There is much to be said about the facilities or the lack of thereof in the Indian Universities. As much as the higher education in India has reached the unprecedented heights in terms of reaching the masses, the challenges faced by the Universities are increasing day-by-day. The distinct lack of qualified teachers, lack of monetary support, out-dated curriculum and wrong governmental policies are some such challenges which were discussed at the ‘East Zone Vice Chancellors’ Conference’. As many as 30 vice chancellors of many reputed universities across Eastern India participated in the conference that was inaugurated at KIIT University on Friday. This conference was organized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

P T Chande, the President of the AIU, also expressed his concern regarding the challenges faced by the Indian Universities and higher education, in general. He said, “Around 50% posts are vacant in universities and colleges across the country, while a large number of teachers are quitting jobs due to faulty government policies. Most of the universities lack quality teachers, thanks to the faulty selection procedures. Teachers are not a manufacturing community and it involves interaction between students and teachers for a better teaching-learning process. NET and SAT only tests the brilliance of candidates but their communication abilities should also be tested.”