Higher education moves by the Odisha state government outside of the Capital area during the last 5 years [work in progress]
To get a clear picture on higher education moves by the state government (during the last 5 years) outside of the capital area (Khurda, Cuttack and Puri districts) we try to list the moves. Many fully centrally funded institutes are mentioned as the state contributes by free land and in making the location decision. (Note that Odisha has 30 districts.)
What has been done so far (including under construction):
- Central University of Orissa, Dist – Koraput
- Upgradation of UCE Burla to VSSUT, Dist – Sambalpur
- Private University status to Centurion, Dist – Gajapati
- Government Engieering College, Bhawanipatna, Dist – Kalahandi
- College of Agriculture, Bhawanipatna, Dist – Kalahandi
- WODC funds and free land for Private Medical College, Jaring, near Bhawanipatna, Dist – Kalahandi (significant part of the construction is complete)
- Pushed Vedanta to establish Vedanta Science College in Lanjigarh, Dist – Kalahandi
- Parla Maharaj Engineering College, Berhampur, Dist-Ganjam
- Special SUIIT institute as part of Sambalpur University, Dist – Sambalpur
- WODC funds for Hi-Tech Medical College, Rourkela, Dist – Sundergarh (under construction)
- Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Baragarh
- College of Horticulture, Chipilima, Dist – Sambalpur
The districts involved above and the number of items for them are: Baragarh (1), Gajapati (1), Ganjam (1), Kalahandi (4), Koraput (1), Sambalpur (3), Sundergarh (1). If one takes the funding amount as the criteria then Koraput comes at the top.
Some of the announcements that are most likely to happen in 1-3 years as reported in the news:
- Pushed MCL to agree to make a medical college in Talcher
- Pushed NTPC to agree to make a medical college (location not announced)
- Pushed NTPC to agree to make a Power Institute (location not announced)
- Announced that all three medical colleges (includes Berhampur, Sambalpur) will be autonomous starting with the one in Sambalpur.
- Announced that Khallikote College Berhampur will be made to a university
- Proposed that one of the 20 IIIT should be in Berhampur.
- Pushing to upgrade FCI Balangir to an Institute of Hotel Management
- Grants to XIMB to open a campus in Balangir
- Grants to XIMB to open a campus in Sambalpur
- Support for a CIPET campus in Balasore
- Upgradation of GM College, Sambalpur to a university (announed by Higher Education Minister)
The districts involved in the above two lists and their number of items are: Angul (1), Balasore (1), Balangir (2), Baragarh (1), Gajapati (1), Ganjam (4), Kalahandi (4), Koraput (1), Sambalpur (6), Sundergarh (1).
The districts that are left out are: Bhadrak, Bouda, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kandhamala, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Rayagada and Sonepur.
Besides the above there have been reports about government willing to give grants to several private medical colleges in various places and the WODC has tried (but failed) to entice (through grants and free land) a private party to establish a medical college in Balangir.
Also, I think the government will implement some of the recommendations made by the higher education task force.
Please suggest missing items in the comments section. Any capital-bashing comments will be deleted as the purpose of this post is to get a clear picture of what is happenning and not happening in the higher education side outside of the capital districts of Khurda, Cuttack and Puri.
Again, this list is to get a clear picture of what has happened in the non-capital area districts so that one can make an informed decision if the government is biased towards some non-capital districts over other non-capital districts. (There is no argument that the bulk of the moves have been made favoring the capital area. So no discussion on that.)
In regards to my personal view on what the government ought to do, it is listed in details in the site http://orissa2020.org.
The above list should not be interpreted in isolation. For example, one should not conclude that Kalahandi got too much. It got several institutions because it started from very little and the education conscious people of Kalahandi have been rightly demanding for higher education institutions for a long time. But at the same token, arguing that Kalahandi has been neglected by this government with respect to higher education just goes against the facts above and I worry that the well-meaning people who are making such arguments may be harming their cause. I guess the argument comes from losing the central university to Koraput. But then every district other than Koraput (and the capital districts) can use that argument. [If there is interest I will explain more on my take on this in the comments section.]
As an analogy, in 2005 we could rightly argue that the central government neglected Odisha with respect to centrally funded higher education institutions. But if we now say that the UPA government neglected Odisha with respect to centrally funded higher education institutions, we will be laughed at, and our efforts will have negative impact. So we plan to use finer arguments and location specific arguments to push for central institutions in Odisha for the 12th plan.
Kalahandi people wanting more institutions in Kalahandi should think of other ways to make their case and irritating the state government and its bureaucrats with arguments that go against the facts (see list above) may help some politicians but has a higher potential to harm Kalahandi’s case than help its case.
44 comments March 29th, 2011