Assam
Gauhati University upgrade call
While welcoming Gauhati University’s newly-appointed vice chancellor, Dr. Mridul Hazarika on August 23, chief minister Tarun Gogoi under-scored the need to upgrade the status of the university through foreign collaboration. “Although infrastructure is important, it cannot upgrade the status of the university. There is a need to tie up with foreign varsities to transform Gauhati University into a front-ranking institute of the world,” he said.
According to Gogoi, the university (estb. 1948) needs to introduce new study programmes which are in demand and called for cooperation with other universities, besides roping in learned professors from abroad for improving teaching-learning standards.
Responding, vice chancellor Hazarika apprised the chief minister about the urgent need to renovate the hostels, classrooms, and repair approach roads, and requested him for the immediate release of Rs.20 crore out of the total project cost submitted to the state government.
Andhra Pradesh
Raju’s ambitious GER target
Speaking at the fifth convocation of the Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Union HRD minister Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju said strategies to enhance the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education to 30 percent by 2020 from the current level of 19 percent, have been initiated by the Union govern-ment. “Our current GER of close to 19 percent is much below the 26 percent global average. Therefore we must ensure that efforts which began in the 11th Plan (2007-12) will be sustained to take our GER to 30 percent by 2020,” he said.
According to Raju, the Centre and HRD ministry have been “putting in efforts to encourage GER” and ensure no university is left behind. “It is important for universities to focus on delivering quality education,” said Raju.
An honorary doctorate degree was conferred upon Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar at the convocation ceremony. Moreover 24,578 students enrolled in MANUU’s distance and regular progr-ammes, were awarded degrees and diplomas for the years 2011 and 2012 by chancellor Syeda Saiyidain Hameed and vice chancellor Mohammed Miyan.
Chhattisgarh
Girls hostels for model schools
The Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) has sanctioned construction of one girls’ hostel in each of the 74 educationally backward blocks of Chhattisgarh. Of them, some have already been constructed, said minister of state for HRD, Shashi Tharoor, in the Rajya Sabha on August 26.
The girls’ hostels will be constructed to supplement the state government’s model school scheme under which 74 model schools have been sanctioned in designated educationally backward blocks. This scheme didn’t include hostels for girl children, prompting the Central government to construct 100- bed hostels for girls in each school, said Tharoor. “Eight hostels have already been completed,” he added.
Tamil Nadu
TN-British Council training concordat
The first batch of professors and students of state government-aided colleges, selected under chief minister Jayalalithaa’s initiative to expose them to international standards of education, will leave for the UK on September 21 for integrated training and joint research in British universities.
A contingent of three professors and 14 students, selected after many rounds of interviews, will visit Edge Hill University, Nottingham University, Royal Holloway University and Univer-sity of Birmingham, according to an official statement of the state govern-ment issued in Chennai on August 28.
Last December the Tamil Nadu state government signed an agreement with the British Council for sending students and teachers from the state to reputed British institutions for training and research.
All selected students from state-run colleges will study one semester in the designated UK institutions this year for which a sum of Rs.15 lakh per student has been approved by the chief minister and British Council.
Rajasthan
Gehlot starts to redeem promise
In keeping with his promise to promote 30 new government colleges in Rajasthan, chief minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the first government college in Jodhpur on August 5. “You should make this college a model institution so that it is remembered by generations to come,” he told the students at the inauguration ceremony.
Although the college campus is under construction, it offers 293 seats in arts, 97 in commerce, 86 in mathematics and 85 in biological sciences at its temporary premises in Chianpura Secondary School.
Earlier, while presenting the state’s budget of 2012-13, Gehlot had promised to promote 30 new government colleges across the state.
Odisha
Ambitious teacher recruitment drive
The Odisha state government has resolved to recruit 25,000 teachers by November to improve the quality of education in government schools statewide.
“This is being done to benefit children studying in government-run schools,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik informed reporters in Bhubaneswar on August 1. Elaborating, he added that the government will recruit 14,181 Sikshya Sahayaks (teachers) and an additional 3,500 teachers to promote multi-lingual education including tribal languages.
To this end, 100 Telugu language, 50 Bengali and 60 Urdu teachers will be recruited to teach in minority schools in the state, he added. Clarifying, a senior official informed the media: “The process is already underway for recruitment of 4,707 contract teachers and 90 headmasters for high schools through district education offices.”