Delhi
AICTE chairman suspended
The Union government suspended Prof. R.A. Yadav, chairman of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), from office with effect from July 29 following his refusal to step down or proceed on leave in the wake of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filing a graft case against him. “Chairman of AICTE Prof. R.A. Yadav, who is under investigation for a criminal offence, has been placed under suspen-sion so that there is no possibility of the investigation being influenced by his continuation in office,” said a Union human resource development ministry statement.
According to ministry sources, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal took the step after Yadav, appointed as chairman of India’s premier regulatory body for engineering and technical education in 2008, defied the ministry’s instruction to step down or go on leave in view of the case filed by CBI in early July.
In this connection it is pertinent to note that on July 16, the CBI had arrested AICTE member secretary K. Narayan Rao while registering corruption cases against Yadav, regional officer Sri Om Dalal, deputy director Robinder Randhawa and AICTE advisor H.C. Rai.
Orissa
Vedanta U teething pains
The state legislative assembly has disallowed the proposed Vedanta University in Orissa from establishing external campuses or offshore centres. A clause to this effect in the Vedanta University Bill 2009, which is being debated in the state assembly, was opposed by the treasury and opposition benches on July 30.
“The legislation passed in the state assembly has the territory of Orissa within its purview. Therefore, it would be illogical to allow the varsity to open off-campus centres,” said opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan, adding that the varsity should be allowed to establish regional campuses within the state. He cited a Supreme Court judgement striking down the Chattisgarh government’s legislation permitting a varsity to establish campuses in other states.
Meanwhile, supporting the initiative to establish the proposed Rs.15,000 crore Vedanta University in the state, education minister Debi Prasad Mishra said that the country required as much as Rs.400,000 crore by way of investment in higher education by 2020. “Orissa alone needs Rs.10,000 crore in the higher education sector during this period,” he said.
Puducherry
Higher education drive
The Puducherry government has intensified its efforts to establish a National Institute of Technology (NIT) in the Union territory to enable students aspiring for higher learning in engineering and technology to access high-quality education. This was disclosed by PWD and collegiate minister M.O.H.F Shahjahan while delivering the first convocation address of Bharathidasan Government College for Women on July 12.
The minister added that the government also plans to promote a state-level university and an exclusive women’s university. Prior to awarding degree scrolls to 470 graduates, he expressed the administration’s intent to transform Puducherry into an educational hub.
Meghalaya
Teachers trash Yashpal Report
Describing the higher educational reforms suggested by the Yashpal Committee as “contradictory”, the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisation (AIFUCTO), the country’s largest teachers’ body, said in Shillong on July 6 that it is drafting an alternative proposal. The Yashpal Committee submitted its report titled Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education to the Union HRD ministry on June 24.
“The recommendations of the Yashpal Committee and the report of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) are contradictory in many respects,” AIFUCTO president Thomas Joseph informed the media. “Prof. Yashpal’s approach is holistic wherein he has sought integration of undergraduate, postgraduate and research education. Following the recommendations of the NKC, the Centre has, however, announced establishment of a number of institutions such as the IITs and IIMs which specialise in certain disciplines. This is not a holistic approach,” added Joseph.
The teachers’ organisation plans to organise regional seminars followed by a national convention in October to formulate an opinion on the recomme-ndations. “We will present an alternative proposal soon, and recommend new guidelines,” said Joseph.
Andhra Pradesh
Curriculum addendum
Disaster management will be included in the syllabuses of high schools in Andhra Pradesh from the next (2010-11) academic year. The state government’s disaster management department has requested the director of school educa-tion to include disaster management as a subject in the curriculums of classes VII-X in a phased manner. The study programme will cover various types of natural disasters, precautions needed to mitigate their effects and related aspects, commissioner for disaster management Dinesh Kumar informed the media in Hyderabad on July 25.
“Disaster management education plays a pivotal role in creating awareness, mobilising people and transferring knowledge, skills and survival techniques to people,” he said.
Sikkim
Knowledge Commission appointment
The Sikkim state government announced the appointment of well-known academic Vijay Mahajan as a member of the State Knowledge Commission, on July 10. The commission was constituted under the chairmanship of former chief secretary K. Sreedhar Rao with the brief to draft a vision document for improvement of education standards in Sikkim.
According to an official notification confirming the appointment, Mahajan will be provided travel expenses, transport and accommodation for attending the meetings of the commission. Mahajan is a noted rural development expert.
