NISER Bhubaneswar advertises for its Ph.D program that will start in Decemebr 2009
Following is from Samaja.
October 8th, 2009
Archive for October 8th, 2009
Orissa higher education task force formed; headed by IOP founder Prof. Trilochan Pradhan
Following is from a report in Pioneer.
The committee will study the present scenario of higher education in the State in all sectors, including industries, agriculture and medical.
The committee has been asked to suggest measures and means to improve the situation and bring it at par with international standards, keeping equity, excellence and inclusion of focus areas.
It will also suggest a draft higher education policy for the State. It will also prepare two annual action plans for 2011 and 2011-12 and two five years perspective plans for the State corresponding to the 12th and 13th Five Year Plan period up to 2021-22.
Besides the core objectives, sub-committee will be formed to examine expansion and structural configuration, quality and curricular concerns, governance issues including autonomy and regulatory systems and financing of higher education.
Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said five regional consultative workshops will be held in Cuttack, Balasore, Sambalpur, Jeypore and Berhampur to elicit opinion of the intelligentsias and stake holders. After the regional workshop, a State level workshop will be held in Bhubaneswar.
The members of task force are:
- Professor Trilochan Pradhan: Founder and Retired Director, Institute of Physics and Ex-Vice-Chancellor of the Utkal University
- Prof KL Chopra (former Director, IIT Kharagpur), NBA
- Prof DP Pattnaik
- Prof DP Ray, VC, OUAT
- Prof AK Pujari, VC, Sambalpur University
- Prof Sunil Sarangi, Director, NIT, Rourkela
- Prof Chitta Baral, Arizona State University USA
- Prof Priyambada Hejmadi (former VC)
- Prof Swadhin Patnaik, Director, Institute of Mathematics
- Mr. Abani Baral
- Prof DV Raman, XIMB
- Prof LN Mishra, former Utkal University VC
- Prof Rabindra Ku Nanda, former Prof in Chemistry
- Prof Damodar Acharya, Director IIT Kharagpur
- Dr. Rajib Sahu, Resources Consultant
- Dr Achyut Samant, UGC member
- Mr. Madhusudan Padhi, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Higher Education
In addition there will be many special invitees. As per a Times of India report, they include:
- All other vice-chancellors of universities in the state (Utkal, Berhampur, NOU, FMU, Ravenshaw, BPUT, VSSUT, Culture U, KIIT U, SOA U, NLUO, CUO, Sri Jagannath U)
- Director, NISER, Prof Chandrasekhar
- Ex-state information commissioner Radhamohan
- Director, IIIT, Bhubaneswar, Prof Gopal Nayak
- Commissioner-cum-state project director, OPEPA
- Director of higher education
- Director of secondary education
- Director of elementary education
- Director of technical education and training
- Director of medical education and training
- Prof Bhagaban Prakash
- Chairman, HDF, Prof D K Ray
- Prof Dhanada Mishra
- Prof M K Mishra
- Retired principal, R D Women’s College, Prof Bijaya Mishra.
Some of my initial thoughts are at http://orissa2020.org. (A lot of the thoughts there have been shaped with discussions with many people, especially Dr. Digambara Patra.) Please write me with your suggestions and feedback at orissavision2020@gmail.com. As various people know more about the areas they have had some connections (grew up there, went to school there, etc.), thoughts about particular town/city/district/area are most welcome and will be appreciated very much.
[I received a very thoughtful feedback about the Hinjlicut area. Since I did not know the exact details about where Berhampur is growing, where Hinjlicut is growing etc., the feedback helped me to better think about that area. Such ground level feedback is most welcome and very much appreciated.]
However, please do have a state-wide perspective.
The Central government, the knowledge commission as well as the state government are serious about improving the GER from 12.4% to 30% by 2020. The Knowledge Commission has recommended that the number of universities in India go up from 350 to 1500 and that there be 50 national universities. The higher education budget has been going up from one 5 yr plan to another; so I expect that during the 12th and 13th plan there will be more central and national universities. So a lot of new universities, colleges and institutes will be established. Plus, there may be opportunity for extension campuses of exisiting institutes, similar to IISc Bangalore’s plan for an extension campus in Chitradurga, Karnataka. So if we plan properly, we can mitigate a lot of inequality and incorporate a lot of inclusiveness. Please watch out for this blog as well as the site http://orissa2020.org.
My membership in the above committee, puts certain restrictions on my public activities. In particular, it means that I can no longer publicly campaign for X or Y issue (including the ESIC issue).
14 comments October 8th, 2009