Education Notes

Assam Gauhati University upgrade call While welcoming Gauhati Universitys newly-appointed vice chancellor, Dr. Mridul Hazarika on August 23, chief minister Tarun Gogoi under-scored the need to upgrade the status of the university through foreign collaboration. Although infrastructure is important, it cannot upgrade the status of the university. There is a need to tie up with foreign varsities to transform Gauhati University into a front-ranking institute of the world, he said. According to Gogoi, the university (estb. 1948) needs to introduce new study programmes which are in demand and called for cooperation with other universities, besides roping in learned professors from abroad for improving teaching-learning standards. Responding, vice chancellor Hazarika apprised the chief minister about the urgent need to renovate the hostels, classrooms, and repair approach roads, and requested him for the immediate release of Rs.20 crore out of the total project cost submitted to the state government. Andhra Pradesh Rajus ambitious GER target Speaking at the fifth convocation of the Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Union HRD minister Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju said strategies to enhance the gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education to 30 percent by 2020 from the current level of 19 percent, have been initiated by the Union govern-ment. Our current GER of close to 19 percent is much below the 26 percent global average. Therefore we must ensure that efforts which began in the 11th Plan (2007-12) will be sustained to take our GER to 30 percent by 2020, he said. According to Raju, the Centre and HRD ministry have been putting in efforts to encourage GER and ensure no university is left behind. It is important for universities to focus on delivering quality education, said Raju. An honorary doctorate degree was conferred upon Justice (Retd) Rajinder Sachar at the convocation ceremony. Moreover 24,578 students enrolled in MANUUs distance and regular progr-ammes, were awarded degrees and diplomas for the years 2011 and 2012 by chancellor Syeda Saiyidain Hameed and vice chancellor Mohammed Miyan. Chhattisgarh Girls hostels for model schools The Union ministry of human resource development (HRD) has sanctioned construction of one girls hostel in each of the 74 educationally backward blocks of Chhattisgarh. Of them, some have already been constructed, said minister of state for HRD, Shashi Tharoor, in the Rajya Sabha on August 26. The girls hostels will be constructed to supplement the state governments model school scheme under which 74 model schools have been sanctioned in designated educationally backward blocks. This scheme didnt include hostels for girl children, prompting the Central government to construct 100- bed hostels for girls in each school, said Tharoor. Eight hostels have already been completed, he added. Tamil Nadu TN-British Council training concordat The first batch of professors and students of state government-aided colleges, selected under chief minister Jayalalithaas initiative to expose them to international standards of education, will leave for the UK on September 21 for integrated training and joint research in British universities. A contingent of three professors and 14 students, selected after…