Total Quality Management Centre

Students are our beacons of hope.  Teachers train them to be leaders of tomorrow.  If we are to benefit from the huge investment that we have made in education, our teachers must be enabled and motivated to commit themselves, personally and professionally, to the all-round development of students for efficiency and effectiveness in providing quality education.

 Quality assurance in education assumes a lot of importance in this context.  We have to initiate several interventions in the realm of Total Quality Management (TQM) in Higher Education towards continuous improvements, in tune with the roadmap of progress envisaged under "Karnataka Eduvision 2002".  To achieve this vision, it is imperative to have an institutional arrangement to usher in quality education.

 Thus, the starting point for a series of project interventions, which are important and urgent, would be to create an environment for continuous improvement and change and thereafter to introduce TQM in education.

 However, no amount of improvement in material resources can bring about quality in education unless the attitude and mindsets are changed. A lukewarm approach at the Unit (College) level can cause irreparable damage to the task of nation building at a time when the whole world has come under one common economic world order. Hence, the initiative taken for a TQM movement in Higher Education in Karnataka with the support of NAAC.

TQM is the ‘Complete Food’ – with principles, methods, work habits, systems, tools and techniques, all integrated harmoniously.  It is a whole new world.  Yet, when we understand TQM, we are likely to say: “But this is all common sense”.  This is because we can intuitively see that it is simple, yet powerful. We have to keep in mind perhaps, that simple though the principles sound, they represent paradigm shifts, sometimes of l80 degrees.  TQM propounds a radically different way of working.

 When we begin TQM, there are some questions that we ask ourselves. What is the purpose of our organization? What is our accountability to our stakeholders? What results do we seek? What are the measures needed to be initiated? 

In untransformed colleges, such questions are not easy to answer.  Nevertheless, we must ask them.

 Unlike in the current systems that we have developed, which continue to produce poor results year after year, in TQM our effort is towards continuous improvement. Therefore, it is critical under TQM to bring our problems to the surface rather than sweep them under the carpet.  But while doing so, we do it as a part of re-engineering, without pointing an accusing finger at any one.  This is because acrimony and prejudice not only hinder solutions but also prevent collective or universal responsibility and ownership in addressing problems and issues.  Thus, if we want to do away with our problems the functioning of our work place must also change.  We have to understand that if we continue to work in the same way the results would not be different either.

 When TQM is implemented, the hierarchy among colleagues, the environment, the culture and the ambience of the organization will undergo a change.  New questions get asked. For example, are our activities creating value for the students? From the outset, we must be open to major changes.  This point may be lost easily in the initial stages of introduction of TQM when focus is on housekeeping or in improving the processes to reduce errors and complaints. If we think that with small improvements alone we can align our institution to its central purposes, our TQM implementation would be perfunctory and we must expect only trivial results.

 In preparing the TQM movement for higher education in Karnataka, we were driven by the fact that the end products of education are not what they are desired to be. Most graduates are not employable - knowledge alone is no guarantee of skills, attitude and values.  We are aware of the fact that knowledge, marks and certificates are not indicators of the quality of individuals. Yet, institutions do not have a roadmap for conforming to quality standards despite being aware that traditional systems of education do not meet the needs of the students. This need is the ability to think and the ability to learn to use the available resource to complete the given task efficiently.

 However, these have not been focused upon, as priorities of managements are extremely narrow. They are more concerned with the pass percentage and reputation of the institution than with ushering in qualitative changes. Student groups are uninterested because they have no proper guidance. Teachers are unable to satisfy student needs other than the teacher centric teaching because specific skills for teaching have not been developed by them. Yet, there is no systematic training, development and project intervention for college teachers.

 Even so, one need not lose heart. It is not impossible to foster change because most college teachers as well as institutions are interested in professional development. The teacher is both motivated and trainable. We are sure that authority exercised with persuasion can guarantee quality and the Department of Collegiate Education is an appropriate authority to persuade teachers to take up the project.

 An opportunity knocks at our door.  Every one who participates in our TQM movement will benefit a great deal through personal enrichment too.  Let us seize this moment and commit ourselves to work together and build a quality educational system in Karnataka and a better India, no matter what the difficulties are.

TQM Centre at MGM College

The initiative for creation of an institutional delivery mechanism, namely, Total Quality Management (TQM) in Education has been taken up by the Department of Collegiate Education at a time when the educational scenario at the tertiary level is undergoing sweeping changes the world over - in terms of curriculum, content, methodology, delivery, evaluation systems and the imparting of skills.

 More specifically we have to overcome the lack of ownership, commitment and motivation among all stakeholders at all levels in the education sector. Besides it has become mandatory to obtain NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) Certification to avail certain benefits under UGC (University Grants Commission). The main purpose of the assessment and accreditation exercise of NAAC is improvement and enhancement of quality by means of self-regulation, peer review and self-imposed integrity in all spheres of activity.

Accordingly, MGM College has been selected as one of the Lead College to look after the TQM of the District. This Centre has all the necessary inputs and facilities to organise a National Seminar cum Workshop. The College and the Centre has been regularly conducting programs of this nature. Leading educationists and personalities constitute the members of the Task Force.