The multiversity proposal

Auroville Today: How did this concept originate?

Hemant: Last year, Ms. Tara Jauhar from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch was asked by the the Ministry of Culture to bring together all the institutions which are connected with Sri Aurobindo, and come up with one collective idea of how India should celebrate the hundred 50th anniversary of Sri Aurobindo. The core group (Anu, Hemant, Juergen, Christine and Meenakshi) of the Auroville 150th team, constituted by the Working Committee, started interacting on behalf of Auroville. The discussions that followed included representatives of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, the Sri Aurobindo Society, the Gnostic Centre in New Delhi, SACAR in Pondicherry and several other centres from India.

In the first meeting it was suggested that Pondicherry University be renamed Sri Aurobindo International University, which was actually the original intention. This didn’t get anywhere. This evolved to an idea which Mother had considered in 1951 which was to start a Sri Aurobindo University in Pondicherry. This resonated with the others, but was subsequently dropped as universities have to follow regulations which would stifle the practice of integral education. The larger group then started exploring the idea of forming a loose network of Sri Aurobindo organizations and institutes of integral education which would be allowed by the government to offer certification for courses, or learning experiences, offered in these places. For the need for some form of certification had long been felt by almost all these centres.

When the new Secretary joined Auroville, Tara Didi invited her to participate. Subsequently, the Secretary circulated a paper she had written in collaboration with Kireet Joshi many years ago, when they were both in government service in Gujarat. This is where the term ‘multiversity’ originated. All the other centres involved liked the idea of a network of learning centres where students could go, have multiple learning experiences, and receive, if necessary, some kind of a credit or certification.

The concept was presented to the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education. They liked the idea, and said it could be developed. At this point our Secretary suggested it could be started as an Act of Parliament, as an Institute of National importance, as this would be the right offering to Sri Aurobindo in his 150th birth anniversary year.

Subsequently, a sub-group, consisting of representatives from Auroville, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch, Gnostic Centre, SACAR, Sri Aurobindo Society, and Auro University, along with a legal expert on university laws, Prof. Dhruv Chhaya from Gujarat, worked for about three months and submitted a concept note-cum-draft bill to all the participating centres for further feedback. This is what has now been presented to the Auroville community for their comments.

Was the larger purpose to bring Sri Aurobindo’s and Mother’s educational philosophy of integral education to a larger India? Or was it simply a rebranding of existing institutions of integral education?

It started with rebranding, but then it became an attempt to bring integral education into the mainstream, something Kireet Bhai had always been very concerned about. 

What would being part of this multiversity mean for Auroville?

The current thinking is that the Auroville Foundation itself would not be part of the multiversity.  However, certain centres or activities in Auroville, like the Earth Institute, could independently affiliate to the multiversity if they wished to. There would be two kinds of students. Those who have grown up here and want to obtain some kind of educational certification without leaving Auroville; and students from outside who are doing normal studies like law, engineering or medical studies, but who are taking time out from these courses for an experience which broadens their personality. For, apart from training programmes, Auroville offers the kind of experiential learning which can lead to individual transformation.

A student here could take a six months course from a multitude of choices like pottery, woodwork or forestry, or they could work in the Ashram, and for each of each of these learning experiences, which would be structured – they couldn’t just turn up – they would be eligible to receive a credit. When they have accumulated a certain number of credits, they could receive, if they wish, a degree from the multiversity. These credits could also be traded with other universities. If this multiversity is recognized by the Indian Government as an Institute of National Importance, as is proposed, all Indian universities would automatically recognise these credits and students could also continue their studies there. Eventually, many international universities may also recognize these credits.

So a body like a multiversity would give some kind of recognition to Auroville educational activities based on evaluation processes designed by us, not by any other examination board or institution.

But already many students come to Auroville for work experience and gain credits for this back in their home educational institutions. 

Actually, only a handful of foreign universities give credits at the moment for their students who have pursued courses or studies in Auroville. No Indian university does this, though many students come here for an internship or a practicum as part of their studies. 

The draft multiversity bill which has been circulated proposes that Auroville would be the administrative hub of the multiversity. What powers would it have? And how would it relate to the Auroville Foundation?

In the present draft, the coordinating and networking liaison centre between the Affiliating Institutes/Centres for programmes, courses and research would be in Auroville. However, after the first feedbacks received from Auroville, it’s clear that the Administrative Hub should  not be located in Auroville. This change will be incorporated in subsequent drafts.

So does that mean that present community concerns that it would impinge upon the powers of the present Foundation, and even, eventually, take it over, are groundless?

Yes. To set up the multiversity would require a separate act of Parliament, and if there are two acts they function independently.  The multiversity would be a different institution with a different purpose from that of the Auroville Foundation.  In fact, the Auroville Foundation as an entity would not be part of the multiversity, for the multiversity is not an Auroville project but a project of the Sri Aurobindo Centres in India. We are not stakeholders. But different Auroville activities could be involved, if they wish, and we can give suggestions about how to improve the draft. 

Why does this multiversity have to be created by an Act of Parliament?

The multiversity could also be created through incorporation as a Society or a Trust. But if it was created in this way, it would not have the power to offer degrees or diplomas, and receiving money from abroad would be much more difficult. Private universities in India fall under the framework of the University Grants Commission. If you want to do something new and innovative, which is what the multiversity would be, then you need a separate Act. Moreover, the multiversity is planned to be an Institution of National Importance, and this can only be done by an Act of Parliament.

What is the present status of the project?

The project is at an early stage of evolution. The draft which is being circulated is a work in progress. It will require many more iterations, if it is to progress at all. These are initial ideas which are evolving as we broaden our consultations. Nothing is fixed as yet.

We’ve had a discussion with the SAIIER Board, and arrived at the following agreements:

1. For the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo it’s a great idea to have a multiversity.

2. The Auroville Foundation cannot be an affiliate of this multiversity.

3. If there are units and places in Auroville that want to offer programmes to the multiversity we should be able to make that possible. 

In terms of the way forward, one of the things we agreed on is that whatever happens, the experimental nature of Auroville and the education that happens here cannot be affected in any way.

We have also gone through the present draft line by line with the Secretary and clarified, among other things, that we feel the hub should be outside Auroville, and that the Auroville Foundation should not be one of the affiliates as, technically, the Auroville Foundation is an umbrella of many different activities and therefore cannot become an affiliate of an educational institution. My understanding is that the Secretary has accepted these inputs. 

So the Residents Assembly is not being presented with a fait accompli?

No, nothing has gone officially from the Working Committee to the Governing Board or the Government yet. The idea was presented to the Ministry of Culture as part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations and the Secretary has talked to the Minister of Education about it, and it seems he liked the idea, and she may also have brought it to the Prime Minister. The new Governing Board has not yet received a draft, although they have been informed by the Secretary that this idea is cooking. Of course, we can’t prevent the possibility that somebody has shared it with them unofficially.

But, officially, the first large group we have shared the draft with is the residents, and the future of the multiversity regarding Auroville’s involvement is in our hands.

I see three possible options concerning Auroville’s involvement. We can say ‘no’, or ‘we fully agree’, or ‘yes, but with modifications’.

Is there a clock ticking on this?

No, I think we need to chew on the idea, examine all the feedback and iron out the bugs before we proceed any further. This may take time, but in my view, we should take the required time. The only time constraint is the link to the 150th celebration. Feedback which involves many more people, utilizing open google docs, meetings with stake holders in the education sector of Auroville and open meetings, will definitely enrich the process.

What are the concerns expressed in the feedback you have received so far?

One concern is that the administrative hub will be in Auroville; another fear is that Auroville will be taken over under the guise of this. I’ve already clarified that this is baseless.

Another concern is that the proposed organizational structure of the multiversity is very top-heavy, for it is suggested that the administrative hub shall consist of a Governing Council, an Integral Learning Council, and Executive and Coordinating Councils! It needs to be redesigned the structure in such a way that the free progress element is not diluted, and the principle of integral education respected. Also, the people populating these Councils should be from places where free progress is happening – like the Ashram, Auroville and other centers of learning – or experts in integral education. This is very crucial. So the challenge is to redraft the proposal so it fits more with the integral education value system, yet is acceptable to bureaucrats in Delhi.

It has also been expressed that Auroville should not be involved with anything which involves the awarding of degrees and diplomas, as The Mother wrote in The Dream that in that place “education would be given not for passing examinations or obtaining certificates and posts but to enrich existing faculties and bring forth new ones”. Why can’t we follow what Ashram has done, and develop further education courses in Auroville which would be recognized by universities? Or develop Kireet’s proposal for CIRHU? Or simply receive some form of recognition for the courses we are already running?

Unlike the Ashram, we have not developed our education programme to the undergraduate level because we have far too few students to do this. Many students leave before high school to study in outside schools or, after high school, to study abroad or experience other cultures.  With so few students it is practically impossible to develop a programme of higher studies. The only way to do this is to attract students from outside, but to do that we would need to offer them some kind of accreditation.

Actually, even in the conventional world, the award of certificates and degrees is diminishing in importance. The quality of people and their learning capacity is becoming more and more important. The multiversity can help gain some form of recognition for this, something which has always been the strong point of Auroville’s experiential education.

Some institutions, like the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry and the Sri Aurobindo Ashram Delhi Branch, as well as the Sri Aurobindo Society, which were originally conceived of as founding members of the multiversity have dropped out. Why is this?

In an earlier draft of the concept there was something called ‘Founding Affiliates’ and these centres were supposed to take this role. The Founding Affiliates would not have to go through an affiliation process, but they could be subjected to a lot of scrutiny and due diligence, and these places do not want this. So these organizations do not want to be Founding Affiliates. However, The Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, and the Sri Aurobindo Society could each send a nominee to be part of the governing structure, if invited, and they may eventually get affiliated to the multiversity as service providers.

It’s also very clearly mentioned that this Act would not impact the affiliates in any way. They will continue as at present and are free to conduct their usual courses. Only those courses for which recognition by the multiversity is required will be overseen by the Academic Council of the multiversity. At least, that is what is mentioned in the present draft.

The best case scenario, as far as I am concerned, is that Auroville would take the Pondicherry Ashram approach. In other words, we could participate in the governing organization, if invited, and if the groups providing education or educational experiences in Auroville see value they could affiliate directly after the multiversity has been created. We could be a laboratory for experiments and research into integral education, but the administrative hub of the multiversity would be situated elsewhere.

I think an arrangement like this would reduce the weight of all the present fears.

How will the multiversity be funded?

There are many people in the Sri Aurobindo community worldwide who are willing to contribute to this project. If the multiversity is declared an Institute of National Importance (INI), the government will also contribute.  Being declared am INI would also simplify the receipt of funds from abroad.

So, essentially, you are positive about the multiversity concept?

It’s important to remember that this did not originate as an Auroville project. It emerged as a collective aspiration from a group of institutions dedicated to Sri Aurobindo, as India’s offering to Sri Aurobindo.  From that perspective, I think this is the right thing to do, albeit not in the over-structured way that is being suggested at present. However, if the question is should Auroville be involved with this initiative, I don’t know. It’s not necessary, but I do feel there are some potential benefits, particularly for Auroville students who don’t want to leave Auroville or its environs to receive some kind of qualification or recognition, or for those youth who come to Auroville for learning experiences and who could benefit from these to expand their educational opportunities elsewhere.