Following is an excerpt from a news report in Pioneer.
For the first time, the State Government created 30 posts of Commissioner-cum-Secretary.
A single-page proposal got through and no body raised any question over the justification of creating so many posts of Commissioners. With these new posts, the State will have 54 Commissioners-cum-Secretaries.
But then see the contrast. The other day, the new Vice-Chancellor of the Utkal University, Binayak Rath, approached the Government for filling up of the vacancies in the State’s leading educational institution. He was, however, asked to explain the justification of filling up the vacancies.
Presently, there are 166 teachers in the university against 340 in the 1990s. The number will further come down to 142 by 2010 when many more teachers will retire. As many as 73 posts have been abolished over the years.
The Vice-Chancellor sought filling up of all vacancies within three to four months for the benefit of the students. He also lobbied for permanent appointment of teaching staff along with adequate support staff rather than contractual recruitment. But, on the contrary, he was asked to justify the need for filling up all posts and why those posts should not be abolished.
The question asked in several quarters is why a double standard for creating posts is being followed. There should be clear-cut guidelines to create posts in the Government departments, but there is no policy direction for creating posts. It is whims and fancies that rule the State," lament educationists. Everybody in the Higher Education Department knows that the State’s universities are in a sorry state. Vacancies are galore in all these institutions and the educational standard is falling very fast, they point out.
In regards to IIT Odisha, Prof. Damodar Acharya, who as IIT Kharagpur director will be in charge of IIT Odisha, recently visited and discussed with the CM of Orissa on the IIT issue. I was told that there was a news item in the local edition of Times of India that the IIT in Odisha will start classes this year with 120 students. This news has not appeared in any other place yet.
… IIT Bombay, which set up its extension centre at Government Engineering College (GEC), Chandkheda, six months ago, will support the state education department in the entire process of setting up full-fledged IIT here, including faculty recruitment. The IIT will function from GEC Chandkheda- the institute from where IIT Bombay currently conducts 12 short-term courses under its continuing education programme
According to Principal Secretary, education department, Hasmukh Adhia, "After the media came up with its report on the decision to set up an IIT in Gujarat, we received the letter from the union HRD ministry. To which we have expressed the ministry that we consists readymade infrastructure at GEC, Chandkheda, which fulfils all infrastructural requirements as asked by it, so we came to a conclusion to set up IIT".
Pointing out the grey areas Mr. Adhia, "We have the entire required infrastructure in place. But the only thing which is missing here is the hostel facility for students. GCE, Chandkheda has very excellent housing projects in place and the problem of hostel requirement will be easily sorted out".
The HRD ministry’s decision to set up four IITs each in Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, comes months after finance minister P Chidambaram declaration during his budget speech about setting up IITs in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Initially, the three states will kick-start IITs with 120 students each for three undergraduate programmes in Computer Science & Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. IIT-G is to follow the same pattern as well.
So Orissa could get 18 colleges (in 18 districts) and 11 polytechnics. Each of these colleges would be supported by GOI by upto Rs. 2.5 Crore or one-third cost with the balance being met by the State Government or Private participation.
373 districts having GER lower than the national average identified by the UGC.
Out of 373 districts, 11 districts have lower than 3% GER, 79 districts have GER between 3.1 to 6% and 143 districts have GER between 6.1 to 9%
140 districts have a GER above 9% but below the national average.
91 districts proposed to be covered on priority as they have less than 4 colleges per 1 lakh of student population.
The above 373 districts also have 88 districts having a high minority concentration.
Upto Rs. 2.5 Crore or one-third cost is proposed as Central contribution with the balance being met by the State Government or Private participation.
Non – central Government share could include share of the state govt. as well as private not – for – profit contribution.
HRM has written to the concerned State Governments to identify location and their willingness to arrange for the balance of capital cost (non-recurring), to provide land free of cost and to meet the running and maintenance expenditure on these colleges.
Helping states expand higher education opportunities 1
A new scheme for incentivising State Govts for expansion and starting of new institutions of Higher Education proposed.
Under this Centrally Sponsored Scheme, GOI will give one third of the capital cost of establishing new institutions or expansion by the State Govts.
Rs. 7000 crore provided in XI Plan for this scheme.
Helping states expand higher education opportunities 2
UGC coverage of over 8000 degree colleges and over 170 Universities, which are not receiving UGC grant at present.
50% sharing basis – to be strengthened to get eligibility for 12B recognition under UGC Act.
Scheme of construction of Women hostels in Colleges/ Universities with 100% UGC grant is being given impetus.
New IITs
States to propose 2/3 alternative locations of 500 to 600 acres of land free of cost with good air, rail and road connectivity.
Also to offer accommodation on temporary basis for starting the courses.
Also proposed to make the existing IITs act as mentor institutions for new IITs.
It is proposed that the Director of the Mentor IIT, will act as Director of the new IIT for 3 years, with a separate campus Director / or Associate Director.
Efforts will be made to have common Chairman and many common members in the BoGs of the Mentor IIT and the new IIT.
New IIITs
4 IIITs (Indian Institute of Information Technology) at present at Allahabad, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Kanchipuram.
XI Plan envisages 20 new IIITs – as far as possible in the PPP mode.
A model DPR being proposed by NASSCOM, is expected to be available by end of April 2008.
Proposed model
Centre, State and Industry to contribute Rs. 15 Cr. each
Remaining capital cost [about Rs. 80 Cr. ] – to be either given as interest free Government loan on ITI pattern
or otherwise interest subsidy to be given for the loans as may be taken.
Recurring expenses to be met out of fees and internal accruals.
Some of the new IIITs proposed to be set up in Govt. Sector in States where PPP mode does not work out.
Polytechnics
Ratio of Diploma to Degree level seats in India – roughly 1:2, while it should be 3:1 or even higher.
Unlike Engineering Colleges, only about 15 to 20% of Polytechnics in Private Sector.
XI Plan envisages establishment of one Polytechnic in each of the 200 Districts not having one at present.
Ministry has proposed at least 1000 Polytechnics in XI Plan: 300 in Govt. Sector; 300 in PPP; 400 in Private Sector
Existing Govt. Polytechnics will be strengthened.
Support will be given for construction of Women’s Hostels in Polytechnics.
Introduction of Diploma Courses in the existing Engineering Institutions as well as running of 2nd shifts in existing polytechnics to augment intake capacity.
Internet Connectivity
Network each department of 398 university level institutions and each of 18000 colleges through broadband connectivity.
100 premier institutions working as Knowledge hubs to be connected with 1 Gbps bandwidth.
Make available high quality e-text books, e-reference books, e-research papers and e-content in different languages from KG to PG, free of cost to genuine learners.
State Governments to share 30% of the cost of providing broadband connectivity.
Chairman and Managing Director of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) Shriram Upadhyay seems more concerned for educational and social development of Orissa than his counterpart in National Aluminium Company (Nalco) Chitta Ranjan Pradhan.
Upadhyay is eager to provide fund for establishment of a medical college at Talcher. Pradhan, though an Oriya, on the other hand, has till date not shown any interest in investing in human resource development of the State in a big way.
Interestingly, Nalco’s medical bill per annum is around Rs14 crore, and if this Navratna public sector undertaking (PSU) takes a bold step, it could save the huge medical expenses for its employees by investing in setting up of a medical college and hospital.
Lack of interest at the top management level of Nalco to fund in social sector of the State has irked the leading non-resident Oriyas (NROs) and educationists. While major private investors have been providing funds for development of the educational sector, PSU Nalco’s shyness to develop Orissa as an educational hub has resulted in a sorry state of affairs, lamented Professor Chitta Baral, who teaches at the Arizona State University.
Prof Baral has asked the Nalco chief to fund a medical college at Damanjodi (Koraput), an engineering college at Angul and a topnotch management institute in Bhubaneswar. He said that this is high time the Nalco authorities were forced to invest in the social sector in a big way.
Owing to political pressure, Nalco is funding few projects in Koraput and Anugul, alleged an educationist. He said that Nalco must take cue from MCL and Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in taking initiative for investment in the social sector. CCL, it may be pointed out, is funding an engineering college in Jharkhand, its area of operation. Similarly, the Bokaro Steel Plant is also funding a medical college in Jharkhand.
… As Nalco has applied for another bauxite mines in Orissa, it is high time the State Government pressurised the PSU to fund liberally in the educational sector of the State, he said.
Following is Sambada’s tongue-in-cheek take in its Sunday magazine article on City Politics.
Provision of admission to the Puri DAV School by Anil Agarwal Foundation’s Vedanta University project for the children of displaced families has drawn an enthusiastic response from the villagers. As per the arrangement, 500 children from the land losing and displaced families will be admitted to the school.
By May 10, as many as 618 applications were received from children of the target families for admission in the DAV School. The children will get free education and the Foundation will provide uniforms, transport facilities, books and also mid-day snacks.
Despite discouragement and threats from vested interests opposed to the university project, the villagers and their children are very enthusiastic about the whole arrangement as they are serious about good education and a better future. After selection and admission, the classes are scheduled to start from July 1, according to a company release.
Following are excerpts from a report in the Statesman.
As a part of its CSR mission to facilitate quality school education for the upcoming generation of the project affected families, Anil Agarwal Foundation has partnered with the DAV School, Puri.
During the entrance tests, children came accompanied by parents and fellow villagers who were very keen for the admission of their wards, claimed a release issued by the foundation while noting that this was despite threats from vested interests who are opposed to the University project.
The CSR activities of Vedanta group of industries run by Mr Anil Agarwal focuses on health, education, livelihood and peripheral development, noted the release.
The educational initiative, in partnership with the DAV School, is expected to allay the fear of the local community that the world class University will be of no benefit to them. The students inducted to the DAV School now, will , in future find their rightful place in the Vedanta University.
… the State Department for Higher Education decided to recommend up to 100 colleges in the state for academic autonomy; in other words, freedom from the university prescribed curricula. Autonomy would enable a college to introduce internationally accepted semester system and grading for students used in foreign institutions.
It is going to ask 58 colleges which have got ‘A’ grade and above from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council to submit proposals for autonomy. Of these 58, about 20 are Mumbai colleges.
Besides, pleas of 42 colleges that have already applied for autonomy years ago, including Mumbai’s St Xavier’s and the Government Law College, will be looked into.
“Academic autonomy will allow colleges to not just design their own courses, but also have contact with professionals from whom they can take industry inputs. Our department will ask colleges to prepare a proposal for academic autonomy. The proposal will then be submitted to the university to be forwarded to the state government with its recommendations,” said K.M. Kulkarni, director for higher education.
“With the government nod, the proposal will then be forwarded to the University Grants Commission (UGC) who in turn will send a committee for college inspection.”
With the possibility of foreign universities setting shop in India soon, autonomy would allow colleges to collaborate with these universities. The process for granting autonomy, if followed up seriously, can take about an year.
“Autonomous colleges will have industry professionals on their governing board, and there could be tailor-made courses to create skilled professionals for the industry,” said Kulkarni.
Maharashtra has only eight autonomous colleges — dismal compared with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh with 85, 31, 34 and 27 respectively. “It is good for colleges that want to innovate. The UGC would like to see at least 50 colleges in the state getting academic autonomy in the next three years,” said UGC Deputy Secretary for Western Region G. Srinivas.
Students graduating from autonomous colleges will be awarded degrees from the parent university with the name of the college mentioned. “This would give the colleges more credibility as well.
The three-year Bachelor of Science course could soon be phased out across the country and replaced by a four-year BS course based on the American model.
In the new course, students in the first year will study core science subjects.
From the second year they will specialise and choose their electives.
The Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institutes of Technology could be the first ones to introduce the four-year programme.
…
The proposal is the brainchild of the National Knowledge Commission, which is headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
These are the National Institute of Medical Genetics, funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, the National Institute of Nanoscience and Technology, funded by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Institute of Mangrove and Coastal Studies, funded by the Department of Environment.
“The institutes for medical genetics and nanoscience technology are coming up at Baruipur. About 25 acres of land have been identified for the purpose and the government had approved it last year,” …
Efforts are on to develop Baruipur as the new educational hub where infrastructure for educational institutes will be developed, added Majumdar. “The Coastal Research Centre will cater to the entire coastline of the country and will come up near Sunderbans,” he said. The National Institute of Translation Research is also likely to be constructed here and discussions are on with CSIR for funding the project.
The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, which promotes basic sciences, has started its functioning in the city in 2006. … and will soon have its own campus at Haringhata. The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research which has been holding its classes at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology will also have a campus of its own soon, said officials.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Saturday gave its approval to set up two institutes of the level of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) under public-private partnership basis.
According to the cabinet decision, the proposed institutes would be set up with an estimated investment of Rs 500 crore each.
An official release issued here said that the cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mayawati also decided to set up two engineering colleges with private participation in the backward eastern region of Ambedkar Nagar and Azamgarh.
An investment of Rs 200 crore is expected on them.
As many as 50 polytechnics would also be set up in public-private partnership costing Rs 20 crore each.
There is also a proposal to set up 250 ITIs in as many development blocks with an investment of Rs two crore each.
Besides, private investment would also be open for Upgrading facilities in existing polytechnics and ITIs, the release said.
A decision was also taken to bring the Lucknow Institute of Engineering and Technology into the ambit of the UP Technical University (UPTU) as an associate degree college.
The cabinet also decided to include the Lucknow College of Architecture as one of the faculties of UPTU.
It also decided to introduce English from class I.
As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility exercise, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh, has adopted all the 400 Anganwadis in six blocks of Kalahandi district under a project, Bal Chetna, in association with Sterlite Foundation and Government of Orissa through private-public partnership.
… The people were quite happy and enthusiastic about the new project, Bal Chetna, which will take care of their children’s health, nutrition and early education. Vedanta has already earned a good name for successfully operating 32 Child Care Centres with 1,139 children in the 18 peripheral villages at Lanjigarh. With free uniforms, nutritious midday meals, afternoon snacks and proper grooming, these centres have already laid a solid foundation for nurturing the future generation.
People are sure that children of areas beyond the peripheral villages and those of the entire district will now have access to similar facilities that can ensure a better future for them. The Collector said the Bal Chetna project would not only ensure a bright future for children but also open direct and indirect growth opportunities for the local youth. VAL vice-president Dr Mukesh Kumar said the company’s objective of taking up the project is to significantly upgrade the Anganwadi services under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).
Vedanta intends to bring in visible improvement in the quality of education of the children, especially, the underprivileged, in the age group 0-5 years, by providing five-fold services that include play way method of learning, nutritious food, improvement in health status with focus on anaemia reduction and logistic support like education materials.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has assured a delegation from Kalahandi district that he will pressurise the Centre to set up a central university in Kalahandi district.
A 25-member delegation led by Minister of State for Law and Employment Pradipta Kumar Nayak met the Chief Minister at the Secretariat on Tuesday. The delegation impressed upon the Chief Minister about the need for establishment of a central university in Kalahandi district as it is educationally backward.
The district has all infrastructure facilities for establishment of a central university and the demand has been pending since 1988, the delegation comprising former ministers Balabhadra Majhi, Himansu Sekhar Meher and legislator Pushpendra Singhdeo said.
After hearing from the delegation, Naveen assured that he will write a letter to Human Resources Development (HRD) ministry about setting up the varsity in Kalahandi.