I have had the opportunity of working in a Central Government University of India and exploring various aspects of working in the public sector and in an education industry. These are a few of the problems I have realized faced by Government Universities of India and my two cents on them. This list is definitely not exhaustive nor it claims to be very accurate. I have no data to back this except my own observations and experiences to put this down.

So here it goes-

1.      Huge skill gap- Part of my role is being an instructor in a Computer Lab. The courses range from very basic, like using Microsoft office suite to Advanced DBMS and Web Development project classes. Students coming to Government universities are from very poor backgrounds and have hardly ever used the computers. No bridge classes are often there to ramp them up to a level of using Computers or understanding the language of instruction. The instructors are often very skilled at their subjects. This leads to a huge gap where the instructor needs to come down to an extremely low level and use the given time frame to ramp up the students and help them learn the new skill together. This can be challenging for both and the exercise tends to fail many times.

2.      Inadequacy of infrastructure- This comes as a no-brainer for a government funded setup. The timelines of procuring essential items is way too long and the inability of the employees to manage without them might leave many tasks unaccomplished.

3.      Dearth of industry professionals- In academic institutions, we generally find academicians and researchers. The lack of presence and participation from professionals with industry experience results in deprivation of industry insights and guidance for students and other professionals in the University.

4.      Lack of well thought out curriculum- An exhaustive yet simple curriculum is highly desirable, not only in government universities but in every study plan in the world. Mistakes in setting up curriculum can lead to wastage of essential teaching and learning time. Engineering as a field is especially notoriously famous in India for its distance from practical learning and understanding of each discipline. The breadth and depth of the curriculum has to be planned with thought, understanding the profile of students and teachers and the requirement of the course. For example, a diploma course of engineering needs more practical courses than the masters in research course. It is essential to leave no gaps in study flow, for example information technology students cannot be expected to participate and perform well in a web development project class without having a course on basic front-end and back-end development programming.

5.      Lack of incentives for instructors and researchers- This is again a no-brainer for a government institute. Due to lack of incentives for good teaching, an instructor might tend to agree on the disinterest of students to not take up challenging tasks and projects. One benefit though for good teachers is that they attract good students to work under them on key projects and research topics. However, this in itself is not enough, given the rigid criteria set in personal promotions and raises. Nepotism in recruitment is the ultimate killer in these universities. Lack of incentives also results in poor research, often times focusing on the “number” of research papers than the quality of research. Paid travel for conferences becomes more of an incentive for participation than doing research and contributing in the field itself. Many hacks have been developed by researchers in this race to pass the plagiarism test than bring up real and original language and methodologies of research.

6.      Focus on “passing” students- While the teachers of private institutions would be keen in getting more students placed in good companies to attract better and higher intake in coming years, improve the ratings of their institute with student excellence, get more fees from year repeaters; the teachers of government organizations tend to be more interested in passing the students out. They do not wish to be troubled by the same students repeating their courses and the extra effort it would take to make them understand and practice the skill. This is tied to my earlier point of lack of incentives. It seems easier and beneficial to a faculty member to have a passing out stream of students in their course even though that may risk the credibility of the institution in creating skilled professionals and learned scholars.

7.      Rigid designations and work- Contrary to the flexibility of private organizations to exploit the interest and ability of individuals, giving them opportunities to serve various roles or tasks as might be beneficial to the organization, government organizations have fixed role and scale of pay. A non-teaching member of technical staff cannot grow into roles of teaching members of staff even if they might be doing all of those tasks. This leads to employee dissatisfaction and friction between rigidly designated groups of employees, each working in their roles with no interdependence or will to take up anything extra. The problems faced by every organization such as misallocation of credit of tasks done, lack of appreciation, selective and partial treatment of employees, grapevine gossips etc hit government organizations big time. If one cannot do better work, cannot get a higher pay, cannot get flexibility of work and timings, cannot get sooner promotions, is not comparatively safer from exploitation from higher level officers, then it results in inefficiency and purposeful delay of important work of the organization.

8.      Paucity of the feeling of noble work- Educating citizens has always been considered a noble task. That leads the way forward for a country, and the community of students into better thinking and leading individual and community lives. Without this understanding, the task of educating becomes business. And since there is no way for such business in a government run institute, either corruption emerges or avoidance of work in return of the fixed salaries. This slows down the process of educating and distracts the employees, not allowing the purpose of the organization to be accomplished.

 The solutions for these problems range from getting better leadership, better policies, adhering to keystone habits and principles by all employees, strictness in administering discipline, better appreciation and incentives policies, flexibility of work and promotions, getting more skilled professionals, having a fair recruitment and management of services to suggest a few. Once an understanding of these challenges is achieved, steps can be taken in planning and executing solutions. The result has to be measured using well defined metrics. Government Universities do not already have a metric such as growing share prices or investor confidence. With introduction of smaller and measurable metrics, the organization can go ahead to become a reputable institute of excellence which will benefit each employee of the organization equally and the change-makers definitely.

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A trace of wisdom, piety or change

These things for me are very strange!

To my Lord I never turn and reflect

About the blessings and the goodness I have met

Is there ever a privilege without responsibility?

Then why do I not understand in all my ability

That to our Lord we belong and to Him is our return?

How that old poor guard in his faith more firm?

While I enjoy my Lord’s blessings each and every day

Yet in the dawn towards the prayers I don’t have my way

Like all I just cheer in mocking and laughing on others

And not a word of justice in the day I utter

And my evenings are filled with entertainment or other goals

As I have no time to do zikr or think about my soul.

Why after this young sister died of cancer

I was thinking about my LV, Catwalk or Lancer?

What on earth will help change my way of life?

Though I see my brothers and sisters in their strife

For just a safe and peaceful life

Yet their faith is booming & so would be their afterlife.

As for me I have nothing to show to my Lord

No thankfulness, no prayers, no charity or good deeds stored.

Even if I manage few times here and there

What were my intentions, did i ever care?

I have heard its good to have sawaab and read the Quran

But that’s not for now, that’s for coming ramzaan.

Why when my non muslim mate asked me, in your Quraan,

Your Lord is the Most Merciful- Ar Rahmaan,

Yet what about the orphans and those in need,

I was clueless, u know I read it in the best possible speed.

How would it be when I have never understood it myself?

Nor planned to implement it, as of now it is only for the shelf!

She asked me, what’s for them in your Quran,

I silently realised, doesn’t she deserve to know about islaam?

As I tell you all this, Your eyes must be tearful,

Isn’t it high time that we now be fearful?

Our hearts are so black, And our sins are a stack.

You must be taken aback,

Oh Allah, Why are we so slack???

Why don’t our Maulanas focus on raising aware and bright Ummah, who contribute to the society? This is the question which keeps coming in discussions among Muslims, especially the youth. We all know instances where the clergy is busy defaming the other sect, or debating over trivial issues. Many don’t touch important issues like divorce and women’s status in their Friday khutbahs. Many never advocate prayer space for females in the mosque. Half of them almost always want people to conform to their own “Jamats” ideology. These scholars never seem to want to discuss about the common and more important aspects of Islam in order to build the bridges.

Then there are scholars and speakers who ONLY speak about Tawheed. While Tawheed is the first step of learning and belief as a Muslim and the most essential thing without which nothing is meaningful in Islam, it’s not the ONLY thing which people should know and study. The other things like Tarbiyah, mannerisms, studying the Seerah, Fiqh, contemporary issues, identifying and avoiding oppression; are omitted as not being of importance for consideration or teaching.

We need to know something. The Islamic sciences have developed over the past centuries and the Maulanas have specialised in one of them. Majority of the Maulanas in India are from very poor families so they have studied in Madrasa, became a Hafiz of the Quran, mostly because they didn’t have any other choice. Such people can enlighten others only in those sciences. They also specialise in debating and discussing issues. They go so hard core sometimes that when the enemy army would be marching in Muslim lands, they would be debating the ruling on raising finger in the Salah. Some of them have done so much in loyalty to their particular Fiqh school heroes as to create four schools fighting among each other. Their efforts are mostly going towards the negative side.

Most of the Maulana’s dealings and exposure is only among Muslims and mostly with men. When exposure is not there, they would be focusing on the things they focus on. But we educated and exposed Muslims can take the responsibility to study what they teach and listen to them and add positivity with our exposure and ideas. Being good Muslims, we can represent our community in important activities like environment conservation, education, health care etc. Since we haven’t spent a lot of time in studying just ONE particular islamic science, or Arabic so that we debate on interpreting the ahadith, we can try to raise awareness about important issues of the world and the community and create a brighter ummah.

Understand this as Engineering Research and Product Development or Manufacturing. The scholars in the field do research and the Developers or Manufacturers use those findings in creating better products. The researcher cannot also develop products nor can developers also do similar research. The job is divided and both are important for practical use of people. That’s where scholars and normal Muslims play their part.

How can we expect our Maulanas who teach us theology to also focus and participate in other activities or lead us holding our fingers everywhere? Isn’t is too much to ask for? Next time you think about questioning the role of the clergy, try to question yourself first. Question yourself what you did with all the knowledge which you got from your favourite scholar/speaker. Question yourself what you are doing to bring positive changes in the Ummah and the world.

Remember the Maulanas are here to help us, but both of us are working towards building our own lives of the hereafter. If they do everything, that would help them in their lives and not in ours. Why do we only want the fruit and not the effort? Just because they have decided to dedicate their lives in the work of Islam and they have influence over the Muslim community, we want them to be the perfect version of what we expect from them. In fact, if we do our work, we will start influencing more people than we thought- both Muslims and Non-Muslims. That would happen only if we stop questioning others and start putting efforts ourselves.

I would say, the worst thing Muslims do in India is not follow Islam.

Dowry is not to be taken in islam yet they take it.

All marriage expenses to be borne by the boy, yet they ask the girls father to bear.

All customs and rituals in marriage except nikah and walimah are not a part of islam yet they do.

All this leads to increased financial burden on the bride’s family and hence poor persons’ daughters are suffering.

Husbands’ parents oppress the daughter in law which is not allowed in Islam yet they do due to prevailing culture.

If the daughter in law troubles the inlaws, the inlaws dont know how to avoid it due to not staying separate, as a nuclear family is looked as an obhorrent idea, which is not the case in Islam.

Staying in joint family along with brother in laws is not correct as per modesty required by islam yet it is forced.

Maintenance to wife during iddat after divorce and for the man’s child till he/she grows up is compulsory yet no body gives. Not to forget triple talaq in one go is forbidden yet practiced.

All this leads people to commit female foeticide which is forbidden in Islam.

Not giving the rights of spouses, extra marital affairs, troubling neighbours are not allowed in Islam but people are into them.

Even on death of a person such rituals which are not a part of islam are followed due to culture, leading to increased burden on the deceased family.

Muslims earn through forbidden ways like alcohol, gambling, selling immodesty, interest based institutions etc, they spend on forbidden items.

They dont teach their children to be morally sound instead push them into materialism and as per my experience more females are guilty of this more than males.

Many use filthy language because they are not taught the importance of good manners which has HUGE importance in islam.

The list can go on and on, mainly because of ignorance of Islamic teachings or arrogance in following Islam.

I believe if Muslims start following Islam correctly, they will be amazing citizens of India and will make lives of people around them very easy.

One verse of the Quran is so striking that it is the base of universal brotherhood in islam. Allah says in Surah hujuraat vs 13-O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.

In the Prophet’s s.a.w farewell sermon, he said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor  black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every muslim is a brother to every muslim and that the muslims constitute one brother hood.”

Amongst us, the people who are better than others in skin color or height or wealth or education or any other thing, make fun of others who possess less than them. Don’t they feel that the others can be better than them in the sight of Allah and they will be more successful than them in the life which will surely come? Allah says in the same surah a little before i.e Surah hujuraat vs 11-O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

We specially see this in marriages and functions, so we should be very careful. We should try to avoid

• the pride in ourselves that we are better than others coz of our possessions or
• the jealousy of others in the competition of becoming better than them

which causes us to make fun of others-

• mimicking them,
• laughing at their style of dressing, walking, talking, or
• hinting towards somebody, believers or non-believers.

 We must think of our own faults first.

We might be trapped in the feeling that she is better than others who

• is more beautiful or
• she who is more rich or
• has earning children or
• has a better job or
• wears expensive dresses or
• lives an expensive lifestyle

For eg we might feel that the filmstars or celebrities are better than us and we would definitely desire to be like them or follow their footsteps. We have our ideal as THEM. Although we know that the best are the ambiya then siddiqeen then shuhada then saaliheen. But do we truly feel it in our lives? One way to measure if we really have that realization is whether we are striving to have more taqwa than others and striving to get closer to Allah? If no AND we are striving in other things then truly we are not getting better than anyone rather we are just spending time now to reap some little benefit later in life but not in the hereafter which is the actual abode.

So who are the people who are successful?- Allah says in surah Asr- By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

 Hence those who are saved from loss are only those who have true imaan, do good deeds, exhort people to truth and patience.

• not the rich or
• the influential or
• the beautiful or
• the doctors or
• engineers or
• lawyers or
• shaikhs of Saudi owning oil mines or
• who look religious but are involved in fraud.

So be assured even if you are

• not beautiful or
• not married yet or
• don’t have children yet or
• are facing poverty or
• any trouble or
• abuse or
• difficulty in life,

you are NOT less than others. In fact you might be better than all in the sight of Allah because of

• your love of Allah, his deen, his messenger
• by your prayers,
• by your sacrifice for your deen,
• by your maintaining haya and hijab for Allah,
• by obeying your husband and pleasing your parents for the sake of Allah,
• by gaining knowledge of his deen to practice and spread it.

Wallahi you are better than the most sought after women on earth who just don’t care what Allah wants from them. So be satisfied with Allah, inshaAllah Allah will be satisfied by you.

And if you don’t care what Allah wants from you and you don’t strive to please Allah by your actions and repentance then even if you are the most rich, educated or your children are in high positions and earning in lacs yet in the sight of Allah you are nothing but just another human being who might stay in hell which is an evil abode. Arrogance on one’s possessions can easily lead anyone to commit shirk and develop hypocrisy even if we might feel we are muslims. An example of arrogance of a person which led him to commit shirk is the example which Allah gives in surah Kahf of the Quran of the man who owned two gardens and his conversation with his neighbor. It is an interesting incident and many lessons can be derived from it. I urge you to go through the translation of surah Kahf 18:45.

So fear Allah and strive to be amongst the righteous and spend your wealth and your skills and your time investing in the way of Allah, and Allah will give your investment 700 times or more in your akhirah. As Allah says in Surah Baqarah vs 261: The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

A girl who seeks the knowledge of the deen is way way better than a girl born in an influential family, who is center of attraction in parties or gets many proposals.

Allah tells human beings what in His eyes is good and what is evil, showing guidance to them for their ultimate success. And even in this dunya, to make a peaceful society to live in.

So when we measure ourselves, let us measure with the yardstick of Quran and deen.

And if we strive to repent and be a muslim, obeying Allah’s commands, then Allah will have mercy upon us and grant us that which we want in our life ie a loyal husband, pious children, halal wealth etc. bi iznillah and grant us jannah where we can have whatever we want of beauty and rizq etc etc. But our status in akhirah will be decided by our good deeds. The more we sacrifice in this duniya for Allah, the more our status will be in akhirah bi iznillah. This and only this will bring success to us rest all other things we do, will not bring us ultimate success.

Agar aap Allah ke legislation ke hisaab se nahi karenge to Allah aap ke oopar doosron ko gaalib kardega. Chahe aapko behad naapasand ho ye baat. Hume sirf ek personal law mila tha jiske hisaab se apni zindagi me kaam karna tha. Hum apni social life ko islam k hisaab se poori azaadi se jee sakte the. Humari shaadiyan, divorce, family system hum islam k hisaab se kar sakte the. Baaki economic aur political system door ki baat. Par humne kya kiya? Teen talaq ek baar me jo ki haram h, halala jo ki haram h, joint family me rakhna jo ki naapasandeeda h, maar peet ya zaban se aurton pe zulm karna jo ke obviously haram hai, bachon ki talaq k baad zimmedaari na uthana – ye sab kitna aam h ye hum jaante h. Jab aurton pe zulm hota hai to ghar k bade, deen k bade har koi aurat pe hi ilzaam deta hai, use sabr karne kehta hai. Uspe jo zulm kar raha hota h us zulmi se haqq ki ek baat bhi nahi kehte. Taaki jo patriarchy chalti aa rahi h hindustani samaj me uspe koi aanch na aaye. Thak kar wo bebas hojaati hai. Jab islam k hisaab se teen talaq ho gaya aur us aadmi ko ye haram kaam pe koi punishment bhi nahi mili, to chhodi hui aisi aurat ko aakhir police aur court k darwaze khatkhatane padte hai. Wahan unhe zyada samajhne wali aawazein milti hai, unka saath dene- ke haan tumpe zulm hua. To ab jab supreme court ne use unconstitutional karar diya to itna dukh kyun? Humne humari kamzor aurton k liye insaaf nahi kiya. Logon ko nahi bataya ke teen talaq haram he dena. Allah ne kisi wajah se talaq ki stages batayi h. Taaki tum donome suleh hojaye. Iska mazak mat banao. Par mardon ne ye to samjha ke teen baar dene se teen talaq ho jaata h par ye nahi samjha k talaq ka haqq unhe mila kyu h? Mehr jo deta h, zimmedari se jo nikah karta h uske paas hota h ye haqq. Mehr to kitna diya jaata h agar diya bhi jaata h to, aur dahej loota jata h. Aurat ko bachon k saath ek pal me bedakhal kar diya jata h. Phir talaq dene ke baad halala karne pe aurat ko majboor kiya jata h. To teen talaq pe to islam yaad aya par dahej pe ya halala pe ya bachon ki zimmedari pe ya doosri saari cheezon me islam nahi yaad ata?

Humne islami kaanoon ka mazak banaya. Muslim personal law ne kyu elaan nahi kiya k teen talaq shariah k hisaab se unconstitutional h? Aurton ko bata diya jata h k ho gaya talaq. Aadmi ko nahi bataya jaata k kitna galat kaam kiya, kya mazak banaya deen ka.

Humne jo azaadi mili thi us hisaab se legislate nahi kiya to Allah ne doosron ko hum par gaalib kiya. Ab Govt is cheez ko punishable karegi jabki har haram cheez punishable hi hoti h. Hume doosre chahiye the ise punishable batane? Humne apna kaam nahi kiya. Aur isi tarah Allah humpe doosron ko galba dega yahan tak ki jo Allah ka kanoon naafiz karne ki chhoot thi wo bhi humse chhin jaegi. Shayad tab bhi hum doosron pe ya aurton pe ilzaam lagaye jaenge.

Ab bachon k saath chhodi hui aurat k aage ek pahad jaisi zindagi h jisme use kaam karke paise jodne h bachon k liye, bina nikah kiye bina kisi saathi ya support k poori zindagi basar karni h. Aisi aurat aaj khush h to hume sharm aani chahiye k unki khushi ka zariya hum nahi bane court bani. Ab dukh manake, un aurton ko kaafir keh ke kya fayda jab aapko apni galti nahi dikh rahi h. Aur dikhegi bhi nahi kyuki deen k naam pe male domination barkarar rakhne k liye kaam kar rahe h humlog. Gaur kijiye- Hum insaaf karenge, Allah k deen ko sach me apni zindagi aur apni qaum me naafiz karenge to hum apni personal law ke hisaab se jee paenge.

The most customers of a LASIK surgery clinic are young unmarried Indian women, who know very well that the dowry to be given on their marriage increases with increasing power of their eye lenses. They are ready to give money from their pockets and risk the complications of the surgery just to bag the trophy husband, who they feel after giving dowry and showing money and after having the best of looks and profile, will guarantee the person’s behaviour and fidelity after marriage. Also his family! The problem arises that in the Muslim society the right of divorce lies unequivocally in the hands of the man. People feel that Islam is to be blamed for the apathy of Muslim women. But, it’s the people who uphold the unislamic desi values who are blameworthy of it.

So now the man enjoys the dowry and any amount of wealth which is demanded from the wife’s salary, under the pretense of the high status of husband in Islam and for the marriage to continue. After gaining all of that, he can easily give a divorce. By the way, a man has acquired this right because he is supposed to be financially supporting the relationship, right from the day of the wedding and the entire married life. He is financially responsible and has to give the meher, that is why he has the right to divorce. It is needless to remind of the good behaviour and the respect a woman is rightful of – in islam, something which is alien to many brown households. Here a man can enjoy the wealth of a woman and then threaten divorce for anything he wants and divorce her whenever he wants based on his whims. Also remember, the custody of the child in many islamic cases lie with the father.

Now the woman is left to again start searching for another man who would find her worthy enough based on her wealth and her looks, both of which have diminished over the time because of the first man. Now she has to compromise and stay with a bad man or a bad marriage. That is the reason why most Muslim women put up with abuse and every other problem in the brown households. They do not even speak about them lest they be said ungrateful or impatient. Lessons of sabr are shoved on her face unreasonably, so that the sacred institution of marriage remains secure, and not break, in which case both of them should be losing (ideally the husband more). But in this system, by all ways- emotionally, financially and others, only the woman loses. This is a systematic approach to keep women subjugated in the name of both culture and religion.

The solution?
Either follow culture or follow Islam and NEVER BOTH. Only islam is acceptable to Allah.

What’s required for this?
A complete change of ideologies and personality with a complete shift from a cultural pagan outlook to an islamic outlook. To show this Islam was established amongst the pagans of Arabia I believe.

What happens if we don’t do this?
We would be 100% responsible for the suffering of innumerable Muslim women and giving opportunity and serious doubts to non Muslims about the goodness of Islam. The subjugation of any strata of society ultimately creates rebels which many call unislamic modern feminists. Remember they are only as bad as us who created them, if not less.