EDITORIAL
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Technical education
The approval of the Centre for 440 more seats for technical education in
Assam is a welcome development that had been long overdue. The meagre number of
seats in institutions of technical education such as Assam Engineering College
has been having an adverse impact on the growth of technical education in the
State. It has also been causing a mass exodus of students outside the State
every year. It is now expected that phase-wise induction of more seats at
degree and diploma levels and setting up of more institutes will ultimately
raise the number of seats to 20,000 in the States engineering colleges and
institutes. The ratio of seats against institutes in Assam has been well below
that of many states of the country, and augmenting the absorption capacity of
our institutes to those of other States could be the first towards curtailing
the yearly brain drain. Along with increasing the number of seats, the
Government should direct its efforts towards establishing more
technical education institutes. Private investment in this vital sector also
needs to be facilitated. What is imperative, however, for sustaining the
endeavour aimed at promoting technical education is that the institutes
maintain the standard of quality education. It is only through strict quality
control that the objectives of promoting technical education can be realised.
Or else, we will be merely adding to the long list of technical unemployed,
which has already attained serious dimensions. A dispassionate analysis will
reveal that the institutions of higher learning in the State have not been able
to deliver in the manner expected. The falling standard of higher education in
the State is fast emerging as a big concern, as exemplified by below-par
teaching and the consequent poor results. The persistence with old, irrelevant
courses and syllabi are also responsible for this sorry state of affairs. There
are many colleges that are producing very few graduates and that
too in the lowest category of divisions. Obviously, such institutions are not
doing justice to the crores of rupees they have been receiving as grant for
salary of teachers. The poor quality of teaching in many of our colleges has
been a perennial bane contributing to the downslide of higher education. This
can be traced to the deficient selection procedure of teachers, as the UGC
norms for teachers appointment are never strictly enforced in many colleges.
Of late, the Education Department has taken some steps to stem the rot, but in
order to be effective, the drive has to be a sustained one catering to the
long-term needs of higher education.
(The Assam Tribune,13.07.2007)
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