HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao on Wednesday said the State Government would promote higher education in private sector in a big way.
In prepared speech readout at the four-day national seminar on Gandhi’s concepts on rural development and education, which began here at GITAM University on Wednesday, he spelt out efforts being made to reform higher education in the State.
Referring to Vision 2020 document, he said as part of endeavour to make the State the educational capital of India, they would establish 15 unique educational institutions by affiliating them to premier universities across the world.
Centres of excellence
Mr. Rao said they were trying to promote centres of excellence mainly in the areas of IT, medicine, construction, horticulture, management education, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research.
He said they were planning to amend Andhra Pradesh Act of 1982 to grant greater autonomy to universities, encourage private participation in higher education and render the managements of universities and colleges entirely accountable for their financial and other lapses.
Mr. Rao said an expert committee would be set up explore different options to have model institutions, adding they would undertake administrative reforms in university administration to ensure their total accountability without encroaching their autonomy.
During next five years, he said they would follow a curriculum model in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi.
National Council of Rural Institutes chairman P. Durga Prasad said that converting villages into republics would usher in development in rural areas as per Gandhian ideals. He said there was a need to create an enabling environment to chart out one’s future.
GITAM University Chancellor K. Ramakrishna Rao said higher education was going out of sync with realities and regretted that educational institutions were turning into manufacturing factory/knowledge workers.
GU Vice-Chancellor G. Subrahmanyam spoke.
There is a plan to amend Andhra Pradesh Act of 1982 to grant greater autonomy to universities
