A one-day Conference on ‘Quality Initiatives in Technical Education’ was organized by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) here today. Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Minister of State for HRD Dr. Satya Pal Singh also graced the occasion. The objective of the conference was to share experiences of Vice Chancellors, leading academicians and eminent policy makers from State Governments & Central Government and exchange ideas on issues and challenges in technical education. The valuable inputs from luminaries will help in strategic planning and effective implementation of various policy initiatives taken by AICTE.The Groups discussed and deliberated upon the theme and devised an action plan for implementation of the above initiatives.Shri Prakash Javadekar also released the Model Curriculum for Undergraduate & Postgraduate Degree courses in Engineering & Technology and Management courses (MBA and PGDM).Speaking on the occasion Shri Javadekar said that the higher education in India especially technical education has witnessed an exponential growth in last few years. He added that quality education is the only way to progress and we have taken various initiatives to give impetus to the growth of quality education. The minister said that existing syllabus has been revamped by preparing a model curriculum as an updated curriculum is the students’ right. He further added that the inclusion of mandatory internship, both industry and social, will help engineering graduates connect with the need of the industry and society at large.He said the government is committed to provide best teachers, best infrastructure and best scholarships to all the students. He also advised that the teachers must have passion to teach and they should follow a comprehensive design of quality practice.
While addressing the conference Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shri Satyapal Singh said that providing quality education is our top priority as it will add value to students and society. He added that the aim of life should not be materialistic and one must learn the traditional values and our cultural ethos. He further suggested that lessons about happiness should be a part of the curriculum as students are pressurized due to tough competition. Shri Singh applauded the leadership of Union HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar for taking transforming decisions in the ministry. He also congratulated the AICTE team for developing the model curriculum.Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, explained the various quality initiatives taken by AICTE including the Model Curriculum for UG & PG Courses in Engineering and Management, Induction Programme for Engineering Students, Industry readiness and Mandatory Internships for Students, start-ups and innovation etc. He informed that AICTE constituted subject-wise heads of the committees from IITs with respective team of 2-3 academic experts along with industry expert to develop the model curriculum of undergraduate engineering courses and faculty Induction program. He also mentioned that a three-week mandatory induction program for students has been introduced in the first year which will help the students to adjust in the new environment as they come with diverse thoughts, backgrounds and preparations.
A novel concept of Virtual Laboratories has also been introduced in the model curriculum. A range of credits from 150 to 160 has been kept for a student to be eligible to get Under Graduate degree in Engineering. A student will be eligible to get Under Graduate degree with Honours or additional Minor Engineering, if he/she completes an additional 20 credits. These could be acquired through MOOCs. Similarly, model curriculum for Post Graduate courses in engineering shall have 68 credits. Model curriculum of 18 Post Graduate specializations was launched.He further informed that the minimum number of credits for award of MBA/ PGDM course is 102 credits. The Chairman further emphasized that AICTE will ensure revision of the model curriculum on regular basis. Updation will certainly help students to achieve better employability, start-ups and other avenues for higher studies. The institutions/ universities in India are requested to adopt this “Model Curriculum” and depending on local needs may tweak the curriculum.Prof. M.P. Poonia, Vice Chairman, AICTE, Prof. A.P. Mittal, Member Secretary, AICTE and Prof. Rajiv Kumar, Adviser-I, AICTE and other senior officials from the ministry were also present on the occasion.