The Hindu : Loans for poor students at low interest rate

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 08, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Loans for poor students at low interest rate

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE May 7. The Government proposes to create an endowment fund to help students fund their higher education, the Minister for Higher Education, G.Parameshwar, has said.

Inaugurating the website of the State Collegiate Education Department, dce.kar.nic.in here on Wednesday, Dr. Parameshwar said the endowment fund would be used to provide loans to meritorious, economically poor students at low interest rates to help them pursue higher studies.

"We will call for a collaboration with bankers and corporates to provide money for the fund. The corporate sector is the biggest beneficiary of higher education," Dr. Parameshwar added.

The Government also planned to create a Council for Higher Education in the State, on the lines of the one formed in Tamil Nadu, he said.

Dr. Parameshwar suggested that the Department of Collegiate Education create an extensive database about principals and college teachers to facilitate a performance appraisal system, starting from government colleges. This was necessary because many teachers were not carrying out their duties well. Details such as how many classes a teacher had taken that academic year and the number of students who passed or failed in the teacher's class should be included.

He stressed that the Government make knowledge of computers compulsory for all college teachers, irrespective of what subject they taught. Higher education was becoming commercial and market-driven rather than being need-based, he said.

The new website has information on the working of the Department of Collegiate Education and contains data on government and private colleges in the State.

It has details such as colleges that have been given National Assessment and Accreditation Council accreditation.

Lukose Vallatharai, Chief Executive Officer, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), and V.R.Patel, Commissioner, Collegiate Education, were present.

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