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 | Eye on NE, Irani Seeks Premier Mentors for Tech Students | | published on : 09-15-2014 | | Category : Higher Education | | NEW DELHI: Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani says god lies in the details. So move over big ticket items like foreign university Bill, text book reorientation and more technical institutes. Irani is working on the smaller details.
The ministry under her is now focusing on two pedantic issues. Bringing about a change in the thought process of students and inculcating values that allow them to take pride in national icons and their philosophy, and mainstreaming North-eastern students.
Come September 22, when the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Council meet, one of the big issues on agenda would be to bring North-eastern students into the national mainstream. The North East has the lowest count on entry into the premier institutions such as IITs. At present enrolment from the North-East in IITs B.Tech courses is only 3 to 4 per cent.
PM Narenda Modi wants this to change. On his directions, the HRD Ministry has asked IITs to introduce mentoring programmes that could help North-eastern students get a taste of IIT education. Internship programmes for such students are on the anvil, IIT council permitting.
For the rest of India, Vivekananda Chairs are being set up at universities. Modi has not made any bones about the fact that he is greatly influenced by the early 20th century social reformer and philosopher. Whether his Red Fort address or his speech at Ayyankali birth anniversary, Swami Vivekananda always has been one of his constant reference points.
Now he wants young researchers to work on projects that would dwell on Vivekananda. To realise Modi’s vision, Irani announced that every Central University and those aided by the Centre will have a Swami Vivekananda Chair. The UGC has proposed to all Central, State and Deemed Universities to set a Chair in the name of Swami Viveknanda so that his teachings and life can be researched upon.
Leaving aside all else, the HRD Minister is focusing on the PM’s ‘top priority’ projects to help the North-East. Two schemes are being undertaken to achieve this—Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas.
While UGC has launched special scholarship programme Ishan Uday for students of North East region which envisages grant of 10,000 scholarships, to launch Ishan Vikas—a comprehensive plan to bring selected students from school and college levels from the North East states into close contact with the premier IITs, NITs and IISERs during their vacation periods—Irani constituted a committee headed by Gautam Biswas, Director, IIT-Guwahati.
The committee suggested that engineering graduates from North East should get IIT internships while schoolchildren from the region should be introduced to the best institutions of Higher Education in India. A typical visit is envisaged for a period of ten days.
Unlike traditional tours, visits under Ishan Vikas scheme will thrust participants fully into campus life. An extra treat for participants could be lectures by eminent faculty members or famous personalities.
The committee also suggested that abridged versions of Jeevan Vidya Shivir or Art of Living may also be conducted for these students. | | Related Keywords : | | higher education nall nall |
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