Posts filed under ‘Government and aided colleges’
Smart class rooms for Gangadhar Meher college students
Following is a report from the Telegraph:
Sambalpur, Oct. 28: Online teaching will be introduced in Gangadhar Meher College (autonomous) from the next academic session. The lecture gallery-1 and the lecture gallery-2 of the institute will be upgraded to smart classrooms.
“Modern gadgets such as computer, projector and audio visual systems will be installed in the class. Students will get the facility of online teaching in air-conditioned classrooms,” said the estate officer of Gangadhar Meher College U.C. Pati.
“Online tutorial classes will be organised for students. Teachers, too, can use variety of online media to teach students. The classes will ensure better communication between the teachers and the students and will serve as an add-on to existing teaching process. Audio-visual systems will make learning interesting for students,” he said.
“Under the NME-ICT (National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology) project, the college will get 20 Internet connections in subsidised rate. We have five to six Internet connections in the college now. We have already applied for the rest. We can start the smart classes after we get all the connections,” said Pati,
“Several infrastructure developmental works such as building of academic block, new girls’ and boys’ hostels, approach road, library and entrance gate are under way in the college. The smart class will be an added facility for the students.
Moreover, these will also help the institution get a higher grade from the National Academic and Accreditation Council (NAAC),” said a teacher of the college.
“I am really happy to know that the college authority has taken a decision to start smart classes in the institution. Teaching through television has a visual impact, which lasts longer,” said a student of plus three arts, Snigdha Mandal.
Established in 1944, the college offers undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil and pre-doctoral courses besides self-financing and vocational courses.
There are 18 undergraduate courses, 16 postgraduate courses, seven MPhil courses, three pre-doctoral courses, five self-financing courses and three vocational courses. The institution was declared autonomous in 1991.
UGC stops grants to Rajendra College Balangir
Following report is from TNIE:
Rajendra Autonomous College of Balangir, the oldest college in Western Odisha, will not receive its annual University Grants Commission (UGC) grants owing to large scale vacancies in teaching posts and alleged embezzlement of funds. The college had been getting the annual grants since 2002.
Against the sanctioned strength of 62 faculty members, the college has 40 vacant posts. The college has a student strength of 4,000.
Established in 1944, the college got permission to open degree courses in 1965-66 and it opened post-graduation courses in 1978-79.
The faculty crisis has become so acute that even the principal Prasanna Kumar Patra is holding dual responsibilities. He is in-charge of Balangir Sanskrit College and also Rajendra Autonomous College. With the college administration failing to solve the acute staff crisis, the UGC authorities have decided not to release its annual grant of `10 lakh.
The vacancies apart, college sources said, the UGC had taken note of an expenditure of `3.65 lakh towards purchase of computers for the college in violation of its norms. The UGC has set certain guidelines as to what amount would be spent on movable and immovable equipment and infrastructure.
When the college authorities sent the utilisation certificate, the UGC took strong exception to the purchase of the computers and stopped annual fund for 2013-14. Principal in-charge Patra admitted that the UGC had raised objections to the purchase of computers and did not release `10 lakh for current academic year. “The amount was spent in an unauthorised manner by the former principal of the college and other officials,” he said, adding that the Department of Higher Education has been informed about the financial crisis that the college is facing in the absence of UGC grants.
Sources said the UGC has asked the college management to return `3.65 lakh with 10 per cent interest.
Only hostel of Women’s College in Balangir facing acute infrastructure problems
Following is a report from TNIE:
The only hostel of Government Women’s College in Balangir is facing acute infrastructure problems while repeated requests to the authorities concerned for remedial measures have failed to evoke any response.
The hostel that was started in 1978 with 100 seats, now has 280 inmates. With only 35 rooms, eight students share one room while more than 300 students of the college are living in rented houses.
The college has a total of 1,280 students from Balangir, Nuapara and Kalahandi districts. Around 500 girl students apply for hostel seats every year but the authorities have to reject 300 applications as they do not have the required facilities.
The hostel does not even have adequate number of toilets. The inmates have to wait in long queues as the two toilets are defunct and more than five pipelines are choked.
Besides, electric wires have become weak. It is leading to short-circuit resulting in power-cuts frequently. A new hostel for SC and ST students has been under construction for last several years but does not seem to reach completion stage soon.
Hostel superintendent Ratni Hansda said the college has apprised the officials concerned through letters about the condition of the hostel and requested its repair and construction of a new building many times but in vain.
Nirmala Sahu, a boarder of the hostel and a student of Plus Three, said, “I am lucky that I got a seat in the hostel. Many of my classmates and juniors are staying outside in rented houses.” A new building consisting of at least 300 beds is the need of the hour, she added.
Sanjaya Panigrahi, the principal of the college said, “Eight students are staying in one room in a compelling situation. We have no other option. A new hostel is needed for us.”
■ With only 35 rooms, eight students share one room while more than 300 students live outside in rented houses
■ Students have to wait in long queues as the two toilets are defunct and more than five pipelines are choked
■ The boarders face frequent power-cut as electric wires have become weak
■ A new hostel for SC and ST students has been under construction for last many years but does not seem to reach completion stage soon
Staff crunch stares at Deogarh College
Following is a report from TNIE:
There have been many agitations over vacancies in the Deogarh College. Teachers, however, are yet to be posted much to the disappointment of the students.
Last year on August 4, students locked the main gate of the Deogarh College demanding filling up of vacant teacher posts. On August 8, they called for a 12-hour Deogarh bandh which received widespread support.
Subsequently, they unlocked the main gate after the then Regional Director, Higher Education, Bijay Laxmi Mishra promised that teachers from neighbouring colleges would be deputed to the College till a permanent arrangement is made.
But with no development since then, students are threatening to hit the streets again. More than half of the sanctioned posts in the College are lying vacant since long.
Set up in 1963, Deogarh College – the oldest and the only college in the district offering science streams – has a sanctioned strength of 40 teachers. At present, there are only 18.
While two sanctioned teacher posts in Mathematics are lying vacant since March 2010, Chemistry, Zoology, History, Political Science and Logic departments have one teacher each. Similarly, departments of Physics, Botany, English, Economics and Education have two teachers each.
Only Odia department has three faculty members.
The College has about 800 students on rolls. Principal Chittaranjan Das said the authorities had been apprised of the situation.
Western Odisha has 332 colleges and 63,000 seats in the plus two level
Following report is from the Sambad:
Degradation of educational quality in Rajendra College Balangir
Following is a report from the Sambad:
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 