Following are excerpts from an article in Frontline.
THE Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University in Bhubaneswar, a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, is fast developing as one of Orissa’s foremost educational hub. It started as a small venture in 1996 when the visionary educationist Dr Manojranjan Nayak set up the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER) with 118 students. Gradually, institutes offering courses such as management, medicine, dental sciences, nursing, pharmaceutical science, biotechnology, hotel management and law were set up.
With over 7,000 students, the ITER is today one of the highly-ranked engineering colleges in the eastern region. The university has been awarded ‘A’ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for five years from September 2009. All its institutes are housed on four campuses spread across 120-odd acres.
… The Institute of Medical Sciences has a 750-bed state-of-the-art hospital attached to it, which does not charge any consultation fee and has been endeavouring to provide quality health care facilities.
The latest addition to the university is the SOA National Institute of Law. The institute will start functioning from the academic year 2011-12 and offer a five-year integrated course in law in three different streams: BA LLB; BSc LLB; and BBA LLB. There will also be LLM and PhD programmes….
I am appreciative of SOA University’s contribution to education in Odisha, but the above article sounds too much like an ad and for that reason may not impress its readers.
February 22nd, 2011
Following is from Section 2 of the report by the 2009 committee which reviewed the then deemed universities and divided them to three categories; the second category (which included KIIT University Bhubaneswar) of universities were found somewhat deficient and given time to correct the deficiency and the third category (which included SOA University Bhubaneswar) were found deficient and it was recommended that the deemed tag may be taken away from them.
The committee consisted of Prof. P. N. Tandon, Prof. Goverdhan Mehta, Prof. M. Anandakrishnan, Prof. Mrinal Miri and Shri Sunil Kumar (Convenor).
Universities are institutions that are meant to sustain human practices and activities of a very special kind. They are, of course, concerned centrally with higher education and research, but their concern in these fields is very different from that of other institutions of higher learning and research which are devoted to imparting knowledge and skills that are essential to competent and creative pursuit of what might be called ‘technical professions’. Examples of such professions are: different branches of engineering, various aspects of medicine and surgery, and, in our times – because of the rise of corporations and bureaucratic governance -management and control of humans. It may be suggested, without much fear of contradiction, that the primary value of the kind of knowledge and skills imparted by such institutions resides in their utility – utility in creating an infrastructure for the physical wellbeing of the general public, utility in sustaining good health of individuals and the community, utility in enhancing the profit margins of corporations, and of course utility in terms of their own marketability. However, the very best of such institutions have shown the capacity to transcend utility, and this often has the effect of transforming the very quality of education they impart.
While universities are not entirely free from utility-driven higher education and learning, their core aim – if one may be allowed to say so – is very different. Universities are meant to be places -which facilitate and promote critical intellectual engagement with: (a) different traditions of thought and its great variety of expression, (b) modes of understanding the human condition and predicament, (c) the incredibly diverse inanimate and non-human living world. Such engagement obviously has many utilitarian and extrinsic values; but it is its intrinsic value that marks it off as a very special sort of human practice. It requires the development of a form of attention that focuses -beyond the interests of the self and its preoccupations with itself – on the other whether the other is a tradition of thought, or a particular human collectivity and its specific way of being human, or the physical world and its amazing intricacies, or the magieal variety of non-human life.
Such attention is valuable in itself not only because it entails the exercise of virtues such as honesty, courage and fairness, but, more importantly because these virtues must find a unity within the overarching virtue of care (some might even say, love). Care such as this requires the presence of the person – the whole ‘person – to the other, to the object of care. To be wholly present to the other in this way, is for the person to become more as a person. It enhances the human person as a person. The intrinsic value of university education lies ultimately in its inherent capacity to induce such enhancement of the person in us.
This is the truth of the commonly held belief that a truly educated person is larger as a person than an uneducated person. It is of course also true that a person may have gone through the process of education, including university education, and remained uneducated. Education has failed to make the difference in the latter instance which it is meant to have made. Some of the natural outcomes of such caring and critical attention and engagement are: traditions of thought and research are carried forward, creativity finds a central place, new modes of understanding and explanation emerge, just as new objects of such attention begin to loom on the horizon. These indeed are the intrinsic rewards of the practices sustained by a University. Think of the humanities, (which, as a result of the practicalities of the division of academic labour are split into "disciplines" such as literature, the arts, philosophy, history etc.); the human sciences (economics, psychology, anthropology, sociology and so on); the physical sciences including mathematics, the life sciences and exciting new areas of enquiry in them – think of them and the role of the Universities in taking them forward, in devising new modes of enquiry and uncovering fresh objects of study and thought.
It is important at this point to remind ourselves of what the Radhakrishnan Commission of Education 1948 had to say on the question of setting up of new universities – "….There are certain fundamental characteristics which should be inherent in any institution which is to call itself a university …It should be a place for providing a student with opportunity for all round well proportioned education for effective living and for citizenship, in addition to preparation for a calling. It may occur that a university shall develop special strength in some particular field, as in engineering or industrial development or in teacher-training or inforestry or fisheries. In fact, since no institution can be excellent in everything, it is desirable that areas of special strength be developed at least in all but perhaps the largest of our universities. However, these areas of special strength should be in addition to facilities for all round higher educqtion, and should not be a substitute for such facilities. Unless an institution aims at providing such all round training it should continue as a technical institute and should not aspire to be a university… Institutions doing perfunctory or mediocre work should not be dignified by university status."
Thus, what is crucial is that universities must not, in their various pursuits, lose sight of this essential concept of a university. There is, sadly, much truth in the general belief that many of our universities have willy-nilly lost sight of this idea. This has resulted in a certain debasement of the very concept of a university allowing institutions with little claim to the status of a university to aspire for such status.
November 27th, 2010
Following is from a Business Standard report in sify.com.
The Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University (SOAU) in Bhubaneswar has set up a new Law Institute from the 2010-11 academic year following permission given by the Bar Council of India. …
The new institute will be known as SOA National Institute of Law (SNIL) which will have thrust on quality education in law keeping in view the contemporary society with semantic human resources, curriculum and co-curriculum aspects and will offer Five-Year Integrated Law studies in three different streams such as BA LLB, BBA LLB and B.Sc LLB besides Post-Graduation in Law and Ph.D. in Law.
The SNIL proposes to introduce several career oriented course in Intellectual Property Rights, Information and Technology, Labour-Man Power related Industrial Law, Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, International Trade Laws, Competition Laws, Space Law, Biomedical Law, Bio-ethics and Law, International Advocacy, Arbitration as a mode of Alternate Dispute Redressal Mechanism, e-Governance, e-Commerce and Corporate Law.
With this program Odisha will have three places with 5 yr programs that will take students nationally. They are:
I was told by reader Debi Sarangi (Thanks!) that Madhusudan Law College in Cuttack and University Law College Bhubaneswar also have 5 yr law programs. I am not sure if the other universities, especially Sambalpur and Berhampur, have such programs. If not they should. In addition I hope VSSUT starts a graduate program in Intellectual Property Law (similar to the one in IIT Kharagpur) and all the universities in the state have 5-yr integrated courses in law as well as sciences.
September 21st, 2010
Update on Jan 25 2010: As per this news item:
The Supreme Court Monday restrained the central government from derecognising 44 deemed universities for their questionable academic performance or poor infrastructure and assured tens of thousands of their students of a fair hearing.
A bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and A.K. Patnaik ordered status quo for various deemed universities on several lawsuits by the varsities challenging the government’s move to derecognise them.
‘Nothing is going to happen to your institutions and your students till we dispose the matter,’ observed Justice Bhandari while also issuing notices to all 44 universities separately to have their say in the matter.
The case was adjourned to March 9.
The list is given in this TOI news item. Thanks to the people who sent the pointer.
January 19th, 2010
Update: As one may notice one of the existing colleges that is missing from the list below is:
- Purushottam Institute of Technology, Rourkela.
It is missing because the Industries department of Orissa has barred it from admitting students from Orissa JEE in 2009-2010. Some details are reported at http://dailypioneer.com/191657/Industry-dept-bars-Purushottam-Institute.html. It was allowed to fill up seats based on AIEEE though.
The list below is based on the availability of seats pages of http://jeeorissa.com/availability_of_seats.asp.
- Ajay Binay Institute of Technology Cuttack (ABT) Pvt.
- Apex Institute of Technology & Management, Pahal Bhubaneshwar (APT) Pvt.
- ARYAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY PANCHAGAON, KHURDA Bhubaneswar (AIE) Pvt.
- Balasore College of Engineering & Technology Balasore (BCE) Pvt.
- Bhadrak Institute of Engineering & Technology Barapada, Bhadrak (BIT) Pvt.
- Bhubaneswar Engineering College Khurda (BEC) Pvt.
- Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology JANLA, KHURDA (BIB) Pvt.
- Black Diamond College of Engineering & Technology Jharsuguda (BDC) Pvt.
- BRM International Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (BII) Pvt.
- C. V. Raman College of Engineering Bhubaneswar (CVR) Pvt.
- Central Institute of Plastics Engineering And Technology Bhubaneswar (CPT) Govt.
- Centurian Institute of Technology Khurda (CIK) Pvt.
- College of Engineering & Technology Bhubaneswar (CET) Govt.
- College of Engineering Bhubaneswar Bhubaneshwar (CEB) Pvt.
- Dhaneswar Rath Institute of Engineering and Management Studies Tangi, Cuttack (DRM) Pvt.
- Eastern Academy of Science & Technology Phulnakhara, Khurda (EAS) Pvt.
- EINSTEIN ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT BANIATANGI, KHURDA (EAT) Pvt.
- EKLAVYA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE Jatni, Bhubaneswar (ECT) Pvt.
- GANDHI ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING GOLONTHARA, BERHAMPUR (GAT) Pvt.
- Gandhi Engineering College Bhubaneswar (GEC) Pvt.
- GANDHI INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY BANIATANGI,KHURDA (GIE) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute for Technology Bhubaneswar (GIF) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Engineering & Technology Gunupur (GIT) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Industrial Technology Berhampur (GII) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Science and Technology Rayagada (GIR) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Technological Advancement Badaraghunathpur, Bhubaneswar (GIB) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (GIK) Pvt.
- Ghanashyama Hemalata Institute of Technology & Management Chhaitana Puri (GHT) Pvt.
- Gopal Krushna College of Engineering & Technology Jeypore (GCE) Pvt.
- Government College of Engineering Kalahandi Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi (GCK) Govt.
- GURUKUL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING(FOR WOMEN) JAMUJHARI, BHUBANESWAR (GCW) Pvt.
- Gurukul Institute of Technology,Janla Bhubaneswar (GKT) Pvt.
- HITECH COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BHUBANESWAR (HCE) Pvt.
- Hi-Tech Institute of Technology Khurda (HIT) Pvt.
- Indic Institute of Design & Research Khurda (IID) Pvt.
- Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology Sarang (IGT) Govt.
- INDOTECH COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING MALLIPADA, KHURDA (ICE) Pvt.
- Indus College of Engg. Bhubaneswar (IDU) Pvt.
- Institute of Advanced Computer & Research Rayagada (IAC) Pvt.
- International Institute of Information Technology(Self Sustaining) Gothapatana, Bhubaneswar (III) Govt.
- Jagannath Institute of Engineering & Technology Cuttack (JIC) Pvt.
- Jagannath Institute of Technology & Management Paralakhemundi (JIP) Pvt.
- Kalam Institute of Technology, Berhampur Berhampur (KIB) Pvt.
- KMBB COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY DALEIPUT, KHURDA (KCE) Pvt.
- Konark Institute of Science & Technology Jatni,Bhubaneswar (KIS) Pvt.
- Koustav Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (KIT) Pvt.
- Koustuva Institute of Self Domain(for Women) Bhubaneswar (KID) Pvt.
- Krupajala Engineering College Pubasasan, Bhubaneswar (KEC) Pvt.
- Maharaja Institute of Technology,Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (MIK) Pvt.
- Mahavir Institute of Engineering and Technology Paniora, Bhubaneswar (MIB) Pvt.
- Majhighariani Institute of Technology and Science Rayagada (MIT) Pvt.
- Modern Engineering & Management Studies Balasore (MEM) Pvt.
- Modern Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (MIM) Pvt.
- Nalanda Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (NIT) Pvt.
- National Institute of Science and Technology Palur Hills, Berhampur (NST) Pvt.
- NM Institute of Engineering & Technology Sijua, Bhubaneswar (NMI) Pvt.
- Orissa Engineering College Nijigarhkurki, Bhubaneswar (OEC) Pvt.
- Orissa School of Mining Engineering Keonjhar (OSM) Govt.
- Padmanava College of Engineering Rourkela (PCE) Pvt.
- Padmashree Krutartha Acharya College of Engineering Bargarh (PKA) Pvt.
- Parala Maharaja Engineering College Berhampur (PMG) Govt.
- RAHUL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY GOVINDAPUR JN, BERHAMPUR (RIE) Pvt.
- Rajdhani Engineering College Bhubaneswar (REC) Pvt.
- Roland Institute of Technology Surya Vihar, Berhampur (RIT) Pvt.
- Samanta Chandra Sekhar Institute of Technology & Management Semiliguda, Koraput (SCS) Pvt.
- Sanjaya Memorial Institute of Technology Chandipadar, Berhampur (SMT) Pvt.
- Satyasai Engineering College Balasore (SAT) Pvt.
- Seemanta Engineering College Jharpokharia, Mayurbhanj (SEC) Pvt.
- SHIBANI INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION JANLA, BHUBANESWAR (SIE) Pvt.
- Silicon Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (SIT) Pvt.
- Silicon Institute of Technology Sasan, Sambalpur (SIS) Pvt.
- SOPHITORIUM ENGINEERING COLLEGE BANIATANGI, KHURDA (SEK) Pvt.
- SPINTRONIC TECHNOLOGY & ADVANCE RESEARCH TARABOI, KHURDA (STA) Pvt.
- SRINIX COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING RANIPATNA, BALASORE (SCE) Pvt.
- Subas Institute of Technology Barang,Bhubaneswar (SIB) Pvt.
- SUDDHANANDA ENGINEERING & RESEARH CENTRE PHULNAKHARA, CUTTACK (SER) Pvt.
- Sundargarh Engineering College sundargarh (SUN) Pvt.
- Synergy Institute of Engineering and Technology Dhenkanal (SYN) Pvt.
- SYNERGY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHIMPUR, KHURDA (SIK) Pvt.
- TempleCity Institute of Technology & Engineering Khurda (TCT) Pvt.
- The Techno School Bhubaneswar (TTS) Pvt.
- Trident Academy of Technology Bhubaneswar (TAT) Pvt.
- VEDANG INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLGY DURGA PRASAD,KHURDA (VIK) Pvt.
- Veera Surendra Sai University of Technology Burla (UCE) Govt.
- Vignan Institute of Technology & Management Berhampur (VIT) Pvt.
- VIKASH COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING(FOR WOMEN) BARGARH (VCE) Pvt.
- VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BHUBANESWAR (VIB) Pvt.
- Xavier Institute of Technology Ghangapatna, Bhubaneswar (XIT) Pvt.
The Engineering Colleges, institutes and departments that do not take students via JEE are:
- IIT Bhubaneswar
- NIT Rourkela
- ITER, SOA University, Bhubaneswar
- KIIT Engineering College, Bhubaneswar
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, OUAT, Bhubaneswar
- ICFAI Tech, Bhubaneswar
July 25th, 2009
- Ajay Binay Institute of Technology Cuttack (ABT) Pvt.
- Apex Institute of Technology & Management, Pahal Bhubaneshwar (APT) Pvt.
- Bhubaneswar Engineering College Khurda (BEC) Pvt.
- BRM International Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (BII) Pvt.
- C. V. Raman College of Engineering Bhubaneswar (CVR) Pvt.
- Central Institute of Plastics Engineering And Technology Bhubaneswar (CPT) Govt.
- Centurian Institute of Technology Khurda (CIK) Pvt.
- College of Engineering & Technology Bhubaneswar (CET) Govt.
- College of Engineering Bhubaneswar Bhubaneshwar (CEB) Pvt.
- Dhaneswar Rath Institute of Engineering and Management Studies Tangi, Cuttack (DRM) Pvt.
- Eastern Academy of Science & Technology Phulnakhara, Khurda (EAS) Pvt.
- Gandhi Engineering College Bhubaneswar (GEC) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute for Technology Bhubaneswar (GIF) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Technological Advancement Badaraghunathpur, Bhubaneswar (GIB) Pvt.
- Gandhi Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (GIK) Pvt.
- Ghanashyama Hemalata Institute of Technology & Management Chhaitana Puri (GHT) Pvt.
- Gurukul Institute of Technology,Janla Bhubaneswar (GKT) Pvt.
- Hi-Tech Institute of Technology Khurda (HIT) Pvt.
- Indic Institute of Design & Research Khurda (IID) Pvt.
- Indus College of Engg. Bhubaneswar (IDU) Pvt.
- Jagannath Institute of Engineering & Technology Cuttack (JIC) Pvt.
- Konark Institute of Science & Technology Jatni,Bhubaneswar (KIS) Pvt.
- Koustav Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (KIT) Pvt.
- Koustuva Institute of Self Domain (for Women) Bhubaneswar (KID) Pvt.
- Krupajala Engineering College Pubasasan, Bhubaneswar (KEC) Pvt.
- Maharaja Institute of Technology,Bhubaneswar Bhubaneswar (MIK) Pvt.
- Mahavir Institute of Engineering and Technology Paniora, Bhubaneswar (MIB) Pvt.
- Modern Institute of Technology & Management Khurda (MIM) Pvt.
- Nalanda Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (NIT) Pvt.
- NM Institute of Engineering & Technology Sijua, Bhubaneswar (NMI) Pvt.
- Orissa Engineering College Nijigarhkurki, Bhubaneswar (OEC) Pvt.
- Rajdhani Engineering College Bhubaneswar (REC) Pvt.
- Silicon Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar (SIT) Pvt.
- Subas Institute of Technology Gyana Vihar, Barang, Bhubaneswar 754 005 Orissa
- Synergy Institute of Engineering and Technology Dhenkanal (SYN) Pvt.
- TempleCity Institute of Technology & Engineering Khurda (TCT) Pvt.
- The Techno School Bhubaneswar (TTS) Pvt.
- Trident Academy of Technology Bhubaneswar (TAT) Pvt.
- Agricultural Engineering at OUAT, Bhubaneswar
- KIIT Bhubaneswar
- ITER Bhubaneswar
- IIIT Bhubaneswar
- IIT Bhubaneswar
Following are some that are in the pipeline and most likely to start in 2009.
- School of Engineering at the proposed World Class Central University
- HI – Tech College of Engineering, Rasulgarh, Pandara, Bhubaneswar, Orissa
- International Institute of Engineering & Technology (IIET) 290 Bhatkhuri, Gangapada, Bhubaneswar 752 054 Orissa
- SRM College of Engineering At Giringaput, P.O. Mendhasala, Orissa
- PJ College of Management & Technology At Kesora, P.O. Bankual, Bhubaneswar 751 002 Orissa
- KMBB College of Engineering & Technology At Mahatpalla, Tahasil Khurda Orissa
- Pan Institute of Technology, Knowledge City Unit – 7, Bhubaneswar 751 003 Orissa
- Vivekananda Institute of Technology At Chhatabar, P.O. Dandi, Chhatabar P.S. Chandaka, Bhubaneswar Orissa
- Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology (BIT) At Harapur, P. O. Janla District : Khurda, Pin 752 054 Orissa
- Pioneer Institute of Technology Village : Ambilijhari Mouza : Machhapangi, PS Choudwar, District : Cuttack Orissa
- MITS College of Engineering Mouza: Alkar At P.O. Janla, Bhubaneswar 751016 Orissa
August 3rd, 2008
