Time of reckoningWhile making politically correct noises about constitutional proprieties and avoiding witch-hunts, newly appointed Union human resource development minister Arjun Singh is setting about his campaign to ‚Ëœdetoxify‚ academic institutions falling under the supervisory jurisdiction of the HRD ministry with rare determination. In pursuit of his scarcely-disguised hindutva agenda, his predecessor the unlamented Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, had infiltrated a substantial number of ill-qualified sangh parivar sympathisers, if not activists, into advisory academic institutions such as the National Council of Education Research & Training (NCERT) and the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) among others where they recklessly tampered with syllabuses and structural hierarchies. Now it‚s a time of reckoning.The first to get the chop is J.S. Rajput, director of NCERT ‚ one of the largest publishers of textbooks for government and CBSE schools ‚ who merrily commissioned doctored history and social science textbooks propagating unsubstantiated hindutva myths as historical facts. Rajput, whose term as director ends this month has been refused an extension. On June 21, Anil Kapoor secretary of the council was replaced by Vivek Bharadwaj. Moreover the entire membership of the council is likely to be replaced shortly.Likewise in ICHR even as a new committee of historians has been appointed to advise on amending and/ or rewriting doctored history textbooks, Prof. Kapil Kumar, member-secretary has been given his marching orders. And right now Singh reportedly has Ashok Ganguly, chairman of CBSE in his cross hairs. According to reliable sources, Ganguly was more royalist than the king in doing the bidding of Rajput and Joshi while they tampered with CBSE textbooks via a coterie of handpicked shallow academics.Faculty appointment UP styleIn India‚s most populous and wild west state of Uttar Pradesh ruled over by wrestler turned lawyer turned chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav (declared assets Rs.1.1 crore), mob rule is as prevalent in the groves of academia as in the streets of Lucknow, the state‚s run-down capital. Recently the services of 50 part-time teachers of Lucknow University were ‚Ëœregularised‚ i.e. transformed into permanency, even though some of them averaged less than 50 percent in their postgrad qualifying exams. Regularisation was conceded by an emergency meeting of LU‚s executive committee forced by an ugly demonstration by part-time teachers who shouted slogans and hurled abuses at the pro-vice chancellor and even manhandled a professor to drive home the seriousness of their agitation. Their demand was made under the recently amended s.31 of the State Universities Act which allows substantive appointment of part-time teachers working on or before December 1997 to lecturer grade, provided posts are vacant in the department and candidates fulfil the university‚s eligibility criteria. Among the appointments regularised were of 26 part-time teachers who couldn‚t manage even a first division degree. Of the new lecturers, 31 scored less than 60 percent in their high school and intermediate exams while two science teachers were second divisioners in their undergrad and postgrad exams. The University Grants Commission‚s definition of “good academic record” for general candidates who can be appointed as full time faculty members translates into a minimum average of 55 percent in undergrad and postgrad exams, besides NET or Ph D qualifications. Not surprisingly ten of those whose services were regularised were close relatives of serving or former university teachers. Quite obviously in Mulayam‚s raj, institutions of education are run more for the benefit of teachers than students. The latter are a secondary nuisance.Charitable explanationThe ‚Ëœhappiness index‚ is sky-high on the sylvan campus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C). In a prompt 180-degree about turn which has pleased everybody and has been the butt of many a wry joke among Kolkata‚s literati, the institute recently reversed its earlier decision to abide by the fee cut prescribed by the imperious former Union HRD minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi. At the receiving end of the jibes is Yogi Deveshwar, chairman of cigarettes and hotels behemoth ITC Ltd who is also the incumbent chairman of IIM-C‚s board of governors. Though the latter appointment is ornamental, quite evidently Deveshwar values it highly because until the unexpected defeat of the seemingly impregnable NDA government at the hustings, Deveshwar strongly supported Joshi‚s arbitrary 80 percent tuition fees cut “with disgusting sycophancy”. In mid-June, fresh appointments were made to the IIM-C board by the new HRD minister Arjun Singh replacing six Joshi nominees. All the six new members are apolitical appointees and include G.P. Goenka, Duncans Group chairman, S.M. Datta, former Hindustan Lever chairman and Aveek Sarkar, chief editor of the ABP Group of publications, among others. Inexplicably Singh spared Deveshwar who has chosen to hang on as chairman of the board which rescinded all his decisions taken a couple of months ago. The charitable explanation is that Deveshwar‚s interest in management education is greater than his fear of further humiliation.Twin track diplomacyYear after year, even as millions of Indian youth sweat it out in serpentine queues for admission into Delhi University‚s (DU) 80-plus colleges, grappling with ill-mannered clerks manning their counters, admission procedures for foreign students are a breeze.The Foreign Students Registry of DU, which manages over 600 off-shore students each year ensures that the admission procedure is a seamless ‚ and pleasant one ‚ for them. Every year students from 50 countries apply for admission into DU, registration formalities for which begin in January. After timely sifting, admission letters are sent out end May so that students can apply for visas. Suprisingly DU‚s official website for overseas applicants which updates them about admission procedures is upto scratch, even as its desi avatar works whimsically. And it‚s not just admissions which are a cinch for foreign ‚especially white ‚ students. Though British and American universities charge foreign students full fees, in DU even foreign students‚ education is highly subsidised. They have to pay a mere $100 per annum plus a nominal one-time registration fee. Moreover, while Indian students are packed like sardines in dingy hostels (if they are lucky to get accommodated at all), for foreign students there‚s the spiffy International Students House ‚ equipped with all mod cons including microwave ovens, rice cookers, washing machines, television and refrigerators. Comments a DU admission official: “Overseas students go on to become our brand ambassadors and help in promoting the country‚s image abroad.” Never mind the university‚s plummeting image back home.