Out of top 100: What is next for Assam University? Expert Comments

Assam University! A long dream and the harvest of many movements! Hundreds of letters/memorandums may have been written to get this University established here. The dream took long time to come true.

So the hopes and pride of the people of Barak will go up with this university, as expected, but those hopes have been dashed away, when the university failed to make it into the top 100 in the NIRF rankings. On the contrary, it has fallen far behind in the rankings. Why this situation in Assam University? What is the cause of this decline? In order to find the answers to these questions, the issue was put to some prominent people of Silchar.

Edited Excerpts:

Topodhir Bhattacharya, Former Vice-Chancellor, Assam University

During my tenure as the Vice Chancellor of Assam University from 2007 to 2012, the university was ranked in the top 40 twice. And for the second time, Assam University got 24th ranking. It was in much better condition than. So it feels very bad to hear the downgrade. But first the people have to understand the matter. They are silent, indifferent. So they don’t care about anything. I worked hard when I was Vice Chancellor and history has shown how much I improved.

From 1994 to 2014 – I taught for 20 consecutive years, and then I became the Vice Chancellor. So the relationship with this university is very strong. So it would be sad to hear such news. It is not necessary to build a university, it is a big responsibility to protect it, nurture it or take it forward. Perhaps it is very important to question ourselves in the current situation about how much we are fulfilling that responsibility.

Rajdeep Roy, Silchar MP

Yes, the ranking that has come is not desirable at all. We have to think about Assam University, we have to give more time. I hope that the management and professors will work together to improve the University of Assam.
And at the same time, I am also committed, I will help them in times of need. I will listen to their problems, try to understand them, take their problems to the right place and try to solve them. I will do as much as I need to. I am already keeping an eye on their work.

Sushmita Dev, Former Silchar MP

What Silchar NIT could do, Assam University could not do. I think the lack of qualification is behind this inability of Assam University. I believe that university decisions are not based on merit. In order for a university to reach a dignified state, it is not right to compromise on qualifications in any way. And it is also true that the collapse of a university is inevitable if it is compromised with merit. In my opinion, university appointments and decisions are not being made on merit. I am not saying that the Vice-Chancellor is involved here, but there is a lot of government interference. But despite the interference, a qualified person can be selected.

Pradeep Dutta Roy, Founding President, ACHKSA

The people of Barak Valley have agitated for this university for more than 10 years under the leadership of ACHKSA. It is the dream University of the people of this valley. So there is a lot of hope around this university. But in reality the opposite happened. Under the current Vice-Chancellor, this university is heading towards a final decline.

We know that when the ranking goes beyond a hundred, all grants from the centre stop. So to say, this university is going to become a Panchgram paper mill. This is our misfortune. So it is not possible to protect the university immediately if it is not managed properly.

But by challenging us, that is, by insisting against the movement that we did, a university was established in Tezpur. Tezpur University was non-affiliated and Assam University was affiliated. But that university has risen so high in the rankings today. Assam University has bowed its heads to the people of Assam. So the people here have to do something to protect the university again. I would say that the administration and this vice chancellor have failed miserably. This condition of the university has gone out of control.