Leadership in Academia

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About the Author Dr Ashutosh Dwivedi is currently employed as professor of commerce and management in a leading management Institute in Uttar Pradesh and his main areas of interest and specialisation are HRM, OB and Business Laws. He has around 20 years' experience in academics and industry. His academic association, from Bachelors to Doctoral, has been with Banaras Hindu University, a leading central university. During his 20 years' experience in academics and industry, Dr. Dwivedi has held high-ranked positions. In industry, he has worked in a leading US based publishing company as General Manager. As an academic, he has held such coveted positions as Dean-Faculty, Dean-Academic Affairs, Dean-Students Affairs, Director-IQAC, Head-Department of Commerce, and In-charge-Legal Services Clinic. Dr. Dwivedi is also associated with numerous editorial committees and is on the reviewer panels of reputed international journals published by Inderscience Publishers Ltd, Switzerland and a UGC CARE listed journal. He is an editorial board member of International Journal of Commerce & Social Sciences, a biannual refereed Journal. He has published various articles and research papers in national & international journal of repute. He has been awarded by a Certificate of Appreciation from Indo European Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises in 2015 and another prestigious honour of National Social Worker Award-2023 presented by International Human Rights & Crime Control Organisation World.

Preface The present day India is witnessing far reaching changes in all walks of life, be they economy, polity, society or material development of science and technology. The higher education system and the universities in India are no exception to this change process. They cannot remain in isolation all aloof and unfazed. Education planners and university Vice-Chancellors (academic leaders) have to read the 'writing on the wall'. This is high time that they devise measures for providing effective leadership to universities and institutions of higher learning in the challenging years ahead.

A university is primarily led by its top leader- the Vice- Chancellor. The philosophy, thoughts and actions of a Vice-Chancellor have a far reaching impact on the functioning of the university. The success or failure in achieving the desired goals of the university are significantly determined by the leadership style of the Vice-Chancellor. In fact, the Vice-Chancellor is the pivot around whom the whole administration rotates. It may help to improve the overall environment of a university if suitable leadership style is used by its leader, the Vice- Chancellor.

It is surprising to note that in the past only a few studies have focused on the university leaders, their functions, qualities and their working styles. The managerial and leadership behaviours of various business organisations and other groups have been studied and well analysed but, ironically, the university leaders and their leadership behaviours failed to get the attention of researchers and scholars. The reason behind this may be ascribed to the fact that these studies are conducted by academics and they knowingly try to avoid to diagnose themselves. As such, the study ofleadership style and behaviours of Vice- Chancellors, particularly with reference to BHU, is long overdue and justified also. The study is expected to reveal and unfold the intricate issues and facets of academic leadership and thereby to impart important implications for the future functioning of the university leaders.

Introduction Higher Education in India Emergence and Evolution

The higher education system in India is the outcome of a gradual and steady process of evolution linked with societal and cultural framework and the needs of the time. Since ancient times, the higher education system in India served as an effective tool of transferring knowledge and cultural developments from one generation to the other. The most glaring feature of the Indian higher education system has been its endeavour to explore the new horizons of learning and knowledge with a dominant religious character. The evolution of higher education system in India can be traced wayback to 'Vedic' period. Since the Vedic period the system of higher education has traversed through five distinct phases (1) The Vedic and Brahmanical Phase, (ii) The Buddhist Phase, (iii) The Medieval Phase, (iv) The British Phase, and (v) The Contemporary Phase.

The Vedic and Brahamanical Phase

The traces of the most ancient educational system in India dates back to the Vedic Age which is popularly known as Brahmanical system. Around 3000-2500 B.C., the early Vedic period, the education concerned itself only with the preservation and diffusion of contemporary sacred texts through oral transmission. The educational institutions consisted of 'Gurukul" (schools) organised around 'Rishis' (sages) who admitted only resident pupils.

The 'Gurukuls' were of basically three types. First, there was the usual system under which the 'Guru' (teacher), as a settled householder, admitted to his instruction pupils of tender age (generally of five years age) who left their home for study after the Upanayana? or initiation ceremony. The second type of institutions were generally known as Debating Circles and Parishads³. In these Parishads, students discussed various aspects of knowledge. The third type of institutions were represented by conferences. These conferences were usually summoned by Kings. The representative thinkers of various schools were invited to participate and exchange their views in theseconferences.

The education system of the post-Vedic period (600-300 B.C.), registered some rituals relating to education. The students had to undergo certain samskaras (ceremonies) like 'Vidyarambha", 'Chudakarana and 'Upanayana'. The students who had undergone the various samskaras had to be a celibate. They were required to serve their teacher as a son, supplicant or slave. The studentship, as conferred upon by various samskaras, could continue for the entire life if the student had no desire to become a householder. During the course of studentship, a student was known as 'Brahmachari' whose primary duty, besides study, was to go out begging alms twice a day, ie, in the morning and in the evening. The proceeds of the begging did not belong to the student and he had to deposit the entire proceeds to his teacher. The underlying idea was to regulate the student on the principle of being completely free from worldly affairs and belongings.

On completion of the education the 'Samavartana' (Graduation) Samskara was performed. The brahmachari student was required to perform a number of acts signifying the end of austerities imposed upon him. In Samavartana samskara, the student was required to take a luxurious bath, then after to dressup nicely with ornaments. After this, the student was called 'Snataka (Graduate). Now, after the bath, the snataka was allowed to return home and was permitted to be a householder.

The Buddhist Phase

The traces of Buddhist education dates back to the late fifth century B.C. The Buddhist education system was primarily centered around the monasteries and was in complete control of monks. This monastic, buddhist education system significantly substituted and supplemented the individualistic system of education that flourished during the Brahmanical period. The monastic system as ordained by Lord Buddha made the Indian education system double pronged - a small school with an individual teacher under the Vedic system, and a large educational federation under a monastery, controlled by a collective body of teachers". Like anywhere in the world, the Buddhist education system saw the development of large institutional setups which could be compared to modern universities.

By the early Christian era the curriculum at such centres of education came to cover varied subjects like the vedas and vedangas, astronomy, philosophical systems (of Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya and Vaishesika), music, medicine, art of war and poetry, as well as crafts and arithmetic. Even though the writing was known, the method of teaching was by and large oral.

The Buddhist education system developed 'Viharas (large institutional setups) which were designed to function as residential educational institutions where various groups of students and teachers lived together. The system permitted an individual teacher to teach a particular student and at a time he could entertain two novices. The teacher, even though he was restricted to teach only a particular student, was required to live in the 'Viharas' with large number of students. Another important feature of the Buddhist education system was the gathering of monks from various monasteries to discuss and exchange their views.

The Buddhist education system saw the development of large institutional setups as the seat of higher learning. Taxila, which developed around the first century B.C., was the most famous Buddhist seat of higher learning, attracting students not only from all over India but the whole of the civilised world. Varanasi was also an important centre of learning especially for music.

The other contemporary ancient Universities of India were those of Nalanda, Vikramasila and Vallabhi. At Nalanda (developed in the fifth century A.D.), there were 1500 teachers and 8500 students. The university was run on democratic principles. There was no bureaucracy and the affairs of the administration were controlled and looked after by various committees. The Vallabhi seat of higher learning (situated in Gujarat), developed as a rival of Nalanda. Hiuen-Tsang states that there were 6000 priests at Vallabhi. It specialised in Hinayana Buddhism whereas Nalanda specialised in Mahayana Buddhism.

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