The Hindu : Technical Education: `Govt. keen on improving standards'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 27, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Technical Education: `Govt. keen on improving standards'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI April 26. Intent on improving the standards of technical education, the State Government wants to implement a Rs.200-crore scheme for upgrading infrastructure and teacher skills in government engineering colleges and the Anna University, V.K. Subburaj, Higher Education Secretary, said today.

Addressing a seminar-cum-exhibition on enhancing engineering education quality, which was inaugurated by the Health and Education Minister, S. Semmalai, he said the Centre announced a major initiative costing of Rs. 3,000 crores to improve the standards in institutions across the country.

The State Government was keen on utilising the funds and was preparing a proposal for the multicrore project to improve college infrastructure, modernise laboratories, besides providing higher levels of skills and training to teachers. "We hope to send the proposal to the Centre soon and I am confident that the government colleges and the Anna University will be made on a par with the best international educational institutions," Mr. Subburaj said.

Tamil Nadu had 256 engineering colleges, over 20 per cent of the colleges in the country. At least half of them had good infrastructure, but most of them did not have the required number of professors and assistant professors.

So teaching quality suffered. Besides, students did not possess enough skills in English communication, which was increasingly becoming relevant for engineers securing employment. The State Government would take steps to revitalise language laboratories in government engineering colleges and polytechnics.

`IT sector booming'

Contradicting the perception that the information technology sector was facing a slump, he quoted news reports to suggest that the sector in India was improving tremendously and required over 2.5 lakh trained professionals. Also, Western companies engaged in different sectors hoped to shift their operations, worth over 360 billions, in the coming years to developing nations. India could hope to corner 60 per cent of the operations.

So the IT and financial services sector would require a qualitative improvement in engineering educational standards, Mr. Subburaj said and appealed to the private colleges to make use of Doordarshan's newly launched technology education satellite channel to improve class room interaction and teaching methods.

Mr. Semmalai, pointing to steps being taken by the State Government to improve higher education quality, said the Government would soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the Centre to get a Deemed University status for the National Institute of Technology (formerly Regional Engineering College), Tiruchi.

The seminar-cum-exhibition was organised by the All-India Manufacturers Organisation in collaboration with the Anna University.

The AIMO's Vice Chairman, K.E. Ragunathan, and the organising committee chairman, N. Tarachand Dugar, said the meet would enable better interaction between industry and engineering colleges. Over 60 colleges participated in the exhibition, which would be open on Sunday too.

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