autonomy is a prerequisite of the IIMs emerging as world-class B-schools, I don’t understand how the establishment of a central advisory board will diminish their autonomy.

I believe the time has come for IIM managements to give up their ‘we know best’ attitude and embrace suggestions which will help them transform into world-class institutions of management education and especially, research.

Nupur Biswas
Kolkata

Homework suggestion

The proposal of the Jesuit Council of India (JCI) to establish a Central Xavier University of India (cover story, EW March) is momentous and merits serious consideration. Known for its integrity, humanism and universality, JCI should experience no hassles in getting approval for its proposal, except for funding support.

In this connection it might be advisable for JCI to do some home-work by getting in-principle approval for foregone funding from the state governments in which their colleges are functioning, and submit them to the Union HRD ministry and University Grants Commission. State governments’ approval of the proposal will increase the pressure on the HRD ministry, which may otherwise cite the danger of Centre-state conflict to stall the proposal.

Where there is will, there are many ways. I sincerely believe that the proposal to establish a Xavier University of India is in the public interest, and will pave the way for the pursuit of decentralised excellence in higher education in India.

Dr. A.S. Seetharamu
Bangalore

(Dr. Seetharamu was hitherto professor of education at ISEC, Bangalore and is currently education advisor to the Karnataka government — Editor)

Dangerous precedent

As argued in your last issue (EW March), under the Constitution of India, the Jesuits are entitled to promote a university of their own. But there’s a real danger that establishing a Central Jesuit university would encourage promotion of other faith-based higher education institutions across the country.

Therefore I can quite understand the Central government’s hesitation in giving the go-ahead for the Xavier University of India. Approval to the Jesuits will set a precedent for other religious organisations to promote universities as well. For example, militant Islamic or Hindu organisations might get encouraged to set up their own educational institutions. That would adversely affect the already depleting level of quality in the Indian higher education system.

Gautham Ramesh
Bangalore

(As reiterated in our cover story, Article 30(1) of the Constitution of India confers a fundamental right upon all religious and linguistic minorities “to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice”. Provided of course that they are not “militant”. — Editor)

Dhankar Monastery omission

The leisure and travel story, ‘The unspoilt charms of Lahaul & Spiti’ by Amrita Bose (EW March), refreshed memories of my visit to that beautiful region four years ago. The story must have aroused interest among EW readers and I am sure the valley will invite more people in the future.

However I feel that Dhankar Monastery (in Spiti) should have found mention in the story. Built nearly 1,000 years ago, it has a spectacular rocky setting. Once the site of the capital of Spiti, and later a jail, the monastery still displays interesting sculptures and frescoes.

Sachin Vaidya
Mumbai

Western dependence

I refer to your postscript ‘Unwarranted celebration’ (EW February 2009) on Slumdog Millionaire.

Only subsequent to the movie winning international awards and nominations, are the media and common people lauding it as an Indian success. Had it not won the Oscars, I doubt the film would have been noticed at all. It would have suffered the fate of most regional productions and low-budget films which are forgotten because they don’t receive international attention. It makes me wonder why 60 years after indepen-dence, we still depend on the West to appreciate Indian films.

Mahesh Kapasi on e-mail