The 12th plan working group report on Sports and Physical Education recommends the establishment of four regional centres of LNUPE and 5 new sports and physical education universities or physical education colleges. Odisha must vigorously pursue the central government and the planning commission to get one of the proposed 5 sports and physical education universities.
In this regard, please send an email to the Odisha CM at cmo@ori.nic.in with content such as given below:
Dear Esteemed CM:
The 12th plan working group on Sports and Physical Education has recommended in their report at http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/hrd/wg_repsports.pdf that "for meeting the increasing demand of Physical Education Teachers and producing quality PETs, at least four regional centres of LNUPE and 5 new sports and physical education universities or physical education colleges should be opened during 12th
Plan. "
Kindly pursue with the central government regarding having one of these universities in Odisha.
Sincerely,
Following are some rationale behind pursuing a Sports and Physical Education University. Please have a look at it at your leisure.
While promoting sports, besides providing good facilities (hostels, stadiums, turfs), what is most important is that the athletes are provided with opportunities to pursue some recognized degree/diploma/certificate of study so that they have alternate avenues of employment. For example, consider the story in http://www.indiablooms.com/SportsVideoDetails/sportsVideoDetails180312f.php.
Following is an excerpt from that story.
Renowned national woman footballer Jhilli Munda, who has represented India at international and national events in several tournaments, is bearing the brunt of acute poverty and she is forced to roll beedis to earn her bread and butter.
It is well known that among the athletes that join the sports hostels, only a few make it to the state and national teams and of them only a few get appropriate jobs. What happens to the rest? It is sad to read about Jhili Munda’s story above. The point is until and unless we make sure that kids pursuing a career as an athlete have a way to make a living we can not significantly improve the sports scenario in Odisha and India. Now how do we make sure that *all* kids pursuing a career as an athlete have a way to make a living.
The way to do that is to provide them with some *relevant education* in parallel with their athletics training such that even if they do not make it to the top in sports, they can get a good job and make a living. What are some of the relevant educational avenues and programs?
Some of them are:
- Physical training
- Coaching in various sports
- Physiotherapy
- Sports medicine
- Exercise Physiology
- Sports Psychology
- Sports Biomechanics
- Sports Management and Mass Communication
- Health Sciences & Yoga
- Sports Massage
- Grounds Management
- Health and fitness management
- Sports journalism
- Sports photography and
- Sports commentary.
Some of these courses are offered at the three established institutions in India:
In the 2011-12 budget there was mention of the following *new* initiatives:
- Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development in Tamil Nadu: With a 2011-12 budget allocation of 10.8 crores (2010-11: 9.9 crores)
- Laxmibai National Institute of Physical Education – NE area and Sikkim Initiative: With a 2011-12 budget allocation of 15 crores (2010-11: 3 crores)
In the 2012-13 budget (
http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2012-13/eb/sbe106.pdf ) there was the mention of the following *new* initiatives:
- 7. Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Developmentin Tamil Nadu has a budget of 18.9 crores.
- 28. National Institute of Sports Science and Sports Medicine 5 crores
- 29. National Institute of Coaching Education 5 crores
Note that none of the above are in the eastern part of India and none are in the traditional tribal areas of India.
The 12th plan has a working group on Sports and Physical Education. They have a report at http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/committee/wrkgrp12/hrd/wg_repsports.pdf . In that report the following is mentioned.
5.15 It has been recommended that for meeting the increasing demand of Physical Education Teachers and producing quality PETs, at least four regional centres of LNUPE and 5 new sports and physical education universities or physical education colleges should be opened during 12th Plan. An outlay of Rs. 900 crore on this account during 12th Plan is projected.
Thus we should vigorously pursue the establishment of a National Sports Institute/University in Odisha that not only offers training in the sports Odisha excels in (Hockey – mens and womens, Football, Rowing, etc.) but also offers the above mentioned programs so that every athlete of Odisha is able to simultaneously pursue a certificate/diploma/degree in one of the above disciplines and is able to make a decent living.
Considering that Sundergarh and Rourkela area is the hotbed of Odisha athletics (mainly Hockey) and it is a tribal district, it would be good to locate the proposed National Sports Institute/University in Sundergarh/Rourkela. It may have branches in Kendrapada and Bhubaneswar to cater to the women footballers of Kendrapada and other sports persons in Bhubaneswar/Cuttack. Moreover the university in Sundergarh/Rourkela can also cater to athletes in Jharkhand.
The recent election of Mr. Dilip Tirkey as a Rajya Sabha MP can be seen/argued as an indication that the Odisha government is serious about promoting sports in a wholesome way, with particular attention to adivasis.
May 1st, 2012
RIT (Rourkela Institute of Technology) is planning to open a 5-yr integrated law school. This is a good development. (Thanks to Siddhant for his pointer in rourkelacity.com) Following is from Sambada.
February 28th, 2012
Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindu.
The distinguished disciple and daughter-in-law of late legendary Odissi maestro Kelucharan Mohapatra opened an Odissi dance institute namely Guru Keerti Srjan in the North Orissa town of Baleswar. Aptly as the name of the institute suggested, Guru Keerti (legacy of the Guru) and Srjan (creativity and the name of the Bhubaneswar-based Odissi institution that Guru Kelucharan had founded) has been visualised to carry forward the legacy of the great master who was known for his unbound creativity. “This institute would specially care for the uncared-for talents who would be groomed in the age old guru-shishya tradition. Besides, my thrust would be on propagation of authentic Odissi tradition through proper teaching,” stated Sujata.
July 29th, 2011
Following are excerpts from Shilpi Sampad’s report in Telegraph.
Institute: The Government Aviation Training Institute, popularly known as Gati, is the only pilot training institute in the state, which is run by the government. It is located on the premises of Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar.
Course: It offers two programmes – Private Pilot License and Commercial Pilot License, and runs three batches per year with a maximum of 30 trainees in each batch. The next batch starts from October. Interested candidates can start applying.
Important: A medical fitness certificate from a director general civil aviation (DGCA)-approved doctor is mandatory for admission.
Private Pilot License (PPL): It is a six-month course and the fee is nearly Rs 6 lakh. The minimum qualification is matriculation. PPL involves 50 hours of flying.
Commercial Pilot License (CPL): The course lasts for 18 to 22 months and costs around Rs 19 lakh. The minimum eligibility is Plus Two with pass marks in physics and mathematics. Aspirants from non-science background can take provisional admission and appear for the two subjects through open school exam. CPL involves 200 hours of flying.
Common features: For both courses, 350 hours of compulsory ground classes precede the flying. The classes include theoretical lessons in air regulation, air navigation, aviation meteorology, technical general and technical specific. After attending the required hours of ground classes, a trainee earns a Student Pilot License (SPL) and Flight Radio Telephony Operating License (FRTOL) for solo flying. Candidates, who wish to attend only these classes and pursue flying at any other institute, have to pay a course fee of Rs 1.35 lakh.
Flying training: There are four aircraft – two each of Cessna 152 (two-seater) and Cessna 172 (four-seater). There are three runways for flying operations in Bhubaneswar, Hirakud (Sambalpur) and Gopalpur (Ganjam).
Reservation: Applicants belonging to SC/ST categories can avail 100 per cent scholarships provided by the central government. Fifty per cent seats are reserved for domicile candidates but the share of students from the state is low. …
Loan and accommodation: Applicants can avail bank loans easily for studying at Gati. The academy also helps the pilot trainees find accommodation in nearby areas.
Scope: After completing the course, one has plenty of opportunities at hand to get employed in the areas of airlines, corporate charters, coast guard, paramilitary, state government / public sector units and so on. To add to their experience, they can become instructors at flying schools. Those who have done the private pilot license course can fly privately owned aircraft. The institute is also in touch with several corporate houses for placement opportunities.
The highlighted part should be publicized in places like KISS so that many of the students there are aware of this option.
July 24th, 2011
Updates on July 19 2011:
Article started on June 25 2011:
Following are some numbers related to how many students pass Matric exam, the number of seats and colleges available at the plus 2 level, and the number of seats and colleges available at the degree level. (We don’t have all the numbers yet. So this is a work in progress.) Several of these numbers are from http://dheorissa.in/.
- Number of students that passed matric (Class X) in 2011
- HSC (Odisha govt board):294,498 (appeared 475,345)
- CBSE:
- ICSE:
- Others (NIOS, International Baccalaureate, etc.):
- Total:
- Number of seats at the Plus 2 level available through junior colleges: 3,05,356
- Number of regular junior colleges:
- Number of self-financed junior colleges:
- Number of seats at the Plus 2 level available through schools that have +2:
- Number of students that appeared and number that passed +2
- Odisha board
- Science: 707 colleges; 56,280 appeared; 41,359 passed; 12,773 in first class; 15,566 in second class and 12,016 in third class
- Arts: 1062 colleges; 159,866 appeared; 109,230 passed; 11,183 in first class; 34,446 in second class; and 60,826 in third class
- Commerce: 311 colleges; 22,670 appeared; 15,553 passed; 3577 in first class; 3961 in second class; 7817 in third class
- Vocational: 186 colleges; 7247 appeared; 4976 passed; 1609 in first class; 2400 in second class; 682 in third class
- CBSE: 6900 appeared with 82% pass percentage (Science; Arts; Commerce break-up is unknown)
- ICSE: Science; Arts; Commerce
- Total: Science; Arts; Commerce
- Number of seats available at +3 BA/BSc/BCom: 57,312
- Number of students submitting completed forms against these seats: 74,968
- Number of students initiating applying on-line (some did not submit): 91,786
- Number of seats available at B.Tech/B.Arch:
- Number of seats available at B.Pharm:
- Number of seats available at MBBS:
- Number of seats available at BBA
- Number of seats available at 5 yrs Law programs:
July 19th, 2011
This year 162 degree colleges are participating in e-admission to their B.Sc/B.A/B.Com programs. Following are some numbers on this process from a Telegraph report.
After the announcement of Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) or Plus Two results on May 30, students had applied to colleges of their choice online. Higher education officials said they had received a total of 74,968 application forms.
Around 48,019 candidates have been shortlisted according to the first selection merit list. …
In Bhubaneswar, BJB (Autonomous) College has increased the qualifying marks by one to five per cent in separate subjects for general students. In the arts stream, the cut-off mark for the general category was announced as 63.5 per cent as against 58.67 per cent last year. In commerce, it is 77.58 – an increase of over one per cent from the previous year. The science subjects, too, have seen a substantial rise. For physics-chemistry-mathematics (PCM) combination, it is 84.33 per cent, against last year’s 84.20 per cent, and in chemistry-botany-zoology (CBZ) combination, the cut-off is 80.33 per cent as against 78.5 per cent last year.
… Srilekha Ray, principal of Ramadevi Women’s (Autonomous) College here.
“We have raised the qualifying marks by over 10 ten er cent in PCM, around nine per cent in CBZ, seven per cent in arts and two per cent in commerce for the general category,” she said.
June 25th, 2011
Following are excerpts from an article in Indiaeducationdiary.
As per the latest statistics, the community colleges of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) have become a rage in the country. "In just three years, IGNOU has over two lakh students in about 600 community colleges pursuing vocational education, skill development and work integrated learning," announced Vice-Chancellor Prof. V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai,.
… In the early 1990s, the University Grants Commission had sent a committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals to the USA to study the well-established community college system there. Following the recommendations, the Pondicherry Central University had started the first community college in the publicly funded university system. Pondicherry University is now augmenting the community colleges by appointing faculty and creating other facilities.
In Tamil Nadu, state universities like Manonmaniam Sundanar University, Tirunelveli and very recently, all the state universities in Tamil Nadu have decided to start 10 community colleges each. The Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) has started Community College programmes at the Certificate and Diploma levels and the state has also a large number of community colleges supported by charity organisations, particularly by the missionary institutions. …
"The Community College System the world over is the most open and flexible pattern of post-secondary education, life-long learning and skill development. It provides a supplementary route to higher education through an appropriate mix of skills and academic knowledge. In the US, according to the latest statistics, 46 percent of the students go to the Universities through the two-year community colleges. Several of these Community Colleges are much bigger than some of the premier universities over there. Open education practices, flexi-time approach, technology-enabled teaching and learning, On-line and distance learning, work-integrated learning, and very recently use of Open Education Resources (OER) are the most salient features of these community colleges," said the VC.
Open University of China (OUC) offers full-time, part-time and spare-time two-year and three-year degree programmes in addition to various modular, certificate and diploma programmes. The two-year degrees (Associate Degrees) are analogous to the community colleges in the US, Canada and Australia, and to the advanced diploma programmes in the UK and European post-secondary education system.
The 2010 Statistical Bulletin of the Open University of China indicates that the Associate Degree, which is in between the Certificate and the Bachelor Degree, is the largest qualification base in China. In 2010, 4,12,400 students from OUC received Associate Degrees in contrast to 6,914 Bachelor Degrees and 38,000 Certificates. More than 50 percent of the students enter into higher learning in the Universities through these two-year degree colleges in China.
Open and Distance Learning (ODL), On-line Learning and Open Educational Resources (OER) constitute major delivery strategies as of today in the Community College System. The two-year Associate Degree Community Colleges have more than 50 percent of their enrollment through Distance Education.
Looking at these global trends in Open University and Distance Education Systems and considering the challenges of the National Skills Mission, chaired by the Prime Minister of India, IGNOU initiated the Community College Movement in the country in 2008, after countrywide consultations and drawing inputs from the National Knowledge Commission and the Planning Commission. In just three years, IGNOU has over two lakh students in about 600 community colleges pursuing vocational education, skill development and work-integrated learning, full-time, part-time and spare-time. …
June 21st, 2011
IGNOU has started a Community College Scheme. Its web page is at http://communitycollege.ignou.ac.in/Default.aspx and additional detailed information is available at a wiki http://ieg.ignou.ac.in/wiki/index.php/IGNOU_WIKI/Community_Colleges. Following is an excerpt from the latter.
Community Colleges are an alternative system of education which aims to empower individuals through appropriate skill development leading to gainful employment in collaboration with the local industry and community.They offer the advantage of tailoring programmes to local needs and state-based requirements by using approaches that will be most acceptable to workers in the given community. Community Colleges generally have a 2-year curriculum that either leads to an Associate Degree for transfer to an undergraduate college or to the students direct entry into any occupation or trade.These colleges are a source of economic growth because they provide an educated and skilled workforce that improves the quality of life for individuals students, communities, and the nation.
The current list of Community Colleges is given at http://ieg.ignou.ac.in/wiki/images/9/98/FINAL_Community_College_as_on_23_May%2C_2011.pdf. The Community Colleges listed there are:
- ATDC- IGNOU Community College, A/33, Rasulgarh Industrial Estate, Bhubaneswar – 751010, Orissa
- ATDC – IGNOU Community College, Ispat Lower Secondary School, Sector 8, Rourkela-769009
- Dr. Zakir Husain Institute, Plot # 435, Badajena Complex Old Station Square Bhubaneshwar – 751006 Orissa
- Green Valley Community College, GVPS Campus, AT/PO Penta, Via J.K.Pur, Rayaguda Dist, Orissa – 765017
- Holy Lord Education Society, Ramaballav Road, Po/Dist – Puri –752001 Orissa
- Manara Academy, IBF Education and Charitable
Trust, B-1654, Sector-10, Markat Nagar, CDA, Cuttack-753008, Orissa
- MSSRF Community College (M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation), Phulbad, Jeypore, Koraput, Orissa 764002
- SVTI Community College, Mary Villa, Jharsuguda, Orissa
- UPAYA Community College, UPAYA Centre, At. Ramabahal, P.O. kesramal, Via. Rajgangpur, Dist. Sundargarh, Orissa-770017
- Viswa Yuva Kendra, Baninali, Luhamunda, Kishoreganj , Angul-759127, Orissa
In addition to the above, theer are two JIndal-INGOU community colleges that are coming up in Angul and Barbil.
The FAQ at http://ieg.ignou.ac.in/wiki/images/a/a3/FAQS_FINAL.pdf answers many relevant questions such as how to become an IGNOU Community College. Following are some excerpts.
Q: After doing Associate Degree Programme from Community College will the third year be done from IGNOU or any other University?
Ans. We are targeting for IGNOU only.
… Q: How to get an approval of a proposal regarding Community College?
Ans: Please go to IGNOU website and visit the link "Community College‟.
… Q: Who will be eligible to enroll in Community Colleges?
Ans: Anyone who has completed 10+2 or its equivalent is eligible to enroll for the Associate Degree Programme. Similarly students who have completed the BPP Programe of IGNOU may also enroll for the Associate Degree Programme. Eligibility for Certificate Programmes vary from 8th pass and above and that for Diploma Programme vary from 10th pass and above.
… Q: What is the suggested structure of Certificate and Diploma Programme?
Ans: Certificate programmes should be of 6 months‟ duration and equivalent to 16-20 credits. A Diploma programme is of one year duration with 32-36 credits.
The pattern of credits is as follows:
Full-time programmes – one credit is equivalent to 15 contact hours. Part-time / Distance learning programmes – one credit is equivalent to 30 hours of study by a student which includes self-study, assignments, library work, etc. All Community Colleges must conduct theory/practical/in-service/apprenticeship in appropriate proportions commensurate with the teaching methodology.
… Q: How will students transfer from an Associate Degree to the third year of graduation?
Ans: For students who complete an Associate Degree and wish to register for the third year in IGNOU, a credit transfer policy will be worked out between the Community College and IGNOU. The international pattern is to accept about 80% of the credits earned during Associate Degree Programme.
Q: What is the structure of Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme (BPP)?
Ans: Bachelor’s Preparatory Programme has the following three courses.
i) Preparatory Course in General Mathematics ii) Preparatory Course in Social Sciences iii) Preparatory Course in Commerce
A student has to select any two from the above courses.
… Q: Which are the Associate Degree Programmes that can be run through a Community College?
Ans: A Community College is supposed to identify the programmes as per the need of the community. The Master List given on the IGNOU website carries the names of all programmes on offer by the Community Colleges. This would definitely give you an idea.
… Q: What is the minimum educational qualification and age of formal students in Associate
Degree Programmes?
Ans: 10+2. No age bar.
My thoughts: This seems like a good start with some details yet to be formulated. The community colleges will formalize various trade oriented courses and will allow people doing those courses to do a bit more work towards a Bachelor’s degree. At present, there are only a few of these in Odisha. As the awareness increases, it should pick-up. At present most of the current community colleges seem to be run by private entities (the ATDC ones are exceptions). I hope Odisha starts district community colleges in each of its districts and creates a mechanism so that it is funded by district funds and the locals have a say in what is taught.
June 15th, 2011
The web page of Azim Premji University is http://www.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/. Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.
The Azim Premji Foundation (APF) … has decided to set up new institutes in Orissa. "The Institute of Learning and Development will be set up in the state under Azim Premji University. We also have plans to set up low-cost model demonstration schools in the districts. The projects will begin in the next couple of years," said the chief executive officer of APF, Dileep Ranjekar.
… He announced the launch of three post-graduate courses at the university, starting from the next academic session. "The absence of a large number of committed, qualified and trained professionals is one of the major constraints in the fields of education and development. The courses we have designed in our university will definitely help prepare outstanding professionals in the education sector," said Ranjekar. The courses offered are: masters degrees in education, development and teacher education.
"There is a huge dearth of experts in the fields of education and development. Teachers’ education in the country is of very poor quality and there has been no concerted effort to improve the curriculum and pedagogy," Ranjekar said.
Those interested in studying in the university will also be provided facilities like scholarships, loans, partial or full tuition fees and living expenses. "We will ensure that no student misses out on opportunities to study in the university due to financial constraints," he maintained. Ranjekar added that the foundation also has plans to set up an institute for assessment and accreditation of educational institutes.
May 5th, 2011
Following is an from a report in hospitalitybizindia.com.
International hospitality chain Best Western in collaboration with Ranjita Institute of Hotel Management and Catering (RIHC), has opened of The Best Western India Centre For Hotel Management and Training in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The new campus spread over 10 acres will train approximately 500 students. The centre will commence its next session from February 2011.
According to the company release, the institute campus will be fully residential and offer courses in hospitality and hotel administration, accommodation operation and management, food production, food and beverage service and other modular programmes.
Sudhir Sinha, President & COO, Best Western India said, “Best Western is probably the only international chain which has tremendous online certification and training resources available for all the key departments like front office, housekeeping, maintenance, food & beverage production, food & production service, sales for all its employees. These courses are all available online to the students of this training centre. The training and certification modules of Best Western helps to share the Global Best Practices identified across over 4,000 hotels worldwide.”
Ranjita Institute has the same Chairman as the C V Raman College in Bhubaneswar; so they are probably linked or part of the same group.
December 20th, 2010
Although this may not become part of Vedanta University, such feeder and/or associated colleges in Vedanta Company’s operational areas will hopefully bring more goodwill to Vedanta University. This is a good start. More is needed though. Colleges that can take in mostly local students and produce graduates that can find jobs, such as Nursing and B.Ed Colleges in Kalahandi and Jharsuguda, would be appreciated.
December 4th, 2010
