Horizontal Accountability Practices

A recent contribution to a conference, in which I presented my ideas on horizontal accountability practices that may be relevant for Indian institutions of higher learning:

Dash, D. P. (2018, August). Viewing university–community linkage through the lens of accountability: Suggestions for new accountability practices. In University–community linkage (monograph released on the occasion of Odisha Vikash Conclave, 2018, pp. 3-5). Odisha State Open University, Sambalpur, India.

Abstract

I argue that, in India, the prevailing mechanisms of accountability have not oriented universities towards contributing to the public good. Significant aspects of public interest remain unfulfilled in the sphere of higher education and research. As a remedy, I propose new accountability practices, which would bring institutions closer to those voices and interests which have been marginalised due to the current centralised regulatory regime. I propose the following horizontal accountability practices: (a) Public Transparency, (b) Public Interaction, (c) Transdisciplinary Competency, and (d) Watchdog Journalism. Universities ought to demonstrate critical friendship with indigenous and other communities they aim to serve.

Odia University

My first newspaper article in Odia language, published today:

Dash, D. P. (2018, August 20). ଓଡ଼ିଆ ବିଶ୍ଵବିଦ୍ୟାଳୟ: ଅସ୍ପଷ୍ଟ ଆଭିମୁଖ୍ୟ [Odia University: Nebulous mission]. Dharitri, p. 6. Retrieved from http://dharitriepaper.in/edition/755/bhubaneswar/page/6

Summary in English

The article raises several questions relating to the possible focus, role, impact, and accountability of the new Odia University, proposed to be set up in the Satyabadi region of Odisha, India. The sociocultural scenario in that region presents a picture of stagnation or even gradual decline, since India's independence from colonial rule. In that setting, can a new university bring about a positive change? Can it generate the dynamism necessary for reconstituting a healthy and vibrant community there? Universities are not only mirrors of humanity’s great heritage, they are also laboratories for testing new visions of the future. Would the Odia University be engaged in studying only the ancient history of the Odia language or would it be equally engaged with the current promises and predicaments of the language, both within and outside Odisha? What active role would the university play in the construction of a future? There are many universities in the country which are not in a position to assert the exact benefits they are producing. We hear that most Indian graduates are neither employable nor self-supporting. Let us wish that the new Odia University may sustain a sense of responsibility, integrity, and quality in every sphere of its work.