Stability of a System !

Law of Inertia is a natural law. It is Newton's First Law of Motion. It says that a body in a state of rest remains in the state of rest and a body in a state of motion remains in the state of motion, unless it is activated by External Cause/agency/force. This law is applicable to the living organisms and the human-evolved systems as well.

Let us take an example of the present education system in the engineering field. The system comprises of Teachers, students and infrastructure like laboratories/workshop/library and other facilities/amenities. Indirect institutions linked with this are AICTE, University etc. Indirect elements linked with this are parents, coaching classes and Industries. Let us take a general model of an above-average Institute having good repute in the past. What we observe there in the present moment. Let us jot down our observations point-wise.

1. Teachers : In such an organisation cum model we selected, either there is dearth of teachers i.e. large number of vacancies or there is a deficiency of good experienced, senior faculty. Out of the appointed teachers, many of them are not sincere. They are not duty-bound. They are paid good salary as compared to that paid couple of decades back. But still they fail in delivering goods. They, however, generate the record cum documented weightage proofs efficiently so that they can prove at any moment time that they were punctual, regular and sincere in their duty. Their records are so nicely articulated that they will be ranked as number one amongst all the teachers of the Institute. They go to the extent of even managing the feedback from the students to the highest level. These teachers use the efforts on optimum level in teaching and examination level. They avoid to become extremist who fail the students unnecessarily or who gave very high marks to the students. In Autonomous Institutes these teachers play a very predominant role. Selective Teaching and Selective questions in question-paper. Loose and safe assessment. Such teachers always take efforts to be in lime-light. They get involved in publicity-type non-academic activities. They refrain from the duties under the cover of administrative duties assigned to them or under the act of pestering the authorities. They impress the Authorities for their political, social acquaintances and their inevitability in the smooth running of the Institute. Sometimes these teachers expose their nuisance power also, to generate the fear in the minds of the Authorities and make their position shaky. In all what we see that academics takes a back seat in the minds of the teachers or teaching community.

2. Students : Students in this model Institute enter with some dream in their minds. But slowly the dream gets shattered. They realise that they are not getting the knowledge upto the mark. They become nervous. But they find out an alternative. They don't grumble about the defaulting teachers and the inefficient teaching. They join outside coaching classes. No sooner the urge of gaining the knowledge dies down in these classes. However during all these efforts, they appear for the examination. The results declared make them happy. They are happy because the marks are good as compared to the knowledge gained by them during the term. First they conclude that the assessment is loose or liberal. But as days pass, people inquire about their marks/result and they receive their response, they start feeling that they have acquired knowledge which is equivalent to their marks/result. Once his phase is over, they also optimise their efforts and learn a safe and fast method of clearing the examinations. They forget the knowledge part. They concentrate on the technique of appearing for and clearing the examination. And their results they correlate to the knowledge acquired. Hence Rank 1 student stars assuming that his acquiring knowledge gained is 100%. The students in the Autonomous college prefer to adopt still simple method. They do not feel to join outside coaching classes, knowing fully that this will not be of any help to them as every thing including rank and grade is in the hands of internal teachers only. So they give highest priority to remain in the good books of the Internal Teachers. For them the teachers become God. They accept from the teachers what they get and forget about its quality or quantity. They become perfect professional. They appease the teachers rather than approaching for clearing their academic . They shut their logical eye in the class rooms and accept without understanding what is delivered to them in the classrooms. They wholeheartedly remember every single word given in the class. Rather than self-study, they believe more on the notes given. No text books, no aspiration for knowledge, no curiosity for knowledge-gain, no initiative, no discussions and debate, no self-thinking. This becomes the path of least resistance to them. And they have a proven faith that this is the way to fetch success.

3. Infrastructure : It does not matter now as students are oriented to the system i.e. acclimatisation. The students will never grumble about poor infra-structure. The system does not permit them to complain against the deficiencies. And it has got nothing to do with the Examination System. Teachers also do not bother. Because this is of no use. They fail to establish the contact between theory and practical, the real knowledge through the books, the innovative ideas through the projects etc.

4. Parents : Parents have only one outlook i.e. they will provide money for additional facilities asked for by their ward. They don't have time if both of them are intelligent and well educated and hence busy in their highly paid jobs and responsibilities. They will not fail to provide facilities like computer, net, classes, tuitions, guides etc. They are the ideal facilitators. They will get contented by the good results and will curse them for the bad results. They will feel that they have their duty well as facilitators. They forget their role of parent. They are always worried about their prestige in the outer circle. They work as a bank for their children. ATMs, that is all.If the parents are not well educated, they will prefer to keep mum under their inferiority complex. They will curse the system rather than their wards. In every sense, whether educated or non-educated, the parents' worlds are totally separate that those of their children.

5. Industry : The people from Industry recruit the graduate students as per their requirement and not on the basis of their absolute potential. They know exactly what is the raw material and the process to groom as a product what the company requires. They fully understand the hollowness of the students as far as the quality of education in concerned and as far as other personality-skills are required.

6. Society at large is dormant.

So we see the real picture like this. Now the question occurs in our mind, whether the system is stable or unstable. Academic Answer will say immediately that is inefficient and highly unstable. But in reality the system looks like a perfectly stable system. Why so? Answer is every element is happy about the system. Let us see how !

Students are happy as they get the good marks/rank for very less efforts. Teachers are happy as they get their salary for very less efforts. Parents are happy as their wards are scoring high proving the efforts of the parents as fruitful. Parents are happy as their repute in the outer world is raised. College Authorities are happy as the college results are in time and very good. They immediately conclude that this is because of the high standard of academics prevailing in the College for which they are solely responsible. Coaching class owners are happy to generate large revenue in the minimal time. Industry is happy as they are getting cheap labour from these graduates. Society is happy as the repute of their constituents is raised. And as such as all the elements are happy, the system is felt fully stable. Every element shares the credit for this amazing thing.

Do you agree?