Odisha HRD

Vedanta University has acquired 775 acres of land: Sambada

October 17th, 2007

UCE Burla team’s meeting with the CM and others: a first person report

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.

4 comments October 17th, 2007

RMTS scholar Himalaya Senapati got a silver medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad held in Ukraine

RMTS scholar Himalaya Senapati got a silver medal  at the International  Astronomy Olympiad held  in Crimea. For a sample Astronomy Olympiad question set see this.

October 17th, 2007

Finally the CM writes to the PM again on IIT

Following is an excerpt from a report in Statesman.

Chief Minister Mr Naveen Patnaik today pressed his demand for having an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and a Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in the state by writing a letter to the Prime Minster Dr Manmohan Singh.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Patnaik emphasised on the establishment of high-quality technical and management institutes in order to boost the ongoing rapid industrial development of taking place in Orissa.

 The chief minister informed that huge investments in steel, aluminum and the power sectors have resulted in rapid growth in the industrial scenario of the state. Similarly, huge employment possibility has been generated in the automobile, petrochemicals and the IT sector.

All these require the development of human resources in the state and this prompted the state government to plan for various technical and vocational institutes with the help of private participation, Mr Patnaik added.

 As the Centre has decided to set up eight IITs, five IISERs, 20 IIITs and 30 central universities, the long-pending demands for elite national educational institutes in the state should be addressed, Mr Patnaik maintained in his letter.

It may be noted that the civil society had virtually launched a movement demanding establishment of an IIT in Orissa.

Similar reports also appear in Hindu, Pioneer, New Indian Express, Kalinga Times, etc. Following is Samaja’s take on it.

1 comment October 17th, 2007

Chief Minister agrees to the three demands of UCE Burla students

Following is extracted from a Pioneer report. The three demands, as reported, were:

1. 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.)
2. 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.
3. 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.

Congratulations to the UCE Burla students!  (Tathya.in has some details on the cause of the delay.)

1 comment October 16th, 2007

Which universities can be funded by UGC? How does a university get a “funded by UGC” tag?

The rules come from the document at http://www.ugc.ac.in/policy/rules_1975_1.html which is reachable via the page http://www.ugc.ac.in/policy/rules_uni_1975.html which is reachable via the page on UGC regulations at http://www.ugc.ac.in/policy/regulation.html. We reproduce the content of the first document below.

UGC (Fitness of Certain Universities for Grants)Rules, 1975

To be Published in the Gazette of India
Part II, Section 3, Sub-Section (i)

No. F.92/74U.2.
Government of India
Ministry of Education & Social Welfare
(Department of Education)

New Delhi, the 9th Sep., 1974.

NOTIFICATION

In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 25 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956) read with Section 12A Now read as 12B of that Act, the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:-

1. Short title, application and commencement:

   1. These rules may be called the University Grants Commission (Fitness of Certain Universities for Grants) Rules, 1974.

   2. They shall apply to every university established after the commencement of the University Grants Commission (Amendment) Act, 1972 (33 of 1972), other than,

      1. an agricultural university,

      2. a university established against the advice of the Commission for imparting, exclusively, technological or medical education; and

      3. an institution recognised by the Commission, under the clause (f) of Section 2 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 (3 of 1956), on or after the 17th day of June 1972, the date on which the University Grants Commission (Amendment) Act, 1972 (33 of 1972) came into force.

   3. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Fitness for Grant � �No University to which these rules apply shall be declared to be fit to receive grants from the Central Government the University Grants Commission or any other Organisation receiving any funds from the Central Government unless the Commission is satisfied that:

   1. the University is a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, or

   2. in the case of any other University, the establishment of the University is justified on one or more of the following grounds, namely:-

      1. inadequacy of the facilities for higher education and research in the area in which the University is situated and the inability of the existing University or Universities of the state concerned to provide for such facilities either in its or their existing faculties or schools or by the establishment of postgraduate centres or campuses.

      2. the University has or shall have some special features or new, programme and activities which will augment the existing academic resources in the country.

      3. the University has or shall have programmes for the upliftment of backward areas or removal of regional imbalances.

   3. the law under which the University is established contains a provision for the establishment of a Planning Board or Committee consisting of eminent educationists to indicate the lines on which the University shall develop.

   4. in the law under which the University established, due weight hasbeen given to the recommendations made by:-

      1. the Education Commission (196466) constituted by a resolution of the Government of India;

      2. the Committee on the Governance of Universities appointed by the Commission; and

      3. the Committees of Panels appointed by the Commission during the last ten years:

   5. the University is not merely an affiliating University but a multifaculty University having adequate facilities, for teaching and research in a number of subjects.

   6. the university has powers to provide instruction through correspondence courses and to declare a college, department, centre or campus as an autonomous college, department, centreor campus, respectively,

   7. every teaching department, centre, discipline in the University has a provision for a minimum staff of one Professor, two Raiders and an adequate number of lecturers alongwith the necessary supporting staff,

   8. adequate machinery for the health residence and welfare for the students has either been provided in, or resources are being made available for the purpose to the University;

   9. the university has been provided with adequate facilities in respect of building, equipment, books, library, hostel and staff quarters, excluding colleges library or institutions affiliated or admitted to its privileges,

   10. whose aggregate value is not less than Rs 2 crores alongwith the developed land or the State Government is prepared to give an assurance to the Commission that a minimum amount of Rs 2 crores shall be made available to the University during the initial period of five years for the provision of the above mentioned facilities in addition to the developed land.

Sd/-
(I.D.N. Sahi)
Secretary to the Government of India

The Manager,
Government of India Press,
Ring Road, New Delhi.

Copy forwarded for information to:-

1. The Secretary, UGC, New Delhi.

2. The Comptroller & Auditor General of India, New Delhi.

3. The Accountant General, Central Revenues, New Delhi.

4. All State Governments and Administrations.

5. All Ministries of the Government of India.

6. All the Universities in India.

7. All the coordination Sections of various Divisions in the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare.

Sd/-
(M.N. Sinha)
Under Secretary

The following comes from http://www.ugc.ac.in/policy/rules_1978.html.

UGC (Fitness of Technological Universities for Grants) Rules, 1978

To be Published in the Gazette of India
Part II, Section 3, Sub-Section (i)

Government of India
Ministry of Education & Social Welfare
(Department of Education)

New Delhi, the 31st May, 1978

NOTIFICATION

G.S.R_____________ In exercise of the power conferred by Section 25, read with Section 12A Now read as 12B of the University Grants Commission 1956 (3 of 1956), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely-

1. Short title, application and commencement:-

   1. These rules may be called the University Grants Commission (Fitness of Technological Universities for Grants) Rules, 1978.

   2. They shall apply to every Technological University established on or after the 17th day of June, 1972 the date on which the University Grants Commission (Amendment) Act, 1972 (33 of 1972) came into force.

   3. They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

2. Definitions:In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires-

   1. ��Industry� means any business, trade undertaking manufacture or calling employers and includes any calling, service, employment,handicraft, or industrial occupation or a vocation of workmen:

   2. �Technological University� means a university which provides for instruction and research in any branch or branches of engineering and technology, and for the advancement of learning and dissemination of knowledge in such branch or branches.

3. Fitness for Grant:No Technological University to which these rules apply be declared to be fit to receive grant from the Central Government, the Commission or any other organisation receiving any funds from the Central Government unless the Commission is satisfied in respect of the following matters, namely-

   1. there is a felt need to set up such a university and there is an evidence that the existing universities in a state cannot effectively meet the requirements of development of Engineering and Technological education through its colleges either directly maintained by or affiliated to it;

   2. it has adequate facilities for postgraduate teaching and research and has facilities for adequate support of science departments of its own;

   3. it provides adequate link with the industry for its courses and is in a position to provide for high level consultancy to the industry;

   4. it provides courses of extension and devotes attention for regional development;

   5. the State Government ensures the provision of adequate basic facilities in respect of scientific staff, supporting staff, buildings, equipment, library, hostels, staff quarters, playgrounds and the like as may be determined in consultation with the All India Council for Technical Education;

   6. in the law under which such university is established, due weightage has been given to the recommendations made by-

      1. the Education Commission (196466) constituted by a Resolution of the Government of India,

      2. the Committee on the Governance of Universities appointed by the Commission.

Sd/-
(S.N. Pandita)
Joint Secretary to the Govt. of India

See also:

1. UGC (Fitness of Agricultural Universities for Grants) Rules, 1975.

2. UGC (Fitness of Open Universities for Grants) Rules, 1988.

October 15th, 2007

How does a deemed university differ from a university?

This is addressed with some pointers in this blog. A list of deemed universities as of 22nd May 2006 is here. The 79 pages UGC act document is here.

1 comment October 15th, 2007

UGC Predoctoral and Postdoctoral fellowships in Sciences

The details are extracted from the following documents

* D.S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowships (18-22 thousands/month)
* Research Fellowship in Sciences for Meritorious Students (8 thousands/month)

Continue Reading 188 comments October 15th, 2007

UGC Chairman’s article in Hindustan Times

Following is from http://www.hindustantimes.com/.

Higher education in India has witnessed manifold changes since Independence. The number of universities have gone up from 20 to 378, colleges from 500 to 18,064 and teachers from 15,000 to nearly 4.80 lakh. Consequently, enrolment has increased from a mere 1 lakh in 1950 to over 112 lakh in 2006, and the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education has risen from an abysmal 1 per cent to 10 per cent.

Besides these numeric expansions, there has been significant diversification, with a marked shift in courses from the conventional disciplines to inter-disciplinary in emergent areas. Further, it’s not just public institutions, but also the private-aided and unaided sector that has had an important role in this expansion.

These developments notwithstanding, higher education today is faced with a number of challenges. In the forefront is the issue of improving overall enrolment, along with equitable access and quality education. We now recognise that the current access at 10 per cent is too low when compared with the world average of 23 per cent and 40 to 60 per cent in case of the developed countries. Besides, there are regional and social group imbalances in access, which varies between 6 to 8 per cent for the SC, ST, OBC and Muslims. The most deprived are the poor, for whom access is no more than 2 per cent. The GER in rural areas, at 7.5 per cent, compares poorly with the urban areas, at 24 per cent. Besides, regional disparities are also noticeable, with as many as 350 districts in the country having GER lower than the national average and 29 districts having GER of less than 5 per cent.

Equally important is the problem of quality. Out of 14,080 colleges, only 6,000, and out of 224 state universities, only 167 are able to meet the minimum prescribed norms and standards for receiving UGC development grants. Further, NAAC  assessment of 3,492 colleges and 140 universities reveals that only 9 per cent of the colleges and 31 per cent of the universities are rated as A-grade and an overwhelming 68 per cent of them are rated as B-grade.

Besides, there are issues related to academic reforms. While quite a few institutions have been able to implement credit-based courses and a semester system with continuous internal assessment, others have continued with annual examinations, largely based on external written examination. Also, the affiliating university system is over-burdened as the number of colleges affiliated to each university has been on the rise.

Enhancing access with inclusion and excellence are the main challenges, which the Eleventh Plan approach recognised. It recognised that increase in access will have to come with focus on the regions and social groups that presently have lower GER. These also happen to be the regions with lower quality educational institutions.

The strategy of the Eleventh Plan will revolve around the issue of expansion, inclusiveness and quality, including academic reforms. The Plan sets a target GER of 15 per cent by 2012. This is proposed to be achieved through increase in the intake capacity of existing institutions and through establishment of new institutions. Under the PM’s initiative, 30 new central universities have already been announced.

This strategy for expansion will have to be combined with measures for reducing regional imbalances, with central support to states on matching basis. Under the PM’s initiative, the establishment of a college in each of the 350 districts with low GER and less number of colleges per lakh population has been announced. Besides, there will be focus on hilly, border, tribal, remote, rural and small town areas.

The strategy for enrolment expansion will be combined with that of inclusion for social groups like women, SC, ST, OBC, minorities like Muslims, the physically challenged and the poor in general. This will include support to universities and colleges having high proportion of students from these groups, and also to institutions located in districts with relatively higher concentration of their population.

There are a number of steps proposed for promoting quality and excellence. First, it will include support to 60 per cent colleges and 40 per cent universities that are so far ineligible to receive UGC grants. Bringing them within the orbit of UGC grant, with matching grants from states, shall certainly improve their quality.

Second, it will comprise measures for bridging the quality gap between C- and A-grade colleges and universities, which will again be based on matching commitment from states.

Third, it will focus on adequate availability of quality teachers, which, in turn, will require enhanced funding for research and
fellowships for PhD. It will also require steps with respect to salary, appointment, mobility of teachers and others.

The issue of academic practices relating to admission, examination and assessment has been in the public domain ever since the Radhakrishna and the Kothari Commission. These have been selectively implemented but have not yet become a uniform practice. It is important to identify the enabling conditions for their wider use. This may require  selective approach, which calls for sharing of experience of those who have tried them successfully and with those who tried but failed.

The issue of regulating private education providers in a manner such that it facilitates their role and, at the same time, ensures quality and equity is equally important. All the three types of private providers — namely private-aided, private-unaided/self-financing institutions and also self-financing courses run by public-funded institutions — have seen rapid expansion in recent years. The Eleventh Plan proposed to develop a regulatory framework for private sector institutions, regulating admission, fees and governance.

In this sense, the Eleventh Plan takes a leap forward. It is important that these policies are implemented. It is with this in mind that the UGC organised four regional conferences of Vice-Chancellors, which culminated in the national conferences of Vice-Chancellors on October 10 and 11, to discuss the above issues and arrive at a common view.

Sukhadeo Thorat is Chairman, University Grants Commission

3 comments October 15th, 2007

Central Tool Room CAD course in its Kalinga Nagar extension center: Ad in Samaja

October 14th, 2007

Samaja Ads: M.Tech in CV Raman and College of Engineering Bhubaneswar (CEB)

9 comments October 13th, 2007

Samaja editorial on higher education

October 13th, 2007

More on the upcoming Sai International School

Following are excerpts from a New Indian Express report.

… SAI International School, the first corporate- style institute of the State. Every classroom will be equipped with computers with broadband connectivity and big display units. Specially crafted education management software will give parents an opportunity to monitor the progress of their wards through the Internet. All in all think of the Eton College and you get all its good attributes here. The school is being set up by the JSS Group close to Infocity here.

Classes will commence next academic session, from creche to class VII. It would be extended up to class XII later. The school will follow CBSE curriculum, however, with a blend of both US and British syllabuses. Renowned UK-based LaurelsGlobal institute will be closely collaborating with SAI International School on the academic front.

Sources said, the school has forged an understanding with well-known institutions of similar stature across the country for seamless migration of students.

Incorporation of best of the international curriculum would also help students coming from abroad integrate with the courses here with ease. But the school will not have residential facilities.

Adhering to the Yashpal Committee recommendations, the management has decided to do away with school bags up to class III. Lockers will be provided to all students. Classroom teaching will be uploaded to interactive website and parents can have access to real time teaching.

… The promoters said, the location, plus the international feel, would meet one of the key demands of the IT workforce here for such a school in the city.

"In the event of them shifting abroad, their wards would have little trouble adjusting to the new atmosphere," they underlined.

The tuition fee would also be within the reach of Government employees and parents engaged in other sectors, they claimed.

Comprehensive health check-up of all the students would be carried out for which the school has forged tieups with corporate hospitals here.

Health report will be sent to parents every quarter along with other reports. The menu has been designed by dietary consultant of Australia.

29 comments October 13th, 2007

Samaja Ad: NDA and Naval Academy entrance examination details

October 13th, 2007

Government considering differential fee structure for higher education

Following is an excerpt from a report in Hindustan Times.

Planning Commission Member, B Mungekar, suggested a differential fee structure for higher education at a conference of vice-chancellors on Wednesday.

Mungekar, who had drafted the new expansion and reform plan, asked vice-chancellors to consider differential fee structure with the poor paying less and those who can afford paying higher fee.

“It is not justified that a person paying Rs 5,000 for nursery classes pays Rs 50 for a MA course. Students from private schools should pay same amount of fees as they pay in schools,” he said.

He also said the commission and University Grants Commission will soon come up with a formula on a new “sustainable” fee structure for higher education. “We are talking of charging fee up to 20 per cent of university expenditure and not 20 per cent as National Knowledge Commission had recommended,” he said.

October 13th, 2007

Government mulling schemes that will allow collateral free bank loans for higher education

Following is an excerpt on this from a report in Hindu by Anita Joshua:

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry will soon be approaching the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs with a proposal to offer loan subsidies to students below the “creamy layer” in a bid to ensure access for all to professional education.

As per estimates, this subsidy will cost the exchequer Rs. 3,250 crore over the XI Five Year Plan. All students hailing from families with an annual income below Rs. 2.5 lakh will be eligible for the loan subsidy irrespective of whether they hail from the general category or the reserved categories.

The interest rate on education loans now runs into double digits; upwards of 12 per cent for amounts up to Rs. 4 lakh and it increases as the loan amount goes up. The Ministry proposes to allow students to avail themselves of loans at around 4 per cent irrespective of the market rate. The difference will be subsidised from the Ministry’s budget.

This facility will be allowed only to students seeking admission to professional courses offered by recognised institutions; both government and private. …

Students will have to begin repaying the loan only after one year of completion of the course or on getting a job; whichever is earlier. The pay back schedule can be worked out as per the paying capacity of the borrower, although Ministry officials said details were yet to be finalised with banks.

The government will facilitate the loans by standing guarantor so that the students will not have to provide any collateral. … The Ministry’s position is that it is necessary to move to a system where banks will lend freely to students who have got admission to certified institutions against a loan guarantee given by the government.

The Ministry is also working on a proposal to set up a National Student Loan Guarantee Corporation to facilitate university financing via the students. The Prime Minister’s Office is also understood to have evinced an interest in this scheme.

3 comments October 13th, 2007