If the country needs to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), we will have to address the issue of dropouts and devise ways to bring them back into the system, suggested All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman S.S. Mantha.
Hostel for boys
Participating in the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the ‘Ashoka’ SC/ST boys’ hostel at the Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology here on Saturday, Mr. Mantha listed out the steps being taken to address the problem.
“We have worked with the University Grants Commission on steps to introduce a bachelor’s course in vocational training as well as a diploma course. Though the official notification for these courses was given in September last year, we have requested the government to adopt it,” he said.
Speaking about the National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework (NVEQF), which, he said, provides pathways for skills, education and job opportunities, he also said the concept of community colleges should be advocated.
“We are allotting Rs. 2 crore to 200 polytechnics for this,” he added.
The ‘Ashoka’ hostel, which is being funded by the AICTE’s National Skill Development Policy (NSDP), is one among six hostels being established in Karnataka, other than the Rs. 28-crore grants and a research park being set up here, Mr. Mantha said.
Petroleum firms
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily, who also participated in the programme, said Karnataka was considered the ‘Makkah of technical education’. He also proposed to get petroleum companies on board for campus placements in technical institutions.
Minister for Higher Education R.V. Deshpande spoke about the need to bring in more transparency in the teacher recruitment process, and said the government was working on bringing in more transparency.
