The nuisance that is convocation ceremony
Ceremonies get value only if they are conducted appropriately. Mimicking an auspicious ceremony only demeans its value
Does education have any value in life? Does a degree guarantee a job? These questions always rhyme in our society.
Of course, these questions need detailed discussion. But the root cause of these questions is the declining value of education in today’s society, due to the mockeries shown by education institutions. Even from kindergarten onwards, many private educational institutions conduct graduation ceremonies, making a mockery of our education system. We are demeaning the value of actual degree certificates through these ceremonies.
According to UGC, “Convocation" means a ceremonial assembly of a university, normally held for conferring Degrees and other awards to its eligible candidates. Usually, it is the universities that conduct convocation ceremonies in India. But in recent times, many colleges conduct convocation ceremonies or graduation ceremonies. The programme is conducted in a grand manner inviting eminent personalities; in some cases, even the vice-chancellors of universities attend the function. The funny thing is that even students who failed university examinations also get a certificate at these graduation ceremonies. Some college authorities make poor students and parents believe that these certificates have more value than the ones issued by the universities.  The ceremony itself is a huge business involving many event managers. A photo in graduation attire can convince the public that the particular person is a degree holder. This can fetch them status and demand in the marriage market. It's like what we see in the movie ‘Three Idiots.’
After attending the graduation ceremony conducted by their colleges, students post on social media stating that they have officially become graduates. During earlier times, the convocation ceremonies are performed only by universities where the university authority hands over graduation certificates. Every student dreams of wearing the ceremonial convocation dress and taking a photo with the degree certificate. There was a time, before the 1990s, when every household used to hang pictures of their graduating family members. During that time, students from every stream and every level, undergraduate to higher degrees, had the privilege to attend convocation ceremonies conducted at universities. Society viewed a university graduate with awe and much respect. With the increase in the number of graduates passing out from our universities, the convocation ceremonies are limited to professional courses and higher degrees like PhD.
The value given to original degree certificates issued by good universities is slowly diminishing because of ceremonies conducted by these private institutions. The students and society at large are finding it challenging to understand which is genuine and which is fake. There are many people with “Dr.” affiliation in our community, whose degree is awarded by private institutions. These institutions, which are mostly registered societies, provide honorary doctoral degrees by charging hefty fees. They even give professional awards after taking huge fees from the nominees. Ceremonies get value only if it is conducted appropriately by the appropriate agency concerned. Mimicking an auspicious ceremony will demean its value. Can we mimic our marriage ceremony to show it to someone? All educational institutions should respect the value associated with various ceremonies and show the correct path to the students and society. Otherwise, our students shall carry certificates that have only a paper’s value and have value only on social media platforms. We need to build quality graduates in every domain of knowledge in nation-building. For this, educational institutions should stay away from such gimmicks that make a mockery of our education system and should show the true path to our youngsters.