Pune: Fading sheen?

On a visit to Pune in the late 1950s, Jawaharlal Nehru was so impressed with its array of top-notch educational institutions that he described the city as “the Oxford of the East.” The sobriquet stuck, but the city regarded as the cultural capital of Maharashtra is now grappling with a looming threat to its long-held position as  one of India’s preeminent higher education hubs.

What ails Pune’s education scene? For one, supply far outstrips demand and many of the 190 management institutes in the city are struggling to attract students. The better-equipped institutes are on a relatively safe wicket as of now because the city still receives a steady flow of students not only from other parts of India but also from beyond India's shores. But the private teaching shops that aren’t up to scratch face a bleak future.   

This worrisome scenario is unfolding despite the fact that Pune University has the distinction of being India’s first seat of learning that has set up an international students’ centre. In the last decade, over 15,000 foreign students have graduated from Pune University.

Besides being home to the famed Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), the alma mater of some of Indian cinema’s finest actors and technicians, Pune is the cradle of India’s military leadership. The National Defence Academy (NDA), which produces officer cadets for all three arms of the defence forces (Army, Navy and Air Force), is located in Khadakwasla, only 17 km away.

In addition, this city is regarded as a research hub for those who want to pursue higher education. This is because some of the country's most prestigious research institutes are located in Pune – the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), the National Institute of Virology (NIV), the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Deccan College, among many others.

It is, therefore, no wonder that of the 40,000-odd foreigners who are in India pursuing higher studies, as many as 19,000 students from 18 different countries are enrolled in the colleges of Pune. The city’s moderate climate, small-town yet cosmopolitan ambience, cultural vitality and new-age entertainment avenues make it the favourite destination for students of all hues. Pune’s proliferating colleges and institutes had hitherto managed to keep up with the changing times. But the pressure is now beginning to tell.

Some key players in the sector feel that in the next five years, the education scene in the city could witness a tectonic shift. Many of the newer educational institutes could be forced to shut shop in the face of dwindling returns. Many of these institutions have come up without any clear academic vision, have no track record worth the name and seem to be in the education business with the sole motive of making money. And that can only spell trouble!

The private business schools that have mushroomed in Pune in the past few years are likely to be the worst hit by the impending downturn. SB Mujumdar, founder president and chancellor of Symbiosis International University (SIU), issues a dire warning: many B-schools will go out of business.

“The city has 190 management institutes. Some of these are affiliated to Pune University, some have deemed university status and the others are affiliated to AICTE,” says the 77-year-old Padma Bhushan recipient. “Many of them are going to shut down due to shortage of students and poor quality faculties.”

He attributes the snowballing crisis to the emergence of what can be best described as fly-by-night teaching shops. “A large number of business schools have mushroomed in Pune. Most of them have come up with the intention of minting money. But these institutions will not last long and in the next five years I see many of them shutting down due to severe cash crunch,” says Mujumdar.

However, the impending shakeout, he adds, will not be confined to Pune alone.  “A total of 130 B-schools in India have applied to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for closure,” Mujumdar points out, adding that the craze for an MBA degree is on the wane.

There are 3,900 management schools in India with close to 3.5 lakh seats, indicating oversupply. Many of these institutes are running aground owing to poor turnout of students. So they are increasingly opting to use the land at their disposal for other profitable ventures.

Mujumdar points to another significant trend that he has observed in the education sector - the growing popularity of skill development courses. “In the near future I see the coming up of a vocational university in Maharashtra to meet the need for skilled manpower,” he said. So the writing is clearly on the wall for those who care to see the signs of the time and take corrective measures.

It was after the fall of the Marathas in 1818 and the subsequent establishment of several institutions by the British that Pune became an important centre of education. Today Pune has more schools, colleges and universities than any other city in the world. It has more than 300 colleges and institutions that offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses in various academic disciplines.

The Indira Group founder and chairperson Tarita Shankar says, “Pune is no doubt one of the finest education hubs in India, but the mushrooming of low quality educational institutes driven by shortsighted people has certainly dented the city’s image.”

When the pursuit of excellence takes a backseat in the education business, it can only be the beginning of the end, she adds. “When making money becomes the prime motive behind starting educational institutes, then the standard of education goes for a toss. Many of the educational institutes that have come up of late try to lure students with low admission fees and poach faculty members by holding out the carrot of high salaries.  This sets off a chain reaction, ultimately leaving both students and teachers disillusioned,” she says.

In this cut-throat climate, the better institutions are hard-pressed to sustain quality as their best teachers leave for seemingly greener pastures when they are induced with fatter pay packets.

Tarita Shankar feels that among the many threats that Pune faces as a quality education hub, one of the most significant is posed by the other cities of the country that are beginning to catch up. “Gujarat has invited us to set up educational institutions there. However, we have so far declined the offer because we do not have any immediate plans to expand to other states,” she says. “Similarly, the Bihar government too is keen to open the state’s doors to the country’s best educational institutions.”

But not everybody here is pressing the panic button yet. Sanjay Chordia, chairman of the Suryadatta group of Institutes, is among those who do not buy the argument that the city now has more B-schools than it needs. “I am quite optimistic about the future of management institutes. The government itself is encouraging the spread of private sector education. I feel that there is no immediate cause for concern,” he says.

Chordia also dismisses the growing feeling that many of the B-schools have come up simply to make fast buck. “I do not agree with this view because not many of these institutes are making good money. If the profit motive was predominant, then most of these institutes should have been rolling in money,” he says.

The vice chairman of Deccan Education Society Vikas Kakaktar echoes Chordia’s note of optimism. He feels that Pune continues to be one of the finest education centres in India, attracting global students. “One should understand that there is no other place in India that has an education infrastructure that is as good as the one in Pune. It is true that some of the institutions that have come up lately are substandard, but these cannot dilute the contribution of institutions that are imparting high class education.

While what Kakatkar has to say may be spot on, Mujumdar’s cautionary conjecture cannot be ignored either. It is as clear as daylight that Pune needs to do a double-quick reality check so as not to get bogged down in the culture of mediocrity that unbridled excess often breeds. Its time starts now.