The specialisation in contemporary economy is going through the roof. If you stand in front of a super-specialty hospital, you would perhaps find so many fine distinctions that you wouldn't know which part of human anatomy they refer to. In the spirit of advancing human knowledge, and preparing professionals to work on new occupations, there is in Chicago (USA) a University of Hamburgerology. And who else but McDonald set it up! Now you can get a doctorate in the fine art of preparing your favourite food-hamburger!
2.
The story of recent Nepal election has been told perhaps. The Maoists have gained about a third of elected seats in the Constituent Assembly. While they got half of the seats designated for First Past the Post, they managed only about a quarter in the proportionate system. This indicates the nuanced view of Nepalese voters---candidates may be fine, but party? The cadres of Maoists, experts in guerilla warfare, now have to come to terms with governance. One of their tasks would be law & order. It reminds me of the progressive student movement in Assam a couple of decades ago; they won the first elections hands down, only to be wiped out in the second term. Prachanda (huge) challenges?
3.
The debate on access to higher education is once again raging in India. But how does India, and South Asia, fare in the global arena? In two major conferences focusing on Higher Education for Human/Social Development, South Asian higher education institutions were missing. The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Conference last December saw dynamic presence of public and private higher education institutions from South-east and East Asia debating their contributions, and challenges therefrom, in respect to people-centred and sustainable development. The international GUNI conference in Barcelona last month saw African, Arab and Latin American institutions of higher education deliberating on their contributions to human/social development in future. A handful of petty officials, not even representing all South Asian countries, were present in either. What a shame! And, what is the future? Increasing presence of South Asians students, scholars and academics in institutions of higher education outside South Asia?
4.
I happened to pick up a copy of The Guardian recently where naked photos of women were being used to promote charitable causes. Particularly aggressive in such advertising were charities defending the rights of animals. Their spokespersons strongly defended the use of female pornography as pretty effective method of attracting attention. That sounds like female anatomy being used to market laptops. Is there no normative standard for public education by charities? And, where are the women's groups to protest against such crassness?
5.
We all have heard of local democracy and citizen referendums in Switzerland's cantons. But the real story is rather more interesting. One of the most important foundations of such local democracy is that citizens vote for levels and types of services they want their governments to deliver to them, as well as vote for taxation rates to cover such services. Even expansion of higher education and university programmes is thus voted for by all citizens. Imagine this system in India. Which services and which universities would get support from citizens? New era in social accountability?
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