In Support of an Engineering College at Dhemaji
Dr Uma Kanta Sharma
I f a country is to prosper, there should be equal and
simultaneous development in all the regions of the
country. India is a vast country and the Government of India should take steps
cautiously so that not a single State is deprived of getting equal
opportunities. But some sort of disparity is seen in case of northeastern
States. The people of this region have to raise their voice for fulfilment of
some basic demands like higher technical institutions, new universities,
engineering colleges etc but their cries never bear fruits. The question is:
Why this disparity? Is it the parliamentarians (from the Northeast) who cannot
properly establish the demand or is it the State governments that could not
convince the Centre with data base information?
Coming to Assam, during the Assembly Session last time, as soon as a
declaration came from the Central Government that a new engineering college
would be established in Assam, a tug of war started inside the Assembly among
our representatives regarding the site selection for the proposed engineering
college. It is most unfortunate and ridiculous. Site selection should not be a
political game; here the sentiments of people are associated. A site selection
committee has already been constituted. Demands started flowing from different
corners of the State for the site. When the people of Dhemaji first raised
their voice urging the government to establish the proposed engineering college
at Dhemaji, then the people from other few districts also demanded the same for
their respective areas.
Do these people, who are opposed to Dhemaji being the site for a new
engineering college, want this district to remain as a zero industry
district or a backward district forever? The Government of India has already
identified this district as a backward district out of 200 districts of the
country. Is it not the responsibility of the Government of India as well as the
Government of Assam to give some sort of a lift to this State in the field of
development? True, the Government of India has identified this district with a
view to pull it to the rank of other developed districts of the country. So in
this context there should not be any debate regarding site selection; all
should understand the sentiments of the people of Dhemaji.
After the completion of the ongoing Bogibeel Bridge, NH-52 and Railway
broad-gauge link work, Dhemaji will be one of the important districts of Assam.
Previously, the Government of Assam gave very little importance to this
district due to lack of infrastructure facilities, but now that chapter is also
closed. No more now does Dhemaji remain a flood-affected district. So, being a
zero-industry and a zero-technical-institute district, the demand of the people
of Dhemaji for an engineering college is not unjust; rather it is genuine.
These people never thought that the establishment of an engineering college at
Dhemaji would solve their unemployment problem, but today they feel that along
with the college, the infrastructure potentialities will be maximized, many
small-scale industries may develop, and they will get better means of earning
their livelihood.
Another important point in support of the institution to be started at Dhemaji
is that there are a whole lot of untapped land resources in the district, which
may contribute a large amount of revenue to the institution in particular for
self-sustenance. The UGC has already instructed to all the higher institutions
for the generation of their own resources. In this case, certainly these
untapped resources may play a significant role. Sam Pitroda, chairman of
National Knowledge Commission (NKC), in his letter to the Prime Minister is on
record saying: Most public universities are sitting on a large reservoir of
untapped resources in the form of land. It should be possible to draw up norms
and parameters for universities to use their available land as a resource of
finance. The NKC in its recommendation for establishment of new 50 National
Universities stated that each university may be endowed with a substantial
allocation of public land, in excess of its spatial
requirements. The excess land can be a subsequent source of income
generation.
This apart, at the completion of the mega power project (200 MW) of the NHPC at
Gerukamukh, Dhemaji will certainly have a stronger point in support of the
establishment of a new engineering college in the district. The people of
Dhemaji have not forgotten the political betrayal when the then proposed
veterinary college at Dhemaji was shifted to North Lakhimpur.
It is not wise to make issue after issue on this subject. If we go on fighting
over whether Dhemaji or not, our differences will go on increasing; and
that will not augur well for the State as a whole. If an engineering college is
established in Dhemaji district, it will be not be a property of Dhemajians
alone; it will be a property of the State as a whole. We hope the learned site
selection committee will analyse all the parameters thoroughly, impartially,
non-politically and give a judicious decision in this regard.
(The writer is Head, Department of Botany, Dhemaji College, Dhemaji)
(The Sentinel,17.06.2007)
Buljit Buragohain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
In Support of Quality Higher Education in Northeast
Dr Uma Kanta Sharma
Today India is one of the largest scientific and technical
powers in the world. This has resulted in capability
building in almost all sectors of the Indian economy. No doubt, it is a matter
of pride for us but it is further observed that socio-economic progress in
India is not directly proportional to the vast educated and trained manpower.
There is lack of value-based education in the higher institutions. Add to this
fact that rural sectors are given less priority for socio-economic development.
As a matter of fact, the proportion of our population in the relevant age group
(17-21) that enters the world of higher education is only about 7 per cent.
Some critical reviews were conducted by the New Education Policy in 1986 and
this has assumed importance in view of the adoption of new economic policy in
terms of free import of technologies for various types of industries in India.
The present academic sector is under great stress because of the reluctance of
the students in attending the non-productive institutions and lack of
value-added and job-oriented education. As such, there is an urgent need for
the reorientation of the education system.
Technical education is an innovative and enterprising practice in the 21st
century, encompassing value-oriented education as an integral part of general
education. But we lack honest implementation of the policy/planning exercises
since it involves a large sum of money. The need of the hour is the creation of
a technology base in India. Unless we innovate, we will have to pay more and
more for our next generation of technology in order to qualify our products for
the global market.
Nobody can deny that higher education has made a significant contribution to
economic development, social progress and political democracy in independent
India. Sam Pitroda, Chairman, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC), a
high-level advisory body to the Prime Minister of India, has rightly stated
that the opportunities for higher education in terms of the number of
universities are simply not adequate in relation to our needs. An overhaul of
the education system is essential because the transformation of economy in the
21st century would depend significantly on the quality of education among our
people, particularly in the sphere of higher education.
We have seen that economic policies are prepared for different developmental
aspects, mainly for infrastructure development, but now time has come to frame
new economic policy for knowledge development; and in this new policy the main
role will be played by the information and technological institutions.
President APJ Abdul Kalam keeps emphasizing that if India is to keep pace with
other developed countries it has to create a knowledge society where each and
everyone would be the member of such society. He is optimistic that India would
be a force to reckon with in the fields of science and technology by 2020.
Keeping this end in view, government support for higher education should
increase to at least 1.5 per cent of GDP out of the total 6 percent of GDP
allotted for education.
It cannot be denied that our universities as a whole are new, and are facing a
financial crunch. The consequent cuts imposed on the annual grants by the
University Grants Commission (UGC), State government and other State funding
agencies are also unsettling. To tide over this situation and mobilize
sufficient resources for the universities, is a formidable task. It is revealed
that India spends $307 per pupil as compared to $9340 and $7418 in case of USA
and Australia respectively. Even developing countries like Pakistan, Kenya and
Ghana are far ahead of us (Statistical Year Book, Paris, UNESCO, 1990).
Many education commissions have urged the Government of India to start
institute-cum-industry so that a student learns theory from the teacher in the
classroom and performs practicals in the industry. This will not only enhance
the economy of the country but also solve the brain drain problems.
India is a vast country and the Government of India should deal equally with
all the States. But some sort of disparity has been witnessed in case of the
northeastern States, especially if one compares the number of technical
institutions in the region to that of other parts of the country. This is in
spite of the fact that Dr Bijoy P Bhatkar, the renowned super computer
scientist of India, had pointed out the ample scope for setting up new
value-based technical institutions in Assam.
In the last Assam Assembly session, the Education Minister admitted that the
State was facing a brain drain problem possibly because of the lack of
competent institutes of higher education. On the other hand, lack of quality
higher education has led to the burgeoning of unemployment problem among the
youths of the northeastern region. But the most unfortunate situation is when
official red tape and haggling over site selection (as in the case of the
setting up an engineering college at Dhemaji) thwarts the cause of higher
education in the region time and again. There is just no reason why an
engineering college should not come up at Dhemaji. I shall talk about this
issue in detail next week in this column.
(The Sentinel,10.06.2007)
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