Indore: About 17 out of 28 teaching departments of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) that have 41:1 student-teacher ratio are responsible for poor STR at the university. According to a study by two Ujjain-based academics, the STR of DAVV, which is 41:1 (student:teacher) is much higher than STR of Madhya Pradesh universities stands at 24:1.
All India Survey on Higher Education Report 2015-16 had claimed that STR of universities in MP is 24:1 whereas a study conducted by Prof Yatindra Singh Sisodia and Tapas Kumar Dalapati of MP Institute of Social Science Research (Ujjain) found that STR of MP varsities was above what was discovered by AISHE.
The study by Ujjain academics found STR of DAVV at 41:1 and held all major departments of the university for appalling STR. The departments include Institute of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Management Studies, School of Commerce, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Department of Lifelong Learning, School of Law etc.
These departments are mostly run through guest faculties. There are 11 departments whose STR is better than STR of MP and India. India’s STR is 23:1 as per AISHE data. The departments whose STR is better include School of Data Science and Forecasting, School of Electronics, School of Life Sciences, International Institute of Professional Studies, School of Chemistry.
There are three departments where there is no permanent teacher. The departments are School of Comparative Languages, School of Commerce and School of Social Science. The researchers were astonished to find that two departments are managed by teachers from other departments in the university.
The researchers who have submitted their study to Department of Higher Education (DHE) and DAVV said the departments which have very poor student strength should be asked to innovate their programme or introduce new programmes or otherwise can be merged with other related departments so as to make the departments academically viable.