The Higher Education Department is planning to launch a State-level consortium for e-journals involving universities and other higher educational institutions.
The proposal has found place in the Governor’s policy address to the Assembly. The move is to counter the decision by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to stop free subscriptions to e-resources under its Information and Library Network Centre (INFLIBNET) initiative.
“The consortium is inevitable for higher education institutions, especially universities, for maintaining and accelerating the pace of research and innovation in line with the global trend in knowledge production and dissemination,” said Rajan Varughese, Member Secretary, Kerala State Higher Education Council.
The council, which had mooted the idea, observed that the UGC decision would cause a huge expenditure for the institutions and the government. Universities would have to shell out crores in order to provide access to e-resources to the academic community, it said.
“Almost all journals and databases in the relevant disciplines can be subscribed at a negotiated cost fully funded by the government/universities, with the council acting as a nodal agency in the State with the participation of all universities. Other higher educational institutions in the State could be provided access to the e-resources based on a fee,” said Dr. Varughese.
Mandatory accreditation
The policy address said that accreditation would be made mandatory for all institutions. The government would ensure decent service-wage benefits to teachers and non-teaching staff in self-financing institutions.
Universities will conduct examinations and declare results in a unified manner and on time from the coming academic session, with the use of technology.
The Governor said that the government was ready with a Bill to be presented at the Legislative Assembly aimed at ensuring the democratic rights of students to form associations and get an early training in democratic decision making.
