A university in KBK remains a far cry

Kalinga Times.com, March 27, 2007

By Digambara Patra
Lack of information, timely initiative and lingering old ideas towards the development of Orissa was causing a great loss for the State and its people.
Central government and national organisations often have many new proposals and initiatives for various developmental purposes, and generally states having first hand information and timely initiative
normally get the maximum benefits out of this.

Unfortunately, Orissa government had done nothing at least towards the development of higher education in the backward region of the state by taking advantage of the policies of the Central government.

University Grants Commission (UGC) had earlier declared `Colleges with Potential of Excellence' to improve quality education in selected colleges through a screening committee all over the country.

In the first phase, only three colleges of Orissa, namely, Ravenshaw College in Cuttack, G M College in Sambalpur and Government College in Bhawanipatna were selected. In the second phase selection this year, only Khallikote College of Berhampur and Fakir Mohan College of Balasore have been selected from Orissa.

Fakir Mohan College has been affiliated with the newly established Fakir Mohan University, Balasore and Ravenshaw College has been made a state University recently. Till now among the `Colleges with Potential of Excellence' in Orissa, Government College, Bhawanipatna is the only college in KBK region certified by UGC for quality education.

If the state government would have taken timely initiative to make Government College, Bhawanipatna a state University along with Ravenshaw University it would not only have made a state University in KBK region but also could have received more UGC support for it.

The State Government could have been able to get UGC support for making Government College, Bhawanipatna a state University by highlighting the poor state of higher education in the KBK region.

Since independence the state government has totally ignored KBK region by not establishing any state university, government engineering college or government medical college in this region, whereas in last 15 years as many as six universities have been established/proposed in the remaining parts of the State.

Geographically, location of Bhawanipatna in KBK region is also advantageous as it is centrally located to many KBK and Boudh-Kandhamal districts.

Establishing a University in the lines of Ravenshaw University at Bhawanipatna could have fulfilled the long standing demand for a state university in this region and also would have given a positive message to the whole KBK region.

The author is Visiting Lecturer, Department of Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo.