REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION (ANNEXURE-IX)
Prof. D. Swaminathan, Member, Planning Commission, chaired the meeting of the Working Group.
Prof. B. B. Chopane, Director of Technical Education, Maharashtra acted as Rapporteur. List of participants is attached.
In his introductory remarks, Prof. Swaminathan emphasised the need to view technical education system in the total perspective of the socio-economic and environmental development of the country, integrated with the production system and service sectors and with active participation of all sections of the society. In this context, he identified a few parameters with which technical education development is to be viewed.
They are :
- Treating Technical Education as a continuum.
- Access and equity to all sections of community including SCs/STs and women.
- Relevance of the programmes and courses.
- Employability including self-employment.
- Cost effectiveness-minimising the cost and maximising the result.
He further stressed the importance of reducing the subsidy from the exchequer to the higher and technical education system to the extent possible, enhancing the scope for generating internal resource through appropriate resource mobilisation. For this purpose, he enumerated the different approaches such as profitable exploitation of research findings and pooling, sharing and optimising available facilities in the institutions as well as research organisations and industry. There was also a need for up-dating the infrastructure and information system. The Chairman also highlighted the necessity for strengthening/providing facilities for training and re-training of teachers of higher tech-
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nical institutions and also for adequate and active linkages among institutions, industries, universities and research organisations through a system of symbiosis. He also stressed the need to develop and expand part time education and distance education for the employed, who missed such opportunities earlier. In this connection appropriate courses at diploma, degree and postgraduate levels need to be developed.
After a general discussion on the issues facing technical education, the Working Group took up the three items on the agenda for consideration :
Item No. 11. Regulation of fees and admission
(Prohibition of capitation fee), self-financing,
provision of financial support to, needy and
talented students. The Group discussed the item in detail and also the present position in various States. The Group recognised the need for adequate resource mobilisation to reduce the high level of subsidy being given from the Government exchequer towards recurring cost of Technical Education and for further developments. To this extent, it was felt necessary that the fee structure in various States and institutions need upward revision. However, this enhancement may be done suitably depending upon and as decided by concerned States and if necessary in stages. In the case of self-financing and non-aided institutions, a realistic maximum limit may be prescribed by the AICTE, keeping in view, elimination of malpractices like collection of huge sums of money as donation, capitation fee, etc. The Group also emphasised the need for AICTE to incorporate/invoke punitive provisions to prevent such malpractices altogether. Hence the Group recommended that
- Fee structure in Government, Government aided and University institutions should be enhanced and, if necessary, in stages, so as to augment resources.
- A realistic maximum limit of fees should be pres- cribed by AlCIE for self-financing Engineering Colleges and Polytechnics, keeping in view the elimination of collection of capitation fees in any form altogether.
- Punitive measures may be enforced by AICTE/ State Governments for curbing malpractices such as collection of capitation fee, etc.
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- With, regards to admissions, the norms prescribed by AICTE should be followed by all institutions so that quality of standards could be improved. This will also eliminate the malpractice of giving admission to undeserving students.
- institutions should strive to mobilise resources, generated internally through sponsored research, consultancy, technology transfer, continuing education programme, testing, etc. which should meet at least 10% of the recurring costs.
- To encourage, private investment to the Technical Education System the amount invested/donated may be exempted from income-tax.
Item No. 12. Making AICTE more effective. Shri I. B. Sangal, Additional Secretary, AICTE explained the various steps taken during the past one year to make the AICTE effective. Dr. K. Gopalan, Member-Secretary, AICTE supplemented the points. The Group noted with satisfaction, the progress in this regard and also the steps taken by AICTE and its Regional Committees, Universities and the state Governments for the effective implementation of the AICTE Act.
Further, in order to make AICTE's role more effective, the Working Group recommended that :
- The Chairman, Vice-chairman and the Member Secretary should be appointed on full-time basis at the earliest.
- The staff structure at the Headquarters of the AICTE and at the Regional Committees should be adequately strengthened without any further delay.
- In order that the States are able to control and develop technical education in the changed circumstances the State Boards/Councils of Technical Education should be made autonomous/ Statutory.
- The AICTE should take over the various schemes which are of present being handled by the Bureau of Technical Education.
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Item No. 13. Review of implementation of the World Bank Assisted
Project on Technical Education. Prof. S. K. Shrivastava, Joint Educational Adviser (T) and National Project Director of the Project enumerated various aspects of the project and the present position in this regard. He highlighted the need for the States to optimally utilise the resources provided under the World Bank Project. It is expected that States and Union Territories which are not covered at present in phases I and II, will be covered after the first annual review of the project, taking advantage of the built-in flexibility.
The Group deliberated on the item and recommended that the States should ensure the following :
(1) Scarce and valuable resources made available are optimally used.
(2) Construction programmes are completed in the stipulated time and with quality as planned.
(3) Purchase and installation of equipment is completed in time and quality ensured.
(4) Staff is appointed in time and training is arranged adequately and effectively.
(5) Develop and ensure a proper monitoring system to get accurate feed-back for taking corrective measures in time.
(6) Special attention should be paid to increase enrolment of women students so as to double the intake from the present level by the end of the project.
The meeting of the Working Group ended with a vote of thanks to the Chairman and participating members.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE GROUP
ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION
1. Prof. D. Swaminathan Chairman
Member
Planning Commission
2. Prof. B. B. Chopane Rapporteur
Director of Technical Education
Government of Maharashtra
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3. Shri A. K. Padmapati
Director of Technical Education
Government of Assam
4. Dr. P. Baskaran
Director of Technical
Education Government of Bihar
5. Shri A. K. Srivastava
Director of Technical Education
Government of Goa
6. Shri Balwant Singh
Secretary (Sc. & Tech.)
Government of Gujarat
7. Shri D. M. Talwar
Additional Director,
Technical Education
Government of Haryana
8. Dr. R. Jayaraman
Director of Technical Education
Government of Kerala
9. Shri C. A. Keswani,
Joint Director of Technical Education
Government of Madhya Pradesh
10. Shri Lalawia
Director,
Higher & Technical Education
Government of Mizoram
11. Shri S. K. Handa
Director,
Technical Education & Industrial Training
Government of Punjab
12. Shri G. P. Upadhyaya
Deputy Secretary,
Department of Education
Government of Sikkim
13. Shri Sudhir Sharma
Secretary, Education
Government of Tripura
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14. Shri L. N. Mishra
Joint Secretary
Technical Education (West Zone)
Government of Uttar Pradesh
15. Shri D. C. Das
Director, Technical Education
Government of West Bengal
16. Shri V. S. Malhotra
Director, Technical Education
Chandigarh Administration
17. Shri V. Narayanan
ADTE
Delhi Administration
18. Shri D. Taneja
Registrar, B.T.E.
Delhi Administration
19. Shri M. S. Krishna Murthy
Additional D.T.E.
Government of Pondicherry
20. Dr. K. Gopalan
Member-Secretary, AICTE
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
21. Prof. S. K. Srivastava
Joint Educational Adviser (T)
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
22. Shri I. B. Sangal
Joint Educational Adviser (T)
& Additional Secretary, AICTE
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
23. Shri S. D. Awale
Additional Apprenticeship Adviser
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
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24. Shri S. Tayal
Director,
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
25. Shri M. L. Gilautra.
Assistant Educational Adviser (T)
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
26. Shri S. K. Jindal
Assistant Educational Adviser (T)
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
27. Dr. C. T. Mahajan
Assistant Educational Adviser (T)
S.R.O.
Ministry of H.R.D.
28. Prof. A. Ramakrishnan
Director
Board of Apprentice Training
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
29. Prof. G. S. Chandran
Prof. TTTI, Bhopal
Department of Education
Ministry of H.R.D.
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