Evaluating the resource use efficiency of government colleges in Punjab (India) : A data envelopment analysis

Purpose In the present era, government colleges in Punjab are facing cutthroat competition on three fronts, i.e. financial constraints and insufficiency of government grants, falling number of students and the shortage of teaching staff in the colleges because of stiff competition and other reasons. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the resource use efficiency of government colleges in Punjab. Design/methodology/approach The study covered 15 general degree government colleges from various districts of Punjab. Secondary data for the study were collected from financial budgets, income and expenditure statements and self study reports of the colleges. The data envelopment analysis was conducted using the CCR model and BCC model. Findings The technical efficiency results suggest that colleges analyzed in this study are operating at a moderate level of efficiency relative to each other. Most of the colleges were found to be inefficient during the study period. Only one college was found consistently efficient during all the years of the study. Moreover, input and output slacks exist in many of the colleges. Research limitations/implications To achieve the efficiency level, the colleges need to improve their utilization of resources and the enrollment rate at a given level of resources. To increase the efficiency of the colleges, the Government of India needs to reform their budgeting system. Originality/value Punjab is a well-known state of India and public higher education sector plays important role in the education system. This research provides a new insight to the efficiency of the government colleges.