Valson Thampu

The High Court of Kerala has spoken on the Priya Varghese appointment matter. The decision of the court is more significant in what it proscribes than in what it prescribes. Her selection through a skewed process by the concerned university is a symptom, not the disease. The disease is that we lack a culture of excellence in education. Our indifference to educational excellence is directly proportionate, ironically, to our eagerness to secure education. It is not an accident, hence, that those who are entrusted the education portfolio happen to be, locally and nationally, individuals who have no credentials in this domain.
In theory, Keralites love Kerala. In reality, though, not may do so to the extent of limiting their vested interests for the sake of public good. Everyone expects to be favoured. But only a few can be. So, the vast majority languish in resentful under-privilege. This is mistaken for moral sensitivity. In truth, it is only resentment at being on the wrong end of privilege. Everyone fulminates against corruption. But, those who do so also vote for the corrupt in a partisan spirit.
In the absence of a robust culture of excellence in education, there needs be no inhibition about nepotism trumping merit in teacher-appointments. The hallmark of the commitment to excellence is that every link in the chain of its pursuit is forged with utmost quality-consciousness. Rolls-Royce will not use even a single substandard part in its products. On the other hand, the impropriety of employing an under-qualified employee in a mediocre undertaking will not bother many. In last ten years, 482 of our military aircrafts crashed. A major reason for this is using substandard spare parts in their maintenance. The situation will not improve by lambasting plane manufactures and spare parts suppliers. It will change only when the life of pilots begins to be valued as a supreme national good.
The fact that the Priya-matter provoked a wave of indignation across Kerala does not mean that anyone will refrain from swinging situations in his or her favour, by fair means or foul. In my nine-year long tenure as the principal of St Stephen’s College, the number and stations of the gentlemen who tried to persuade me to break every rule to favour their kith and kin could astonish even the hard-hearted. For all practical purposes, merit is secreted by status and entitlements. It is heretical to go against this secular code. I was hounded for not being pragmatic in this respect. So, I sympathise with those who fall in line. The truth is that those who damn you for practising nepotism today will damn you even harder tomorrow for not practising it in their favour.
There is a flip-side to this anti-meritocratic code even more harmful to educational excellence. A psychology of insecurity lurks in the eagerness to corner a disproportionate share, especially, of coveted opportunities. That psychology will not limit itself to improvising pro-elite pseudo merit. It will extend to restricting the field of competition. This explains (a) why no one is really keen on reforming the systems and (b) why there is a taboo against broad-basing higher education. Narrowing the catchment area of merit works to the advantage of those who are in a position now to secure the best for themselves. So, the issue is not merely that an under-qualified associate professor is selected. It is that commitment to turning Kerala into a hub of higher education of excellence may be aired but not earthed. Nothing of them sort will sprout.
So, what the High Court verdict, while it is welcome, amounts to no more than scratching the surface. Going beyond this may exceed the judicial remit. The core task remains. If a mad man is driving on the road causing random casualties, it is not enough that the victims are rushed to the hospital. He must be prevented from driving till healed. So, systems geared to promoting merit as well as warding off mediocrity must be put in place. But, systems can be only as good as the people who work them. The best system in the world will collapse in the hands of those who are feudal in their goals and sensibilities.
Is the Priya-Scaria a battle fought on behalf of education, or an employment struggle? I am not even remotely suggesting that flouting rules and regulations should be condoned in any way. All the same we need to ask: do we believe that merely adhering to the rubrics of regulation will ensure that good education is practised in Kerala?
The education-employment-market half a century ago, when I was an aspirant, differed from the present scenario at least in two respects. (a) the regulatory regimen was less rigorous and (b) teachers in higher education were poorly paid. Substantial changes have come about in these respects. Has education in Kerala improved as a result? One thing is obvious: more students go out of Kerala in search of better education now than was the case then. In a society that sets a low premium on integrity of public service, the elaboration of the regulatory framework means mostly that the back-door go-getters have to be smarter and vastly better patronised than before. Consider these, and all related educational issues: the conclusion is irresistible. There is no alternative to evolving and broad-basing a culture of excellence.
Higher education in Kerala is a lumber room of wasted opportunities. It is time we addressed its endemic infirmities. The politicisation and criminalisation of educational campuses must end, loopholes for corruption must be plugged, a dynamic work culture evolved, and accountability and transparency upheld. Politicians who hard-sell development must invest commensurately in education, if they believe that education drives development. Temples of learning must no longer be allowed to remain hunting grounds for political parties, or quarries of illicit gains for education stake-holders, or parking lots for mediocrity attracted to teaching as a laid-back mode of earning a livelihood.