They are suppose to teach us...

I have been struggling to get through foreign universities as soon as possible. There is a lot of procedure and money that is required in just applying to these universities. While discussing this with one of my aunts, she simply asked me, “What’s wrong with Mumbai University? Why don’t you continue studying in India?” I gazed at her for a second in disbelief – someone could actually ask me this question. “Mumbai University sucks!” I answered her with mixed emotions – anger, disappointment and frustration.

“What happened?”

“Oh! Nothing it’s just because of those reserved class, which serve at the Mumbai University…” I paused for a while to assure that she was listening to me and she understood what I really meant. The tone of my voice was full of irritation – just like traveling in a Mumbai local at peak hours in second-class gents compartment, when everyone including you are fully drenched and wet. I repeated the same story to my colleague (and best friend J) who happens to travel with me everyday in the same local train.

“They do not give us training with latest equipments and economy. The syllabus is extremely mediocre and surrealistic…” I told my co-traveler and the only source of releasing my frustration. “Forget that,” as I continued, “you know I needed a duplicate of my mark sheet…the employees out there didn’t even know English or for that matter Hindi…”

“I know, the policy of reservation is completely bias and is draining our education system to the level that does not match global standards.” He said supporting me completely. Of course both of us belonged to the “reserved-open class”, one of the classes to suffer the most.

“No, no I m not frustrated about the reservation policies, that’s a complete different issue…you know the university has not released my graduation certificate as yet. It’s been a year that I have passed my college. Six months ago I received sort of blank – no badly printed-paper saying something I could not read or understand. Later, I personally had to go to university to ask them what was it all about. With little hitches in communication, because I didn’t know Marathi well and she did know Hindi or English, I managed to ask her what was the letter about. She enlightened me with her great knowledge that I was careless and did not fill-up my seat number in the form. She opened one ‘antique’ cupboard and removed a huge file with torn corners and put it in front of me. As soon as she dumped the file in front of me, a cloud of dust covered my face. She removed my form, which was in a tattered condition, possibly worst than what a two year old newspaper in my house would be.”

“She then asked me my seat number and wrote it on the form. But till date I have not got my certificate, which was promised to me will be at my door towards the end of the third week from that day. For my duplicate certificate there is another story. My mom kept going to university at least 3 times in a week. Finally, with some under-table “goosse”, she was able to get the result – a hand written one.”

“Now that I have applied for studying abroad, there are lots of formalities that require me to visit university for different purposes and for the same purpose I have to visit it 10 times… before my work is actually done. The quality of their paper, the mannerism of their staff and the unnecessary delay… simply piles my frustration.”

I am planning to request our university to recruit better staff, stationary and improve to meet international standard – so that one day a student might proudly stand in front of the world and say – “I graduated from Mumbai University, the best in the world…”