In a bid to strengthen and streamline the college education in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal directed all the three Universities of Punjab to work in coordination with the state government’s higher education development programme to bring uniformity in their academic activities across the state.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office said that Mr. Badal was presiding over a high level meeting with the Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of the three Universities and the senior officers of the Education department at Chief Minister’s residence late last evening. The Education Minister Mr. Sikandar Singh Maluka besides the Vice Chancellors Dr. Jaspal Singh of Punjabi University, Dr. Ajaib Singh Brar of Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar’ and Prof. Arun Kumar Grover of Panjab University Chandigarh were present in the meeting.
On the occasion, Mr. Badal asked the Universities to adopt a uniform pattern of Semester System, Curriculum and Choice based credit system along with similar admission procedures in all the varsities that would facilitate the students in case they migrate from one University to another. He also asked the VCs for completely adopting on-line admission and fee deposit system to avoid undue harassment to the students seeking admission in particular college or university.
With a view to bring a revolution in the higher education, Mr. Badal directed the Principal Secretary Higher Education to chalk out a comprehensive plan in coordination with all the Universities for imparting free higher education including hostel and other facilities for the intelligent but poor students of the state with rural background.
Expressing concern over the acute shortage of Human Resource Bank, Mr. Badal said that to ensure overall development, growth and prosperity in Punjab, their government had made concerted efforts to strengthen educational infrastructure but it would be redundant until we improve our human resource development through imparting quality education to our youth at school, college and university levels especially to the students of the poor section of the society. Mr. Badal asked the VCs to prepare a list of all the interested retired professors in various subjects and circulate it to all the Colleges so that they could utilize their expertise optimally as gust faculty.
To boost the skill development activities in the state, Mr. Badal said, “Skill development through vocational training is the only solution that would enrich our ‘Human Resource Bank’ on one hand and tackle the issue of unemployment on the other”. He further directed all the Vice Chancellors to identify the key areas to enabled our youth for getting successful employment after the completion of their vocational training.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister approved to setup ‘Community Colleges’ in the state to impart skill-oriented education of Diploma level with multiple futuristic opportunities for preserving and upgrading traditional skills. He also approved the proposal to setup four such Colleges on Pilot bases under this unique program at Govt. Mohindra College Patiala, SDC Govt. College Ludhiana, Mehar Chand Polytechnic Jalandhar and Govt. Polytechnic College Bathinda from this new session to be started in July.
All the Vice Chancellors assured Mr. Badal that they would soon chalk out all the modalities in accordance with the Higher Education Department to make Community College System flexible so that the interested students could be further adjusted in regular degree courses as per their abilities after the completion of diploma training courses.
Prominent amongst those who were present in the meeting included Education Minister Mr. Sikandar Singh Maluka, Advisor to the CM on National Affairs & Media Mr. Harcharn Bains, Principal Secretary to CM Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Education Mrs. Ravneet Kaur, Special Principal Secretary to CM Mr. Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Special Secretary Higher Education Mr. Chander Gaind, DPI Colleges Mr. Tarsem Dhaliwal and Dy. Dir. Higher Education Mr. Jagdeep Singh.