The higher education scenario in Odisha Chitta Baral Professor, Arizona State University The higher education past of Odisha dates back to the Buddhist Puspagiri University in Jajpur district. It is reported to be mentioned in the writings of Huien Tsang, who visited it in 639 AD. In the modern era, in the nineteenth century, Ravenshaw University in Cuttack was established as an intermediate college in 1868, Khallikote College in Berhampur started as an intermediate college in 1878 and SKCG College in Paralakhemundi started in 1896. Some of the other older colleges in Odisha established around the Indian independence in 1947 are Fakir Mohan College in Balasore (est. 1944), Rajendra College in Balangir (est. 1944), SCS College in Puri (est. 1944), GM College in Sambalpur ( est. 1944), Vikram Dev College in Jeypore (est. 1947), MPC College in Baripada (est. 1948), and Bhadrak College (est. 1948). Utkal University, established in 1943, is the first modern day University in Odisha, and the 17th university of India. Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology was established as the second agricultural university in India in 1962. The next two universities established in Odisha are the Sambalpur and Berhampur Universities; both starting operation in 1967.The Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University started functioning in Puri in 1981. The number of universities in Odisha remained at five until 1999. Since 1999 several new universities have been established in Odisha. In 1999, North Odisha University in Baripada, Fakir Mohan University in Balasore, and the Utkal University of Culture in Bhubaneswar were established. Since then four more government funded state universities have been established. They are the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) in Rourkela (est. 2002), upgrading of Ravenshaw College to Ravenshaw University in 2006, National Law University of Orissa in Cuttack (est. 2008-09), and the upgrading of the University College of Engineering in Burla to Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) in 2009. In the private sector, KIIT and Siksha-O-Anusandhan in Bhubaneswar became deemed universities in 2004 and 2007 respectively. The Orissa assembly has so far passed bills for four private universities, viz.: Sri Sri University in Cuttack, Vedanta University in Puri, ICFAI University in Bhubaneswar and Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) in Paralakhemundi. Among these, so far, CUTM is the only one that has started functioning. Some of the other state universities that are in the pipeline and are expected to be have acts enacted for them in 2011-12 include Xavier University, Mata Amrutanandamayi University and IIIT Bhubaneswar; the Governor of Odisha mentioned the in-principle approval of the first two in his speech opening the 2011 budget session of the Orissa legislative assembly. The Chief Minister, during his recent visit to the Berhampur area is reported to have announced the upcoming upgrading of Khallikote College to a university. While Odisha now has 636 degree colleges offering traditional programs, it was slow in establishing colleges offering professional programs. Odisha's first engineering college, the University College of Engineering (UCE), was established in Burla in 1956. Its second engineering college, the Regional Engineering College (REC) in Rourkela was established in 1961. The third and fourth engineering colleges, CET (College of Engineering and Technology) in Bhubaneswar and IGIT (Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology) in Sarang (near Talcher), were established in 1981 and 1985 respectively. Odisha's first private engineering college, OEC (Orissa engineering College) was established in 1986. In 1995 the Odisha government opened a degree stream in the Orissa School of Mining Engineering (OSME) in Keonjhar and in 1996 Institute of Textile Technology in Choudwar was established where for some time degree programs in Textile Technology were offered. The next two government engineering colleges were opened in 2009 in Bhawanipatna and Berhampur. After 1986, the next two private engineering colleges were opened in 1996. From then on new private engineering colleges were opened every year and currently there are 100+ engineering colleges in Odisha, out of which 65+ are in the greater Bhubaneswar area. Some of the notable private engineering colleges in Odisha are NIST Berhampur (1996), KIIT Bhubaneswar (1997) - now part of KIIT deemed university, ITER Bhubaneswar (1997) - now part of SOA deemed University, JITM Paralakhemundi (1987)- now part of CUTM, C V Raman Bhubaneswar (1997), GIET Gunupur (1997), ABIT Cuttack (1998), DRIEMS Tangi (1999), Synergy Dhenkanal (1999), Krupajal Bhubaneswar (1999), CEB Bhubaneswar (1999) and Silicon Bhubaneswar (2001). Among these the only colleges in Odisha that offer programs in Architecture are CET and ABIT. With an aim to further promote Information Technology, the Odisha government in 2007 established International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Bhubaneswar. In 2010, it established a IIIT like institute as part of Sambalpur University, referred to as SUIIT. There is a plan to locate one of the proposed 20 central government championed PPP based IIITs in Berhampur. At the vocational level, Odisha has a large number of ITIa (Industrial Training Institutes), IDCs (Industrial Development Centers), Engineering Schools offering various diplomas and several specialized vocational institutes. Some of the notable specialized vocational institutes are: NTTF (Nettur Technical Training Foundation) Berhampur, multiple ATDCs (Apparel Training and Design Centers), CTTC (Central Tool Room and Training Center) Bhubaneswar, FCI (Food Craft Institute) Balangir, Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) Baragarh, Biju Patnaik National Steel Institute, Puri and Indian Maritime Academy, Paradeep. Odisha has three government medical colleges in Cuttack, Sambalpur and Berhampur, established in 1944, 1959 and 1962 respectively. Its first private medical college, Hi-Tech, was established in 2005. Subsequently, two other private medical colleges, KIMS and IMS, were established in 2007. The Odisha government, through its Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) is pursuing the establishment of three medical college on PPP basis in Kalahandi, Rourkela and Balangir. While there has been some progress in Kalahandi and Rourkela, the one in Balangir has had little progress. The public sector companies MCL and NTPC have each promised to set up medical colleges and the central government is building an AIIMS-like institute in Bhubaneswar. Odisha has five dental colleges, six ayurvedic colleges, six homeopathy colleges, twelve degree granting nursing colleges, seventeen diploma granting nursing colleges and thirty three pharmacy colleges. Recently the central government has announced the establishment of a Regional Institute of Paramedical Sciences in Cuttack. Odisha has several private and government colleges and universities that offer Business (MBA and PGDM) and Computer Application (MCA and BCA) programs. Specialized government institutes offering these programs include IITTM, CITE, ISMT and MICM (all in Bhubaneswar) and IMIT Cuttack. Among the B-Schools, Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar is often ranked among the top 10 B-schools of the country and the Regional College of Management in Bhubaneswar is often ranked among the top 50 nationally. Nationally ranked BIMTECH and IMI Delhi are in the process of establishing campuses in Bhubaneswar; IMI Bhubaneswar's classes are scheduled to start in 2011. A related institute is the Institute for Entrepreneurship Development that offers a program in International Business. While many of the degree colleges and the general universities offer programs in liberal arts and many law colleges are affiliated to the general universities Odisha has a few special institutions in these fields. The National Law University of Odisha offers 5 year integrated Law programs together with BA and BBA. KIIT and SOA also offer similar programs. The National Institute of Social Work and Social Sciences (NISWASS) offers Masters and Bachelors programs in Social work and Rural Development. Two research level institutions are: Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies and the Bhubaneswar Regional Center of the Institute of Social Sciences New Delhi. Bhubaneswar also hosts the Eastern Regional Language Center of the Central Institute of Indian Languages. Odisha has several colleges affiliated to the Utkal University of Culture offering programs in Fine Arts, Music and Culture. The governments institutions among them are: Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, B.K.College of Art and Craft, and Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre, all in Bhubaneswar and Govt. College of Art and Craft in Khallikote. Among the various private institutions, a notable name is Brindaban Gurukul in Bhubaneswar established by Pandit Hari Parasad Chaurasia. Odisha has several Sanskri colleges and institutions. Notable among them are the Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University in Puri and the Puri Campus of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan. Odisha has several study centers of IGNOU (India Gandhi National Open University) and the various general universities of the state have their own distance learning programs and study centers. Recently, the government of Odisha is in the process of establishing an open university. Odishas has a few schools and institutions for people with disabilities. Notable among them is a Training Center for Teachers of the Deaf near Bhubaneswar, which part of the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute For The Hearing Handicapped (AYJNIHH). To specifically cater to the large tribal population of Odisha, who, despite reservations in colleges and universities, have very low presence in higher education, the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences was established by local philanthropist. This institute offers education from first grade till degree level and has a current student body of 10,000. This year, 500 hundred students of this institute (with 150 of them girls) are appearing for the Class X board exam. Some of the other notable higher education institutions in Odisha are the Regional Institute of Education offering B.Ed and M.Ed programs, the Indian Institute of Public health, the Asian Institute of Public Health, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Institute of Hotel Management and Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology (CIPET), all in Bhubaneswar, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Dhenkanal. Odisha has several research institutions, especially in the Bhubaneswar area. Both the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) started as state funded institutes in 1972 and 1989 respectively and were later taken over by the central government in 1985 and 2002 respectively; IOP is now a DAE funded institute, while ILS is funded by the Department of Biotechnology. The state established an Institute of Mathematics and Applications in 1999 for which Tata Steel build the initial campus. The Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) Bhubaneswar of CSIR was established in 1964 and has now become the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology. The ICAR research establishments in Odisha include the Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) Cuttack, the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) and a to be established center on Foot and Mouth diseases. Bhubaneswar also has a Regional Medical Research Center and nearby Olatupr has a National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (NIRTAR). Until recently, Odisha did not have any largish institution fully funded by the central government; There were no central universities, IITs, IIMs, or other MHRD funded higher education institutions. A modest start was made in 2002 when the existing 17 regional engineering colleges (RECs) across India were converted to National Institutes of Technologies. Thus Odisha had its first good sized institution fully funded by the central government in NIT Rourklea. The NIT act in 2007 designated the NITs as Institutions of National Importance. Even with an NIT, a report in 2006 showed Odisha to be in the bottom three among all the major states in India in terms of per capita MHRD funding on fully funded central institutions and universities. This report was part of a campaign [1,2] that was initiated by non-resident Odias and became a state wide campaign to correct the injustice done to Odisha when an earlier announced National Institute of Science (NIS) in Bhubaneswar -- announced in 2003 -- was renamed as IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education and Research) and was taken out of Odisha. This campaign awakened the people of Odisha as well as its leaders at all levels (civic leaders, MLAs, MPs, and the chief Minister) regarding Odisha being severely neglected with respect to the central higher education budget. This awakening led to protests across Odisha, a high court case against the Government of India (which later went to the supreme court), ruckus in the Odisha assembly, discussions and questions in the Indian parliament, multiple visits and letters by the chief minister to Delhi, and the resulting regular media coverage in Odisha as well as in the national press. Although, the HRD minister in Delhi was not much impressed, it touched the chords of the prime minister. He corrected the injustice of the shifting of NIS by coming to Bhubaneswar on 28th August 2006 and making the historical announcement of the establishment of NISER (National Institute of Science Education and Research). He owned up to the regional imbalance and said [3]: "I am also concerned about the regional imbalance in science teaching and the development of science and technology in India. There was a time when the East was at the forefront. Today the East is lagging behind the South and the West. We need to redress this regional imbalance." He went on to say: "NISER will be at par with the IISER being established in other places but will operate under the umbrella of DAE. ... When completed, I am confident that the National Institute of Science Education and Research will become a Mecca for science just as TIFR and IISc are today." This was a historical moment for Odisha and India in that a grassroots movement, initiated by blogs and emails, and not involving any disruptive methods (such as rail rokos, rasta rokos or bandhs) led to the central government rectifying its past injustice. This made people of Odisha to have a stronger faith on the national character of the country as well as on their own ability; they started closely monitoring the developments across the country in terms of higher education. They remained vigilant and campaigned for a new IIT and new central universities. This movement [4,5] was also successful and the March 28th, 2008 announcement [6] of the central government about 8 new IITs and 30 new central universities included an IIT and a central university for Orissa and a central university aiming for world class standard (now referred to as "University of Innovation") specifically for Bhubaneswar. Subsequently, IIT Bhubaneswar enrolled its first batch in July 2008 and Central University of Orissa Koraput started its first batch in 2009. The Central cabinet has also approved 20 IIITs across the country, and Odisha has been intimated for one such IIIT. The university of innovation is yet to be established though. On the other hand, an AIIMS-like institute, whose foundation stone was laid way back in 2003, is expected to start classes in 2012. So although Odisha seems to finally have some good sized centrally funded institutions and universities, one must remember that they are all in their infancy. For example, while the central university in Varanasi (BHU) has a faculty of 1490 (with 1842 sanctioned positions), the fledgling CUO Koraput only has a faculty of 13. Similarly, IIT Kharagpur has a faculty of 530, while IIT Bhubaneswar has a faculty of 42. While this will change for the better, it will take time. Moreover, with the natural tendency of politicians to pay special attention to their own regions and states, Odisha, which often has little representation in the central ministry has again started losing out on central institutions. For example, while the previous minister of commerce had short-listed Bhubaneswar as a location for a new National Institute of Design, it did not come to fruition. Similarly, while the Odisha Chief Minister was the first to propose a tribal university for the tribal districts of Odisha, the idea although appreciated by the then HRD minister, led to the tribal university being established in the home state of the minister. Similarly, although with a significant coastline and a maritime history, Odisha is not among the states where one of the campuses of the maritime university of India were located. In addition, while the newly established institutions in Odisha play catch-up, the existing knowledge centers of India, especially the bigger metros, will be further developing their knowledge infrastructure. For example, recently the South Asian University has been in established in Delhi. Its salary structure is way beyond the standard government of India salary structure and thus it has a potential to attract top international faculty and become the top university in India. The MHRD has plans to label several top universities of the country as "Navaratna Universities" and fund them well and unleash them to become world-class. Unfortunately, Odisha being late to the knowledge party may not have any of its universities or institutions in that list. What all this means is that while the higher education scenario in Odisha has changed for the better during the last twelve years, Odisha needs to do much more to not lag behind in India. To do that it needs to make efforts in multiple directions. The state needs to improve the existing state institutions, spread to other urban clusters and correct regional imbalance inside the state. In particular, general state universities are sorely needed in the southwest (Bhawnipatna), central (Angul) and Northwest (Rourkela) regions of Odisha; especially it is a pity that the second largest metropolitan area of Odisha, Rourkela, does not have a general university offering programs in Arts, Sciences and Commerce. The state needs to remain vigilant with respect to central initiatives and push for a campus of the Indian School of Mines in one of its mining hubs, a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) near its petrochemical hub in Paradeep, and a National Sports Institute with campuses in Sundergarh and Kendrapada, the hockey and women's football cradle of the country. The state also needs to continue its efforts to encourage private institutions and universities. For example, Odisha should take advantage of the interest shown by XIM to become a university and help them to become the first Xavier University in India. In this regard, Odisha needs to immediately pass the Xavier University bill, and connect the well respected Xavier authorities to funding sources. The "Xavier" brand name and the Jesuit societies are world-renowned in building top-notch educational institutions and Odisha should make the best use of it. In particular, the national ranking in arts, science and commerce degree programs are led by Jesuit institutions across India. By helping the proposed Xavier university establish those programs, Odisha has a chance to fill the lacuna of not having ranked degree programs in those fields. Odisha should take advantage of its mineral resources and have a strategy of converting its mineral resource to human resources. In particular, it must cajole various private and public sector companies that have been using Odisha's mines or are interested in Odisha's mines or both, to make significant contribution to human resource development in Odisha. In this, MCL and NTPC, who have announced medical colleges and especially Vedanta for its proposed Vedanta University should be showcased as models to other companies. In addition to all of the above, Odisha has the game-changer in the proposed Vedanta University. With a proposed investment of Rs. 15000 crores, this proposed university, if established as envisioned could make Odisha, and especially the Puri-Bhubaneswar area stand out not only in India, but in the world. Since its announcement in 2006, some progress has been made on this university, but there have been many hurdles. In terms of progress, a significant amount of the needed land has been bought, designs of the campus and its initial building, including the medical campus have been made, and the Vedanta University bill has been passed in the Orissa Legislative Assembly. The hurdles are mainly due to the fact that the university has proposed parameters that are unprecedented in India: These parameters include Rupees 15,000 crores of initial budget of which Rs 5,000 crores pledged by a single individual; 6000+ acres of land; several townships as part of the university land holdings; 100,000 students and 10,000 faculty. Such unprecedented parameters has triggered skepticism in the mind of many at all levels. That plus the opposition dharma of knee-jerk opposition of government initiatives, has significantly delayed the establishment of this university. A recent silver line is that finally a good number of educated people with exposure to world universities have come forward and are trying to spread the message about the importance of Vedanta University to Odisha and India. The face book page [7] and account [8] they have created has gathered about 1500 likes and friends in about 6 months. Moreover, a group of Odisha origin academics, from Odisha and outside, have formed a Odisha World Class Universities Support Group and prepared a 45 page report [9] explaining the significance and importance of Vedanta University and elaborating on the proposed parameters, especially on the need and importance of the proposed land acreage. The government of Odisha continues to be fully supportive of this university. We hope that the promoters of this university do not lose heart by the delay and take some proactive steps. First, they need to look at history and realize that when something unprecedented is attempted, it takes time to get the buy-in and convince skeptics. For example, it took 13 years from 1896, when Jamsetji Tata articulated his vision till the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore in 1909. Second, they should seriously consider immediately establishing some small but world-class (in terms of faculty quality) research units in temporary premises and give the world a glimpse of their vision. This would greatly reduce the skepticism, build much-needed credibility and generate support across Odisha and India. These research units can be folded into Vedanta University when it becomes operational. In conclusion, Odisha has come a long way in building its knowledge infrastructure in the last 12 years, but has miles to go. But, with a multi-pronged effort involving state, center, private and PPP modalities, Odisha has the potential to become one of the top "knowledge" states of India, and the Bhubaneswar-Puri area has the potential to become the top knowledge center of India. Footnotes: [1] http://www.iiser.blogspot.com [2] http://www.nis.orissalinks.com [3] http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=20345 [4] http://iit.orissalinks.com [5] http://www.orissalinks.com [6] http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=36955 [7] http://www.facebook.com/vedantau [8] http://www.facebook.com/vedantauniv [9] http://bit.ly/vu-report