… If sources are to be believed, the varsity is seriously planning to raise the intake capacity of the government institutions.
The technical university’s four constituent colleges – University College of Engineering (UCE), Burla, College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Bhubaneswar, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology (IGIT), Saranga, and Orissa School of Mining Engineering (OSME), Keonjhar – impart different courses in engineering streams.
While UCE has seven disciplines with an intake capacity of about 270, annual approved strength of CET is 340 in as many as nine streams. Similarly, IGIT admits 150 students in five programmes, while OSME’s degree streams intake is about 90.
However, the BPUT management appears to believe that the government colleges are in need of increasing their intake capacity which will strengthen them financially.
While UCE, Burla and CET, Bhubaneswar, are primarily dependent on government, it is OSME (degree stream) which is self-sufficient.
In the last board of management meeting of the varsity, it was strongly felt that the private colleges have a much larger student strength compared to their government counterparts that contribute significantly to their solvency.
It has agreed that an increased intake in government constituent colleges is the need of the hour where the number of qualified teachers and overall infrastructure is better compared to those available in the private colleges.
A way out is to introduce self-financing models for the programmes. In fact, two engineering streams in UCE, Burla and four subjects in CET here are self-financing but the funds are not sufficient to support the increasing needs.
… The system was approved by a joint meeting of the university top brass with the management of colleges. It will be installed on a pilot basis in dozen colleges in the City and another two in Rourkela where the university is headquartered.
The system will come into effect by November 25 as the two software vendors which were roped in are ready with the customised programme.
Under the system, each member of the faculty would be required to enter the curriculum she/he is assigned to complete each day and the actual progress.
The faculty members will also indicate the attendance in a class so that the university can have a clear view on the students’ perfor mance.
The programmes are so designed that it will take a teacher about 10 minutes to post the day’s report.
“The report entry will be keyword-based. All that a teacher has to do is drag and drop words to indicate the subject he taught in a day,” BPUT Vice-Chancellor Omkar Nath Mohanty told this paper.
Besides, the university and college managements agreed to ban inter-college migration of teachers during the period from November 1 till July 30, 2008.
Only if teachers have valid grounds for a migration then only would they be allowed but after examination by a committee. Similarly, the teachers would be given a registration number by the varsity, subject to appearance before a selection committee.
It has also been decided to go ahead with the CCTV installation project. It has been estimated at Rs 2.5 lakh with 20 cameras, a central software and an access to the server.
…….Alleging that institutions of higher education, including Central university, IIT and IIM are being diverted to neighbouring States ignoring the claim of Orissa, the party demanded that such institutions should be established in the State…….
A similar report was also published in The Statesman.
Accordingly it was decided that each student will have to receive 6 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) out of 10 to be eligible to pass the B.Tech degree.
However in the first year itself the student has to receive 4.5 CGPA, so that he/she can be promoted.
But by the end of the course he will have to get 6 CGPA to receive the degree.
Though B.Tech program is for 4 years but a student will be allowed 7 years time for clearance of the degree.
The student, who will be enrolled in 2008-09, if fails consecutively in 3 semesters will be out of the university, said a spokesman of BPUT.
It was decided to set up a Faculty Training Institute to train the faculty members of the constituent colleges.
The proposed system is probably similar to the system followed at IITs. The year back system is what is followed at most colleges in the rest of the country. In the US universities there is no year back system. However there are pre-requsites for classes. So if subject A is a prerequisite for subject B then one can not normally take B before he/she has passed A. However, the courses that are prerequisites for other courses and are in the critical path to graduation are offered every semester.
One question to the readers: If a student fails in a course in a semetser and takes the exam for that course the next semester, what happens to the internal marks. Does he/she have a chance to improve them? How?
This government, …, had constituted a knowledge commission under Sam Pitroda who, encouraged by Rajiv Gandhi, had set up Centre for Developments of Telematics and C-Dot in the early eighties, which proved a catalyst for the Telecommunication Revolution that we are witnessing today. Many prominent personalities are also the members of this commission. After months of brainstorming and research the commission recommended its suggestions to the government.
But there are some politicians in our country who accord their personal ego and interests above country’s welfare and progress. Many analysts feel that there are some ministers in this government who embody that description.
Human Resource Minister, Arjun Singh kept ignoring the recommendations of the commission for reasons best known to him only. But recently, the minister hesitatingly met the Knowledge Commission Chairman, Sam Pitroda for a few minutes and heard him out. It is speculated that the minister might have been asked to mend his ways and cooperate with the Commission.
Arjun Singh was not impressed by the recommendatation of the commission and deliberately chose to ignore the suggestions of the commission until the Prime Minister himself took up the matter and declared the road map that his government intended to follow in accordance with the recommendations. Prime Minister had announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort that very soon every state would have a central university and the number of premier engineering and management institutes would be increased. He also said that in order to impart technical training at the grassroot level, thousands of technical institutes would be opened and the private sector will also be encouraged to participate.
But the fact is that there is a shortage of technical professionals and the situation will continue to look grim unless some drastic measures are implemented speedily. Manpower has become an asset for India and this will play a greater role in the future as the world population is ageing whereas the youth constitute greater percentage of India’s population.
The world has become a global village now and if India is not able to match its pace with the rest of the world, then, very soon it will be another story of opportunity missed.
Arjun Singh does not seem to care a bit and is not willing to act unless it results in some kind of a political dividend for him.
It might sound amusing as he might himself not remember when he won any election last. In fact, in spite of being beaten in elections repeatedly, he became a minister only for his consistent loyalty to the Gandhi family. He should have realised his limitations and spent his energy in keeping his benefactors in good humour. Strangly, he became ambitious and started tinkering in everything like his predecessor, Murli Manohar Joshi used to do.
Whatever developmental strides India is making now is due to its ‘knowledge workforce’ and to gain the much aspired momentum, our education system needs to be drastically changed. But what would be the result if the minister himself starts obstructing all such initiatives on the ground that any such move would not yield any political dividends for him? The Prime Minister should act firmly now otherwise there are many politicians who can’t foresee beyond personal interests. They must be made to realise and mend their follies in the larger interest of the public they are elected to serve.
Many people in Orissa have similar feelings about Arjun Singh for:
For changing the name of NIS to IISER and shifting it out of Orissa. (See http://iiser.blogspot.com) This was later corrected by the PM announcing the establishment of NISER through DAE.
The government has chosen hybrid model of Indian and American universities for the 16 new Central Universities to be opened in the next five years.
The administrative model would be similar to Jawaharlal Nehru University, whereas the academic model is inspired by American universities. In a comprehensive project report submitted to the HRD ministry, Educational Consultants India Limited (EDCIL) has said that each university should teach at least 10,000 students.
Of these, 80 per cent of the students will get residential facilities. The report was prepared after deputy chairperson of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, proposed expansion and reforms in higher education to PM Manmohan Singh earlier this year.
Taking the suggestions into account, the EDCIL has proposed that the new Central universities will have six-year integrated courses with two-year post-graduate course and four-year doctoral programme, a mark difference from the present practice in Indian universities. The requisite of MPhil, after two years of post-graduation, for doctoral course has been abolished in the structure for the new universities.
“The concept is similar to the one in American institutions where the stress is more on research,” said Chairman and Managing Director of EDCIL Anju Banerjee. In addition to conventional, arts, social sciences, science and engineering courses, the new universities will also offer professional courses in architecture and fashion, nano-technology, bio-informatics, paramedics and information technology. However, medical colleges have not been proposed to be part of these universities.
Banerjee also said that they have also provided an option of mobility of students from one stream to another. The new universities would have semester system of education, continuous evaluation and assessment and a common admission system. “We have already circulated a Cabinet note for a uniform law for all these 16 universities,” a HRD ministry official said.
Taking a cue from American universities, the concept of schools has been recommended, like School of Engineering and School of Science. Each school would be headed by a Board of Studies to provide autonomy to each section within the federal structure of the university.
However, the overall administrative structure is similar to the JNU model with the new universities not being affiliating. The 150-page report being given final touches by HRD ministry also proposes a lower student teacher ratio of the international level to improve quality of education.
However, University Grants Commission scales have been proposed for the faculty.
Chief Minister then, met the Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal. He requested him for immediate sanction of a Biotechnology Incubation Centre (BTIC) at the Biotech Pharma IT Park proposed at Bhubaneswar. The Incubator, which will be part of the BiotechnologyPark, will nurture innovative ideas into successful business ventures. It will enable the Park, to get essential facilities like state-of-the-art laboratories, equipment, training centre etc., for which the State Government has already provided 65 acres of prime land at Bhubaneswar. Shri Sibal agreed in-principle for opening of a Biotechnology Incubation Centre (BTIC) at Bhubaneswar and said that the Biotechnology sector in Orissa needs a boost. The Chief Minister further requested the Union Minister to sanction new Post Graduate course in Marine Biotechnology for BerhampurUniversity and FakirMohanUniversity, Balasore respectively, to which the Union Minister readily agreed to. In view of the economic potential of the Biotechnology sector and corresponding requirement of trained manpower, Orissa would be greatly benefited by opening up of these new courses.
Following is a first person report from one of the person who was present at the UCE Burla team’s meeting with the CM and others. (After the report, I will have a short analysis.)
It is Chak De hours for us, friends !
First, my thanks to the students who stood up to the task and continued their zero-incident strike for 12 days; they deserve huge ovation.
Second, thanks to CM who found time for us. Let me put in short what happened yesterday in CM’s meeting yesterday.
Govt had lined up Industry Minister Mr Harichandan, Industry Secretary Mr Dalwai, CM’s principal secretary, VC of BPUT and two more gentlemen. We had six students, Principal Dr Sanyal, Dr CR Tripathy and yours faithfully me.
Students first narrated what made them to go for strike. CM asked Industry Secy to respond. Secy said – (a) Society Registration file is with Finance Dept, Finance Minister will sign it tomorrow (16 Oct), then Industry Secy & minister. It is a matter of two or three days’s procedural time. But no hurdles, clearly. (b) BPUT Act shall be amended to disengage UCE from BPUT. It is none of our botheration. UCE will straightway go ahead to register as society. Industry Dept shall initiate a resolution in next Assembly. CM interjected to say it comes next month, in November. (c) CM said Govt will pursue the matter with UGC to ensure that we become Deemed University within 3 to 4 months. (but I personally believe it is an inadvertant over-statement by CM as state govt will not have any say in UGC except recommending. college authorities and we alumni have to pursue with UGC ourselves).
After students finished, I made few appeals on behalf of alumni. (a) Being the one and only college from Orissa which has potential to be put
into the league of quality colleges like Bengal Engg College, Jadavpur Univ, Osmania Univ, BHU, BIT or Anna University, state govt needs to go an extra mile beyond just conferring Deemed Univ status. CM nodded. (b) Only infrastructure added after it was built 50 years back by Hirakud Dam Project are a new library and an auditorium. Not only the 50-years-old college needs massive renovation, it also badly needs many more modern infrastructures. CM may plz depute high-level officials along with the Chief Architect of Orissa to campus who will assess the infrastructure, submit a master plan to CM based on which funds could be released over three/four years. CM nodded, asked his Secy to note it. (c) If UCE has to expand, which it will, it neds more land. Before encroached unauthorised by people, Govt may direct the local administration to transfer 300 acres available adjacent to UCE. CM said "he will look into this" (d) Alumni are rock-solid behind UCE. Alumni have built a Gate and are building an e_Learning Centre. I showed him the photos from the farther corner of the distance. CM asked me to come to him with the photos and had a long close look at both the structures. Jubilee Gate resembles India Gate, he commented. Said, he is happy that alumni are committed to the alma mater. Meeting ended. All for nearly 30 minutes. Students declared, they had called off the strike.
Later, Secy said CM kept a delegate of investors waiting as he wanted this meeting with UCE first. Some or other in Orissa go on strike everyday, but are rarely invited by CM for a meeting. Govt wants UCE to grow, he said. It seemed so.
How much of the committments shall be kept is to be seen. But, I believe Govt can not go back what they said so emphatically. one thing is sure, we have succeeded to move the wheel. It should move on from now. But, we cannot and will not rest before UCE is indeed conferred "Deemed University" and then an "IIT or IIEST".
One of UCE’s … well-wisher …, Prof Chitta Baral of Arizona University had advised us to demand for "State University" like BESU or Ravenshaw. But, we were cautioned by Industry Secy not to talk of State Univ or IIT in the meeting and we did not. And, rightly so. Thanks to Dr Baral for his passion for UCE.
All the local news papers today have carried the News on front page. It is Chak De UCE, finally.
A proud UCEian.
My Comments:
This is a good start. Congratulations! I am hopeful that with the CM’s efforts UCE will get the "deemed university" tag quickly. But as mentioned above, it is not enough to be a deemed university. Being a deemed university does not guarantee adequate funding. So everyone must be ready to go to the next step; assuring good funding for UCE Burla. Unlike what is reported in Sambada, NIT Rourkela’s funding did not increase because it became a deemed university. It increased because central government took it over. There are many ways to ensure UCE Burla gets adequate funding. One way is to get the "funded by UGC" tag and become eligible to get UGC funds. Another way is to get taken over by the central government and/or become an NIT, IIEST or IIT. Another way is to push the state government and Orissa industries to fund UCE Burla at a higher level. Yet another way is to get commitment from industries such as MCL regarding funding some UCE departments.
Following is extracted from a Pioneer report. The three demands, as reported, were:
Issuance of the clearance for the Society Registration Act. (The clearance of Society Registration Act is needed to accorded deemed university status to the Burla Engineering College.)
Deputation of a team of officials with the chief architect to plan the contemporary infrastructure which the UCE needs and allocation of funds for their construction.
Allotment of 300 acres of adjacent free land to UCE by the district administration which is needed for its expansion and upgradation, before it was encroached.
As per the NSSO study of 2004-2005 (released in October 2006), Table 3.14.1 (of Report 516) shows that in the 15-19 age group 29% people in Orissa are attending school/college and in the 20-24 age group this number for Orissa is 6.1%. (Both numbers are lowest among all but the small states/UTs of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep.) Our focus in this posting being higher education, one may note that higher education corresponds to the 20-24 age group.
The 11th Plan objectives are aimed at increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) (access rate) in higher education from the present 10% to 15% by 2012, while ensuring improvement in quality and enhancement of equity.
Now if one looks at the data below it is a no brainer that one of the 14 world class central universities (30 total – 16 to states that do not have any) must be established in Orissa.
This article is mostly well argued and has a lot of information regarding recent announcements. My only issue is that it is a bit short-sighted at the end: If Andhra Pradesh can upgrade two of its existing colleges to IIESTs and still get a greenfield IIT, why should Orissa just ask for one upgradation; Orissa should ask for upgradation of UCE Burla to an IIEST and the establishment of a greenfield IIT. Also, just asking for UCE Burla to an upgradation to an IIT is a bit dangerous as the central govt. may say that they are not upgrading any institution to an IIT. If that happens we become double losers. So, Orissa govt should ask that UCE Burla be upgraded to an IIEST and Orissa should get one of the proposed 5 new IITs. Furthermore, as we have argued earlier Orissa govt, should immediately make UCE Burla a state university.
While students of the University College of Engineering (UCE) Burla are on war path to turn the institution as a Deemed University, educationists have suggested the state government to declare it as a State University.
“It is easier for the Government of Orissa to declare UCE Burla as an Engineering and Science University”, suggested an educationist who belongs to Western Orissa.
An alumnus of UCE, Burla has also echoed the view on this line.
“Instead of pleading with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), it is easier for the state government to pass a Bill in this regard in the Orissa Legislative Assembly (OLA)”, said he.
Initially it will cost Rs.1.5 crore per annum at the most, said a Financial Advisor of the state government.
Later the state government by appointing a hyper active Vice Chancellor like Devdas Chhottaray will be able to rope in huge funds from University Grants Commission (UGC).
Mr.Chhottaray, VC of the newly formed Ravenshaw Unitary University (RUU) has been successful to convert the RUU as an UGC aided University in a period of one year.
When the 50 year old institution will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee, it is the right time for the state government to declare it as another State University, said another alumnus.
The UCE, Burla alumni have a major role to play, said a mandarin in the state secretariat.
Most of the alumni are in the top level of the state administration and their influence in this regard will play a major role to transform the institution as a State University of Science and engineering, said he.
While the students are demanding for a Deemed University status they are ignorant about the fact that most of the DUs are not funded by the UGC.
So it is better that at the first place UCE, Burla to be declared as a State University and later a pro-active VC will rope in funds from the UGC.
It may be pointed out that various states have followed this path earlier and have been successful like West Bengal and Kerala.
The Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) and the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) are state universities, and both were selected to become Indian Institute of Education, Science and Technology (IIEST).
“Better late than never, Orissa must take a cue from West Bengal and Kerala”, said Sandip Das Verma, a leading Non Resident Odiya (NRO).
Access, Equity and Quality are focus of new initiatives in Higher Education as per the meeting of the Consultative Committee relating to the Ministry of Human Resource Development which took place earlier today. The meeting chaired by Shri Arjun Singh, Minister for HRD, discussed new initiatives for the 11th Plan in the higher education sector. The Minister for HRD briefed the members on the proposals from the Ministry that had been discussed in the Full Meeting of the Planning Commission. Shri Singh mentioned that the proposed initiatives would not be ready for implementation till the formal approvals of the Planning Commission and the National Development Council (NDC). Members were also informed that while the 10th Plan outlay for higher education, including technical education was approximately Rs.9500 crores, the Ministry was hopeful of getting an outlay several times higher for its Central Plan proposals.
The 11th Plan objectives are aimed at increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) (access rate) in higher education from the present 10% to 15% by 2012, while ensuring improvement in quality and enhancement of equity. Acknowledging that States’ share in Plan outlay being roughly four times the Central plan outlay, co-opting States to contribute substantially would be critical to the achievement of the Plan objectives. The Ministry’s proposal for the 11th Plan accordingly include incentives to States to allocate higher resources to colleges and universities, partial assistance to setting up of colleges of excellence in as many as 370 districts with low GER and less than four colleges per one lakh of population, special assistance for institutions in 88 minority concentration districts, substantially higher allocation for establishing women’s hostels in order to rectify gender bias in enrolment, removal of regional imbalances through the establishment of 30 new central universities – sixteen of which would be in States which have no Central University at present.
Members were informed that the Central Government has already approached the State Governments to suggest alternative locations in regard to the new Central Universities and the Ministry in consultation with the Planning Commission and the UGC was in the process of working out the concept of world ‘class universities’. The proposals include higher level of assistance to State universities and colleges and also assistance from the UGC to the nearly 150 State universities and 6000 colleges which are not being assisted at present, in order to plug the quality gaps identified by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). The Committee was also apprised of other new institutions proposed to be created such as the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University for which a Bill has already been introduced in Parliament, the proposed Workers’ Technical University, introduction of Medical & Engineering Faculties in all Central Universities, the proposed Inter-University Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education, the proposed new Indian Institutes of Technology, the proposed new Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research and Research, Schools of Planning & Architecture, etc..
New initiatives in Technical Education include expansion and upgradation of 200 State Technical Institutions selected on the basis of appropriate criteria; expansion of centrally funded institutions (IITs, IIMs, NIITs, IIITs and NITTTRs (as per Oversight Committee recommendations for inclusion, expansion and excellence); strengthening departments/institutes of management and business administration in university system in view of increased demand for MBAs and limitations of IIMs to expand capacity and also affordability and setting up of new institutions in the XIth Plan (Eight IITs, Seven IIMs, Five IISERs, Two SPAs, 10 NITs, 20 IIITs, and 50 Centres for Training and Research in frontier areas) and also consider the feasibility of increasing the capacities of the existing IITs and IIMs by 200% or so.
Polytechnic education aims to create a pool of skilled manpower to support shop floor and field operations. It is proposed to give a big boost to Polytechnics whose present intake capacity is only about 2.5 lakhs as against 6 lakhs for degree level engineering courses. Ideally, there should be an intake capacity of over 20 lakhs in Diploma courses, even on a conservative basis, for 6 lakh Engineers. Therefore, subject to availability of funds, the Ministry is proposing that the XI Plan must aim to start at least about 1000 new Polytechnics (300 by State Governments, 300 in PPP mode and 400 by Private sector) which will result in the addition of about 2 lakh seats.
Regarding Open and Distance Learning, the Committee was informed that under the National Education Mission Government intends through ICT, to interconnect through Broad Band, all Institutions of national importance/excellence, over 375 universities and about 18600 colleges besides providing them specially generated e-learning material. For example, the e-content for over 150 courses prepared by National Project for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) through the IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, is already available to all the Institutions free of cost.
While complimenting the Government for these initiatives, members expressed the view that allocation of 6% of the GDP for the education sector was essential to implement these initiatives for which the State Governments would also have to be appropriately encouraged. Several innovative suggestions were also given by members; including the need to popularize ‘earn while you learn schemes,’ removal of disparity in quality between colleges in urban and rural areas, the need for the UGC to review its system of recognition for financial assistance so that more colleges could become eligible, optimum utilization of physical infrastructure through encouragement to evening colleges and working in shifts so as to increase the capacity of intake, need for improving teaching methodology in undergraduate courses in Arts and Sciences through use of multimedia and new pedagogical tools, etc.
Shri Chinta Mohan, Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Shri Rajendrasinh G. Rana, Dr. Vallabhbhai Kathiria, Km. Bhavana P. Gawali, Shri Haribhau Jawale and Shri Babulal Marandi from Lok Sabha and Shri Raashid Alvi, Prof. P.J. Kurien, Ms. Kanimozhi, Shri Krishna Lal Balmiki and Dr. Ram Prakash from Rajya Sabha attended the meeting.
We appeal to the readers with interest in Orissa to contact their local organization (Outside Orissa, the local Orissa/Oriya/Kalinga organization) and through them send a similar letter to the PM and CM at the earliest. The planning commission has been asked by the PM on September 14th to make the location decisions in two months. So time is running out on this.
