NLSIUs School Review Commission Report and NALSARs Quadri Report Does it open a Pandoras Box

The Qadri report on the working of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad and the K. T. Thomas School Review Commission Report on NLSIU, both reveal glaring flaws in these reputed institutions. Bar & Bench does a comparative analysis of the reports..The recent report on the functioning of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad, one of the oldest and most reputed national law schools has shaken the legal world with a series of shocking revelations. The report (a copy of which has been disclosed by Legally India), prepared by a committee led by Justice S.S. Mohd Quadri, has undertaken a systematic review of the administration, faculty and student life at NALSAR and has found several fatal flaws ranging from students being involved in leaking question papers to ill-maintained financial records that suggest embezzlement of funds by the administration..A few years ago, the Supreme Court of India constituted a School Review Commission in 2007 headed by Justice K. T. Thomas, with Prof. M. P. Singh and Prof. Virendra Kumar as members. This Commission too came out with a dismal report in 2008 on the state of affairs at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU). A comparison of the two reports paints a truly gloomy picture about these two premiere institutions, which are regarded nationwide as role models in legal education..While the K. T. Thomas Report concentrated on the falling standards of teaching and student behaviour on campus, the Quadri Report is a much more detailed one that outlines, inter alia, several lapses in administration and maintenance of financial records, lacunae in management of academics and the grievances of the students..However, there were a few things that both reports have in common. Firstly, both universities face a declining quality in the terms of research output, whether it is from the faculty or the student body. In NLSIU, two journals established with the aim of encouraging quality research, namely March of Law and The NLSIU Journal are now defunct. In NALSAR, many of the research centers that have been set up are defunct and exist only in name.. Secondly, the problem of plagiarism is rampant in both the universities. The students as well as the faculty are to blame, the former for indulging in it and the latter for not taking a strict stance against it..Thirdly, both reports present a grim picture of both the institutes. The reports claim that some of the faculty members in both these premiere institutions are not diligent in taking classes and keeping up to date with the real world. “Teaching of courses has become a matter of whims and fancies of the teacher”, reads section 4(e) of the KT Thomas Report. Both reports partly blame the administration, as courses are often not allocated to professors based on their qualifications. “Students have also highlighted the wide gulf between course design and execution, which they attribute to the mediocrity of some of the faculty members”, reads the Quadri report at page 39..The K. T. Thomas Report also mentioned that there was no formal evaluation method for teachers, nor was there any formal process for granting promotions to faculty. The K. T. Thomas Report did not focus on the administration of the college at all, but spoke of the rampant consumption of alcohol and drugs on campus..The Quadri Report, on the other hand, covers several problems ranging from the academic side to the administrative one. The academic situation appears to require far greater attention in NALSAR, with the report identifying several issues such as insufficient number of full-time faculty, non-transparent exam evaluation, large class strength (80 students in a classroom built for 60), non-scientific allocation of credits for courses, teachers denying students attendance on frivolous grounds, etc..However, the most alarming part of the Quadri Report concerns the glaring corruption and nepotism in the administration of the university. The report claims that the Vice Chancellor is given indiscriminate powers – he often takes unilateral decisions be it in the granting of funds, permission for students to leave campus, in conferring gold medals and even in granting permission to students for using the recreation room..The VC is also reported to have handled the death of a student with alarming insensitivity and is further reported to have shown undue favouritism to a certain faculty member..As for the administration of the university, the Quadri committee appears to have been quite meticulous in studying its function. The committee has studied the financial records, vehicle usage records, attendance records, etc. of the institution on seventeen different days. The report states that none of these records have been maintained properly, leaving room for speculation about corruption and embezzlement at every level. The report also makes note of the fact that there is some evidence that the college vehicle has been used indiscriminately, that some faculty members have not been paying rent for their quarters, that there is a disproportionate increase in spending (with no explanation) and that there are possibilities of fund embezzlement. The report reads thus, “Maintenance of the log books of these vehicles is shabby. Even from the sketchy details, as are available therein, it is clear that vehicles have been made available to Dr. Vijender Kumar and Professor K. V. S. Sarma (when he was the Registrar) for their private use without their being asked to pay for the expenditure incurred by NALSAR in this regard.”.The Quadri Committee also appears to have interacted extensively with the student body of the college (there is no mention of such interactions in the Justice K.T. Thomas Report), revealing several grievances faced by the students. It is reported that that there are not enough medical facilities available on campus, an important factor considering that the campus is far away from the city. The students also face trouble with frequent electricity cuts and improper hostel maintenance. Other major grievances faced by students, according to the report, are that the library hours are too short in comparison with other top law schools, and that the college does not encourage sports and cultural activities. The committee found that a mere Rs. 58,996 /- was spent by the institute on sports and games in the year 2010-11, suggesting that the annual fee collected from the students for sports have been diverted. The committee has also reported students complaining that the recreation room is not kept open regularly, and permission to use the room must be sought from the Vice Chancellor, who gives sanction “only on specific occasions” (page 136)..The suggestions made by both the K. T. Thomas Report and the Quadri Report are somewhat similar. The K. T. Thomas Report suggested the reduction of the role of the Bar Council of India in the administration of the institute. It also suggested ways in which students can be made to be more disciplined, such as making it compulsory for the VC and some faculty members to reside on campus. The Quadri Report made a considerable number of suggestions on improving non-transparency and mismanagement in the maintenance of records in the university..Both reports stressed repeatedly on the measures that should be taken to attract and retain high-quality teaching faculty. The reports also emphasised the need for careful allocation of courses to teachers, and constant upgradation of course material. A more effective system for monitoring teachers was also suggested. Other suggestions made by both reports were for the introduction of a greater number of optional courses from the 3rd year onwards and increasing the intake of students.. However, in terms of identification of issues and giving suggestions, the Quadri Report is more practical and comprehensive, while the K. T. Thomas Report inclines towards delivering moral judgments on student life and even suggests moral policing measures. Hence, it must be examined whether the K. T. Thomas Report was being objective in its approach at criticising the institution..On the other hand, the general issues pointed out in the two reports cannot be said to be confined these two institutions alone. They need to be understood as part of the larger problems that exist in Indian university education today. The lack of good faculty, poor quality research and student disinterest are malaises that exist in nearly all educational institutions and urgently need to be addressed at the various levels. The Quadri Report also reveals shocking amounts of corruption which appear to be affecting the quality of the institution itself. This expose´ will hopefully open the doors to further systematic investigations into the working of other national law schools and will spur these institutes to introspect and clean up their act..Bar & Bench has obtained an exclusive copy of the Report of the School Review Commission; which is available for download below.