Date:11/03/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/03/11/stories/2006031104170500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Minister asks colleges to assess challenges

Staff Reporter

Our education system is directionless, says Shankaramurthy

AN ACADEMIC'S AUTOGRAPH: Bangalore University Vice-Chancellor M.S. Thimmappa signs autograph for students of Maharani Laxmi Ammanni College at the inauguration of a seminar in Bangalore on Friday. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: "Positioning of colleges in the global context is an important topic for which we have to first take stock of the present scenario, assess the challenges and opportunities before us," Minister for Higher Education D.H. Shankaramurthy said here on Friday.

Mr. Shankaramurthy was inaugurating a seminar on "Positioning of challenges in the global context". The seminar was organised by the Bangalore University First Grade College Principals' Association and Maharani Laxmi Ammanni College for Women.

"The education system is directionless. Our textbooks teach children to glorify the West. We have rewritten history. All this has to change," he said.

The Minister said the system has inherent strengths, which need to be focussed. "Academics and educationists have to suggest ways to strengthen the system. A few have suggested nationalisation of the system, but this will only become an additional burden to the Government," he said.

Mr. Shankaramurthy said the challenges before the system include enhancing the quality of coaching and learning through information technology, having an open and flexible education structure, revamping the curricula with focus on national development, giving due importance to sports and personality-development activities and developing a fool-proof mechanism to attract students of disadvantaged groups to the mainstream.

List of names

The Minister told presspersons that the Government will submit its list of names for the post of Vice-Chancellor in Gulbarga and Kuvempu universities.

"I will be meeting the Governor in this regard soon," he added.

He said the Common Entrance Test Bill will be tabled in the Budget session of the legislature.

Mr. Shankaramurthy and Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University M.S. Thimmappa were felicitated on the occasion.

K.E. Radhakrishna, President of Federation of Principals' Associations; S. Kumar Mahadevan, Chairman of Maharani Laxmi Ammanni College for Women Trust; T.L. Shantha, college principal; and Srikanta and Govindaiah, general secretaries of principals' association, were present.