Road map should include all levels of education

Expressbuzz, Aug 9, 2009

BHUBANESWAR: Academics, administrators and entrepreneurs in higher education sector called for a radical change in the primary and secondary education in the State for producing quality students for higher learning.

Participants, at an interactive session for developing an action plan for higher education, admitted that quality education is missing at all levels of education, starting from primary to university level. This is primarily because of non-availability of quality teachers at all levels of education.

While appreciating the Higher Education Department initiative for preparing Vision-2020 and an action plan for higher education sector for the next five years, most of the participants said that proposed road map for higher education should not exclude the primary, secondary and college education.

``Higher education can not shine without good students from schools,’’ Utkal University Vice-Chancellor Binayak Rath said adding, unless there is good input one should not expect better output.

Dearth of quality teachers is the greatest challenge faced by the colleges and universities in the State and the problem could only be solved if the institutes of higher learning are given total autonomy in the selection of teachers, he said.

Disapproving bureaucratic interference in the day-to-day affairs of Goverment-run universities, Rath strongly recommended that the vice-chancellors should be given complete autonomy in the selection of candidates for all statutory posts like registrar, controller of examination and controller of finance. The selection of these important functionaries should be done by a committee headed by the vice-chancellor, he added.

Alleging that red-tapism is taking its toll in higher education, Rath said that the higher education should be debureaucratised. He suggested to the gathering to set realistic goal in the proposed action plan.

Sambalpur University Vice-Chancellor A.K Pujari also demanded autonomy for universities and colleges. The Government should give a relook at the existing system of education in the Plus-II and Plus-III levels before preparing the action plan.

Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Orissa, Faizan Mustafa said a vision paper and action plan can not be thought of without inclusion of the marginalised community. The higher education in the State is still regulated by an outdated Act of 1969 which needs to be revamped, he said.

North Orissa University, Baripada, Sibaprasad Rath, Chitta Baral from Arizona State University, founder of KIIT group of institutes Achyuta Samanta, OPECA general secretary Binod Dash, chairman of BRM-IIT Biswajit Mohanty, Ranjita Pati, reader in English, and several others gave their inputs for the action plan.

Presiding over the interactive session, Higher Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said that a task force will be constituted for formulating the action plan. Higher Education Secretary Madhusudan Padhi was present.