Posts tagged ‘Higher Education Zone’
Provide urban amenities in rural and tribal areas like Kalahandi:APJ Abdul Kalam
Bhawanipatna (Orissa), Jan 16 (PTI) Seeking quick steps to provide urban amenities in rural and tribal areas, former President APJ Abdul Kalam today asked officials to launch new projects every year to boost economic development and raise job opportunities.
“It is important to make available amenities of urban centres in rural and tribal pockets of the country,” Kalam said after lighting a lamp at cultural festival – ‘Kalahandi Utsav – Ghumura’ at Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium here.
The distinguished scientist said those running the administration should set targets for launching new projects every year during such occasions like festivals which would boost economic development, improve employment potential and augment education and health services.
India meteorological department (IMD) plans scholarships to attract young talent
Following is a report by IANS and taken from http://www.indiaedunews.net:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will offer scholarships to hundreds of science postgraduates to attract them towards meteorology and staff a department that is facing nearly 33 percent human resource shortage.
“We are ready to give stipend for the entire last year of the M.Sc students. The aim is to attract them to this branch of science,” Earth Sciences Minister Prithviraj Chavan said at the 135th foundation day of IMD here on Friday.
“We will also send them for a year or two for foreign training and I am not bothered if some one stays back too. What we need is young talents for this branch of knowledge – meteorology, seismology etc,” he added.
Chavan also asked the IMD authorities to develop a model through which they can get bright minds.
“The government is ready to hire and fill up the huge vacancies but the problem is where to get the talent. Bright minds are going to IT, banking and financial services and here we have to develop a model to attract them towards us,” the minister said.
IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi said that his department is facing a huge manpower shortage. “We are working with just two thirds of our required manpower,” he said.
When asked, IMD officials said that they will soon devise the scholarship plan as they need human resources badly.
The day is being celebrated to commemorate H.F. Blanford taking over as Imperial Meteorological Reporter on January 15, 1875, at Kolkata, the headquarters of what was later renamed the India Meteorological Department. It later shifted from Kolkata to Shimla, then to Poona (now Pune) and finally to New Delhi.
The IMD is the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology, seismology and allied subjects.
India has some of the oldest meteorological observatories of the world – those at Kolkata date from 1785 and at Chennai from 1796.
From a modest beginning in 1875, IMD has progressively expanded its infrastructure for meteorological observations, communications, forecasting and weather services, and has achieved a parallel scientific growth.
The minister also inaugurated the installation of a super-computing device at the IMD headquarters here, which will improve the accuracy of short and medium term weather forecasting.
Indian educational degree certificates will be available online
Following is a report by IANS and taken from http://in.news.yahoo.com:
New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) No need to run around in universities and school boards for getting educational certificates – from 2011, millions of students can get print-outs of their documents at the click of a mouse.
Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday announced that all school boards, technical colleges and universities will deposit their educational degrees in a centralised online ‘depository’.
‘From the depository, students can get their certificates online by paying a nominal fee. They can get a print-out of their degrees from home. This will help students a lot, who otherwise run around for it. It will become user friendly,’ Sibal said.
‘Holding of academic qualification in an electronic depository provides immense benefits to educational institutions, students, alumni and employers by enabling online access of academic qualifications,’ he explained.
The minister said the two depositories – National Security Depository Limited (NSDL) and Central Depository Services (India) Limited (CDSL) – are registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India.
‘We will finalise the depository (with whom to tie up). It will be deposited like your share certificates. You can access it from home, office and there will be no tension of losing or displacing the certificates,’ the minister added.
Sibal said this will also eliminate the need for people to approach educational institutions for verification of such degrees by employers. It will also reduce the need for institutions to preserve records related to academic performance of students over a long time.
The system will also reduce the scourge of fake certificates. The system would ensure authenticity, fidelity and enabling online verification,’ Sibal added.
The minister said he has already set up a task force comprising IIT-Kanpur director Sanjay Dhande, IIT-Kozhikode director Debashis Chatterjee, All-India Council for Technical Education chairman S.S. Mantha, UGC vice-chairman Ved Prakash, Central Board of Secondary Education chairman Veneet Joshi, a joint secretary of department of financial services, and some senior officials from the HRD ministry.
The task force will submit a road map by March 31 this year. ‘We will bring a legislation to implement it compulsorily,’ Sibal added.
Central University status for Sambalpur University, Orissa, India demanded
Following is a report from The Pioneer:
Hundreds of students of western Odisha gathered in the Biju Patnaik auditorium of Sambalpur University (SU) to reiterate their demand for Central University status for the university as it caters to the needs of all backward districts of the State including two KBK districts.
“The university is a victim of regular negligence, the result being that the vast region remains educationally backward also,” alleged president of the Sambalpur University Students’ Union Padmanava Mishra, who presided over the meeting.
The students mainly assembled to protest the negligence if the university by the State Government. They formed an 11-member committee with representatives from different colleges to chalk out their future course of action. “May it be teaching or non-teaching staff or even development of infrastructure, this university is always lagging behind and can’t meet the requirement of the modern day education at par with other developed universities,” Mishra alleged further.
Former MP Balgopal Mishra presented the history of the “step-motherly attitude” over six decades resulting in the backwardness of western Odisha. “In this context, the demand of the students for Central University status is justified,” he said. Former MP Bhabani Shankar Hota blamed it on the faulty education system in the State that goes against the interest of western Odisha.
Students demand Central status for Sambalpur university, Orissa
Following is a report from The Times of India:
SAMBALPUR: Students of western Orissa on Tuesday reiterated their demand for Central university status to Sambalpur University. They were taking part in a convention held on the university campus, where members of the university students’ union threatened of a massive agitation in western Orissa in support of their demand.
Nearly 500 student leaders and representatives of various colleges of the region took part in the convention and criticized the state government for its “apathy” towards improving the infrastructure and education facilities in the region.
The students’ convention, organized under the leadership of the university students’ union, has formed a 11-member action committee to decide the future course of action of the proposed agitation.
“We have decided to start a massive agitation in western Orissa. We have long been asking for Central University Status to Sambalpur University. Although the state government had agreed on principle to confer the same to this University and recommended the Centre in this regard, nothing happened. We have nothing but the state government’s lack of initiative to blame for it,” president of the union Padmanav Mishra said.
“We see no other option but to agitate, with hopes that the government takes notice,” Mishra added while addressing the students.
Sambalpur University has a total of 180 colleges under it. Established in 1964, it is the only university in the state that covers the largest area of 11 districts in the region.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government wrote to the Centre, supporting the justifications behind the demand. Again in 2008k, the demand was raised by the students and teachers again, following the Centre’s declaration to establish a central university in Orissa. But that was set up in Koraput.
Sambalpur University signs MoU with Denmark University
Following is a report by IANS, taken from http://www.thaindian.com:
Bhubaneswar, Jan 10 (IANS) Sambalpur University of Orissa has signed an MOU with Aarhus University of Denmark to foster higher education and research in different fields.
“It will help us in enhancing our knowledge base. We will certainly benefit from the exchange programmes. We will particularly be interested in sharing the knowledge where-in other universities are strong and we would also like to share the knowledge where we are strong,” said Vice Chancellor of Sambalpur University, Prof Arun K. Pujari, after the MoU was signed Saturday.
The university would get to choose a semester course from Denmark University and students from Aarhus University would also get to choose an elective course from the university.
The MoU would also facilitate faculty and student exchange programmes, restructuring educational programmes, improving language teaching through study tours.
“The special feature of the MoU is that faculties of both the university would work in tandem and cooperate,” said Dr Rhab Scoda, representative of Aarhus University.
Higher education task force (HETF), Odisha rejects health university plan
Following is a report from The Statesman: Statesman News Service BHUBANESWAR, 7 JAN:
The sectoral consultative workshop of Task Force for higher education held here today mooted the idea of setting up a state health university. The workshop titled “Medical Education: Challenges and Prospects”, stressed on upgradation of the existing government medical colleges and hospitals as unitary universities. The participants also emphasised the role of private players in setting up of medical colleges and the public-private partnership in health care service and education.
Speaking at the occasion, health and family welfare minister Mr Prasanna Acharya highlighted the recent steps taken by the state government to improve medical education in Orissa, and also, expressed his concern over the state loosing out talented doctors to corporate sectors and research centres abroad. He welcomed the proposal for setting up more para-medical and nursing schools in the state.
While appreciating the efforts of the existing medical colleges of the state and the gradual improvement in the health indicators, state higher education minister Mr Debi Prasad Mishra called for bringing in synergy of research and innovation with medical education.
The task force chairman stressed on more priority on medical research in the medical colleges, and exhorted the participants to come out with suggestions to explore new and emerging areas of interdisciplinary research.
We must infuse the spirit of rural services among the students, suggested higher education secretary Mr MS Padhi while stressing on ways and means to improve the existing scenario.
Health secretary Mrs Anu Garg felt that the wide range of diseases in the state could be exploited for medical research and education, and also suggested outsourcing of non-clinical activities so that the doctors can focus on clinical services only. The second session witnessed a vibrant discussion on various issues related to health scenario and medical education in the state.
Principals of all the three government medical colleges, representatives of private hospitals and medical colleges, senior officers from health department and task force members attended the programme.
Indian HRD Ministry ignoring semi-urban areas for Central Universities
Following is a report from The Pioneer:
Digambara Patra | Bhubaneswar
The proposed Central Universities in two remote areas of the country, Bihar and Kerala have received a denial from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) to host new Central Universities for their States.
Getting quality faculty has been a concern in India recently irrespective of locations. Even IITs in metro cities have openly mentioned about this fact. However, many young Indians working abroad are willing to work in India, even in places like Koraput and other remote locations in India, without giving their preference to metro cities.
In many earlier cases, similar problem of inadequate infrastructure facilities have been realised in the beginning of establishing a new institution but with time not only such problem has been overcome but also the concerned institution has stood out among all for quality education in India. BITS Pilani, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee, Vishwa Bharati (Shantiniketan), North-Eastern Hill University, etc are some of them.
This type of present argument on lack of adequate facilities was being made by administrators who are unwilling to serve in those localities for personal reasons. Unfortunately, MHRD is blindly supporting such move. Tomorrow when the Central University at Koraput would stand out like IIT Kharagpur today, can this people reverse the system? How is the North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong not facing such difficulty?
This is all about politics by administrators to neglect rural and semi-urban locations in India. How often the Vice-chancellor of Koraput Central University visits Koraput is well-known to the people of Odisha. She was appointed due to her closeness to former Minister Arjun Singh and to make such persons’ activity easier such arguments are being made and supported by the MHRD. There are many such people hiding underneath to occupy powerful positions in India. The MHRD should not serve the interest of those people rather it should serve the whole nation irrespective of poor, rich, caste, creed, religion, region, rural or urban area. The current movement of the MHRD is a total marginalisation of rural and semi-urban location in India.
The MHRD should not go following those people’s perception but equally establish Central Universities in both rural, semi-urban and urban pockets. When Public Universities are located in semi-urban locations in other nations, why is it not possible in India?
On the other hand, when building infrastructure is the responsibility of the Government, why should the MHRD neglect a location based on such criteria, instead of asking the Government to build along with it?
— The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. He can be contacted at digpatra@yahoo.com
Liberate Indian science from bureaucratism and in-house favouritism: PM tells scientists
Following is a report by PTI and taken from http://www.hindustantimes.com:
Terming as “unfortunate” regression in some sectors of Indian science due to red tape and political interference, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday asked scientists to engage with government to liberate it from shackles of “bureaucratism and in-house favouritism”.
Holding that time has come to give a “new boost” to science and technology, he asked Indian scientists working abroad to return to the country to convert the “brain drain” to “brain gain”.
Singh announced that the government was considering revision of the value of doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships as well as formulation of schemes that would cover all research scholars with some funding support.
“It is unfortunately true that red tape, political interference and lack of proper recognition of good work have all contributed to a regression in Indian science in some sectors from the days of CV Raman and others,” Singh said inaugurating the 97th Indian Science Congress in Thiruvananthapuram.
He said he had taken note of 2009 Nobel laureate Venkataraman Ramakrishnan’s remarks that there was a need for greater “autonomy from red tape and local politics” for Indian scientists.
Singh said steps to improve science requires not only money but change in mindset, including that of the senior faculty and university administration.
“I invite you all to explore all these issues and engage with us so that we can do what is needed to liberate Indian science from the shackles and dead weight of bureaucratism and in-house favouritism,” he told a gathering of about 5000 scientists and educationists. “Only then we can unleash the latent talent and creative energies of our scientists and engineers,” Singh said.
The Prime Minister appealed to scientific institutions to introspect and to propose mechanisms for greater autonomy, including from the government, which could help to improve standards.
“We must make special efforts to encourage scientists of Indian origin currently working abroad to return to India, including to coming to universities or scientific institutions for a short period.
“In this way we can convert the ‘brain drain’ of the past into a ‘brain gain’ for the future,” he said.
Stressing on the centrality of scientific institutions in the innovation eco-system, he said, “The system must include industry, and providers of venture funds, as well as regulators who set high standards of performance for products”.
Noting that the government has declared 2010-2020 as a “decade of innovation”, he said, “We cannot continue with business as usual as we need new solutions in many areas to achieve the goals of inclusive and sustainable growth.”
He pitched for a strong outward orientation of the innovation eco-system to stimulate innovation to find indigenous solutions for local problems.
MP Bhakta Das and Sanjaya Bhoi points out reasons for Koshal state demand in parliament
Following is an article from The Samaja. Thanks to http://kalahandia.blogspot.com for the pointer. This is a very good move by MPs from Koshal region. They have demanded the following things:
- Superspeciality Hospital and Medical college, National University, and KBK head quarter in Kalahandi
- High Court Branch and WODC head quarter in Balangir
- Assembly session once in a year in Sambalpur
All these demands are genuine. These demands were supported by Hemanda Biswal and Amarnath Pradhan. Hopefully, the government will look into this matter seriously.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 