After obtaining the State Government’s nod, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will start agriculture polytechnic colleges in all districts in the State, said Vice Chancellor K. Ramasamy at a press meet held here on Tuesday.
The Central Government had approved of the start of such polytechnics in the district as it was aimed at promoting skill development. The move was also part of the national skill development mission. Once the University obtained the State Government’s nod, it would start the colleges either in the public-private partnership mode or make them completely state-funded.
The Central Government had allocated Rs. 2,200 crore for the purpose under the Twelfth Five Year Plan.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the existing affiliated institutions – private agriculture colleges – the University had posted its professors to ensure quality of education. Having seen what had happened in technical and arts and science education on the quality front, the University did not want to take chances, the Vice Chancellor said.
If the affiliated colleges suffered from shortage of faculty, the University was also ready to depute its faculty.
To further improve quality and bring about modernisation, the University had planned to upgrade its syllabus. The focus of the new syllabus would also be on entrepreneurship.
ADVERTISEMENT
There was an increased demand for science and technology courses the University offered. But many students were not aware of the all-India agriculture entrance examination. Successful completion of the examination would help students get a set in any of the agricultural education institutions in the country, including the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Students pursuing agriculture courses were eligible for a number of scholarships. The students could get junior and senior research fellowships once they complete their postgraduate programmes. They could also jobs, as the openings for agriculture graduates were plenty, Mr. Ramasamy said and pointed out that in the next few years, at least 25,000 jobs in the banking industry would be available.
The University had also drawn up a plan to appoint postgraduate candidates as assistance professors.
In short, the employment opportunities for agriculture candidates were high as the challenge at present was to increase the yield while the availability of land and water decreased.