Pune’s Gokhale Institute alumni, students say legacy holds strong, some fear slide

Pune: Alumni and students of Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) said that the institute's strong legacy will protect its core academic functions, but others warned of potential impacts on students' prospects, recruitment and faculty morale.
Some called for swift resolution to the row over the institute's chancellorship even as current students said regular academic activities remain unaffected. However, they were concerned about poor placements and feared that the controversy may mar the institute's standing.

According to Sangeeta Shroff, a former faculty member in GIPE, good governance will get the institute back on track. She did not expect the controversy to impact students.
She said, "The institute has a strong legacy and sound systems were put in place by former director of GIPE and veteran economist V M Dandekar. The Board of Studies and the Academic Council meets regularly to revise and upgrade the syllabus, and students are taught all contemporary issues. Every six months, PhD candidates give presentations to external faculty who provide feedback. GIPE has an excellent library visited by eminent economists from all over the world. Its digitisation has made several rare books available to students."
Former and current students said they hoped the institute would quickly recover. "It feels bad to see the institute mired in such controversies. I hope it moves past this so that students may prosper," Ashish Kulkarni, a former GIPE student, said.
An undergraduate student said that the controversy did not affect her or other students, nor the day-to-day functioning of the college but she feared it could adversely impact admissions. A current faculty member said that admissions in certain courses is already down.
A group of second-year postgraduate students felt that those running the institute must sit together and devise a plan to revive it, especially its placement record.
"Ninety percent of the students appeared for placement interviews but very few have jobs. None of us secured jobs in any company. After studying so much, we don't want to take up a Rs 20,000 salary job which could have come without a master's degree. The institute needs an overhaul," they said.
quote
Gokhale Institute is among the most reputed for economics in the country. It is disheartening to see it receive an NAAC 'B' rating which does not help students, recruiters or donors. The faculty's morale is impacted. This should be a wake-up call and all stakeholders must steer the institute towards a brighter future
Neeraj Hatekar I Noted economist, faculty member at Azim Premji University
Pune: Alumni and students of Pune-based Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) said that the institute's strong legacy will protect its core academic functions, but others warned of potential impacts on students' prospects, recruitment and faculty morale.
Some called for swift resolution to the row over the institute's chancellorship even as current students said regular academic activities remain unaffected. However, they were concerned about poor placements and feared that the controversy may mar the institute's standing.
According to Sangeeta Shroff, a former faculty member in GIPE, good governance will get the institute back on track. She did not expect the controversy to impact students.
She said, "The institute has a strong legacy and sound systems were put in place by former director of GIPE and veteran economist V M Dandekar. The Board of Studies and the Academic Council meets regularly to revise and upgrade the syllabus, and students are taught all contemporary issues. Every six months, PhD candidates give presentations to external faculty who provide feedback. GIPE has an excellent library visited by eminent economists from all over the world. Its digitisation has made several rare books available to students."
Former and current students said they hoped the institute would quickly recover. "It feels bad to see the institute mired in such controversies. I hope it moves past this so that students may prosper," Ashish Kulkarni, a former GIPE student, said.
An undergraduate student said that the controversy did not affect her or other students, nor the day-to-day functioning of the college but she feared it could adversely impact admissions. A current faculty member said that admissions in certain courses is already down.
A group of second-year postgraduate students felt that those running the institute must sit together and devise a plan to revive it, especially its placement record.
"Ninety percent of the students appeared for placement interviews but very few have jobs. None of us secured jobs in any company. After studying so much, we don't want to take up a Rs 20,000 salary job which could have come without a master's degree. The institute needs an overhaul," they said.
quote
Gokhale Institute is among the most reputed for economics in the country. It is disheartening to see it receive an NAAC 'B' rating which does not help students, recruiters or donors. The faculty's morale is impacted. This should be a wake-up call and all stakeholders must steer the institute towards a brighter future
Neeraj Hatekar I Noted economist, faculty member at Azim Premji University