The Tamil Nadu government has begun the process to finalise the plan document for higher education for the 12th Plan period from 2012-17.
As part of that exercise, the State Planning Commission is holding Regional Consultative Meetings at Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchi starting from September 7 to have wider consultation with senior academicians, industrialists and other stakeholders in higher education so as to come out with a plan document for higher education sector.
The Plan Document for Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17) will have new policy initiatives for higher education, growth targets, implementation and monitoring mechanism.
Consultative meetings scheduled by the State Planning Commission are: Coimbatore (September 7), Madurai (September 8), Tiruchi (September 9) and Chennai (September 16).
For the Madurai Region, the consultative meeting is being hosted by the Madurai Kamaraj University in its campus inviting about 60 delegates from different places in southern districts.
R. Jayaraman, Special Officer, MKU, who has been nominated by the State Planning Commission as the consultative meeting coordinator, told The Hindu on Tuesday that higher education stakeholders who desire to contribute and enrich the plan document can participate in the proceedings.
Terms of reference
The State Planning Commission's Working Group on Higher Education has spelt out the terms of reference for the consultative meetings. Present status of higher education sector in the State will be reviewed while measures can be suggested to improve the performance of ongoing programmes in higher education.
Equity in access to higher education, additional intake capacity in higher education aligned to skill needs, identifying of neglected areas, groups, weaknesses, gaps and bottlenecks besides examining various dimensions in Public Private Partnership are among the terms of reference.
Issues
Also, various other issues such as thrust areas in higher education for XII Five Year Plan, minimum educational qualification for teaching staff in educational institutions/universities, quality of education, ways for technology infusion in higher education, resource generation, specific schemes for faculty development, improving the standard of higher education courses and upgrading of infrastructure development in universities are to be deliberated for finalising the plan document.
The Terms of Reference has touched upon a whole gamut of issues pertaining to higher education so as to finalise a suitable policy framework for the State.
E. Balagurusamy, State Planning Commission Member, will conduct the Regional Consultative Meeting proceedings in Madurai Kamaraj University on September 8 from 10.30 a.m.
The present and former Vice-Chancellors of various universities in southern districts, Principals of Government, aided and self-financing colleges, principals of engineering colleges, faculty members of universities, secretaries of colleges, members of Confederation of Indian Industry, consultants, representatives of various trade bodies in the region and a few top ranking students are among those who will participate in the higher education consultative meetings.
“These consultative meetings are the basis for preparing Twelfth Plan document for higher education. Experts and stakeholders can participate in the meeting and suggest good ideas,” Dr. Jayaraman said.
