Date:06/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/06/stories/2006110614000500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Technical colleges `should offer credit transfers'

Staff Reporter

Students should be encouraged `to pursue any subject of their choice'

STRESSING CLOSER TIES: (From left to right) R.S. Munirathinam, chairman, RMK Engineering College, R.A.Yadav, vice-chairman of the AICTE and N.R.Shetty, president, ISTE at the inauguration of their state- level convention, on Saturday.

CHENNAI : Institutions offering technical education should offer credit transfers, and students should be encouraged to pursue any subject of their choice, even outside their area of specialisation, said vice-chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) R.A.Yadav.

He was speaking at the 9th State Level Annual Convention of the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE) and AICTE-sponsored seminar organised at R.M.K. Engineering College on Saturday.

"Bodies such as AICTE and ISTE cannot work in isolation. We have to march together with educational institutions," he said. Elaborating, Mr. Yadav said he envisaged working together in an environment of mutual trust, strategic partnership with industry, promotion of entrepreneurship, integrated education and research, elimination of boundaries, cost-effectiveness and focus on values. "Despite the increase in number of institutions imparting technical education, only about nine percent of persons in the age group 18 to 23 enrol themselves for technical education in India.

"The percentage is much higher in countries such as the United States ad China," he said, adding that there was a gap but such conventions would facilitate dialogue and healthy interaction, enhance manpower and increase transparency.

He lauded R.M.K. College for its quality-consciousness and focus on core values.

He cautioned students to constantly update themselves as the obsolescence rate was bound to increase in future.

President of ISTE, New Delhi and vice president of International Federation of Engineering Education Society N.R. Shetty said there were many institutions in India that could be upgraded. He said there were very few IITs for a large country like India.

Speaking on the issue of paucity of high quality faculty, "IITs have hardly done anything to produce high-quality faculty," he noted.

He said Tamil Nadu, besides its large membership, was known for its innovativeness.