From ‘Rice Bowl’ to ‘Education Superpower’, Andhra Pradesh has been on a relentless pursuit to turn itself into a Knowledge-based State with global ramifications. It’s truly an exhilarating experience. In a span of decade or so, the State has been witnessing a tremendous growth in all walks of life. Success is the buzzword now. Every middle class family, the majority section of the population in the state, has a story to tell - a success story, which is reveling, enriching and inspiring.
In one word – Andhra Pradesh is the most happening place in the country now. The transformation is complete and contagious as well !
Call it a ‘Silent Revolution’? But, it’s true this transformation is taking place at a rapid pace. And, what exactly are the factors that are contributing to this success story. To sum up the story in just a few words is an arduous task. But, the fact is that growth is just picking up and the light is spreading and the more that come under its purview, the more be the success rate.
Perhaps, this growth story has an indelible link with the country’s bullish economy with just Andhra Pradesh making most of the opportunities that are coming its way.
One major factor that is contributing most to this growth story is the spread of higher education to every nook and corner of the state. Gone were the days when a farmer taking his son to the fields, to continue the traditional profession. Instead, now the ryot is willing to sell a piece of land he owns to allow his son/daughter pursue higher education. Change is brewing, isn’t it?
Reasons behind this change of attitude may be plenty. Unseasonal rains, crop failures, poor returns, problem with pesticides and large dependence on agricultural product and not to forget the lure for the better urban life.
And, now the point here is how this transformation is taking place. It’s a fact there’s no better alternative to knowledge. To quote Swami Vivekananda, “ Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man”.
And, who else can prove this point better than “The Missile Man of India’ and the most populist President of the country, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. And, even Kalam’s growth story began at the Defence Research and Development Organsation (DRDO) Laboratories, in Hyderabad.
And, it’s perhaps a coincidence but all the more important is that the satellites that fired India into the elite class of the world are also being launched from Satellite Launch Centre in Sriharikota, which is also in Andhra Pradesh!
Education Vision:
There is a tendency on the part of an average Indian to criticise the powers that be for all the problems that are being faced by them. But the present growth story that is unfolding is under the same set of politicians who always face the brickbats from the people. It’s time to show some sympathy for them too! The number of knowledge centres or educational institutions that are coming up at every corner of the state are proving to be milestones in the growth path of the state. To sum up the tale - the knowledge is growing, the society is growing and opportunities are growing and fruits are just reaching. Perhaps, it may take some more time for every one to enjoy this fruits of success, but it’s just a matter of time.
AP Government’s Strategy –Vision 2020:
In 2001, the Andhra Pradesh state government has announced it’s Strategic Vision for the Higher Education growth in the State.
The highlights of the Vision-2020 paper
Introduction: Higher Education sector deals with the institutions imparting education at the Intermediate level, the degree and university levels. This sector also includes institutions offering courses in technical education like diploma and degree courses in engineering, Master of Computer Applications, Master of Business Administration and other professional courses. Higher Education also includes distance education programme at different levels.
The vision of the Government is to usher in a “Knowledge Society” by the year 2020. Apart from providing facilities for Primary Education for all, Government would take necessary steps for consolidation and effective utilization of institutions of higher education in Government sector. Further the Government would facilitate development of educational institutions by involving private sector for the establishment of Junior Colleges, Degree Colleges and Engineering Colleges apart from colleges offering M.B.A and M.C.A. courses.
In this endeavour investments would be encouraged to set up institutions in all parts of the state especially the educationally backward areas through suitable policy initiatives.
The chief underlying concern of the Government is to make higher education more relevant and purposeful and also to see that higher educational institutions impart skills and knowledge which are relevant to the emerging job market with a strong emphasis on technical and professional courses. These courses would cater to the needs of a strong services sector.
The main thrust of the strategy in higher education sector is for the Government to act as a facilitator for greater participation of private institutions in the field of education. It is also the concern of the Government to raise standards of education and strive towards excellence by identifying and promoting centers of excellence. Suitable institutional mechanism would be set up to continuously evaluate the on-going academic programmes and also evolve and formulate new academic courses suited to the emerging needs of the society and the economy. As far as institutions under Government are concerned, efforts would be made to consolidate them and use the available resources for their proper development.
Government also proposes to make use of the technology for improving the methods of teaching and enabling the students to have access to the best of teaching and learning material. It is also proposed to introduce a system of regular appraisal of the teachers in respect of their academic and co-curricular work. With a view to introduce restructured courses, refresher courses are being conducted for the teachers to update their skills and knowledge in their respective field of study.
The Government’s role in Higher Education sector would be:
1. Providing regulatory framework for evaluating the students and awarding of certificates through various instruments of the Government such as boards, Universities etc.
2. Government would concentrate on effectively utilizing the investments already made and which are also committed in Higher Education sector in an optimum manner to meet the changing needs of the society and the emerging market economy.
3. In view of the Government’s over-riding priority for Primary Education and improving
literacy levels in the State, Government recognizes the fact that the total needs of Higher
Education cannot be met by Government alone and therefore, facilitate private
partnership and private investments through appropriate policy initiatives.
4. Government would also set up a suitable mechanism to continuously evaluate the standards of Education, evaluate the students, teachers and the Institutions to attain the levels of excellence in various areas.
5. Government would also focus on continuously conducting research in Higher Education sector, identifying the emerging areas of technology, science and other subjects and take suitable steps for evaluating the courses which can be adopted by the educational institutions.
Milestones on the Growth Corridor:
You can name it, almost all the most prestigious educational institutions of the country have a foothold or one of their branches in the State now. With the starting of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Medak, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world, the transformation is complete. The Medak IIT is the eighth institute in the country, besides the existing seven IITs in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kharagpur, Roorkee, Guwahati, Kanpur and Chennai.
Though the choice of place for the IIT, Medak, has created a much-heated debate in the political circles, with the former chief minister of the state, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who initiated the idea of bringing the prestigious institute to the state, wanted it to be at Basar, the abode of Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of learning. But, the present state government under Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy chose Medak, from which former prime minister of the country late Mrs Indira Gandhi elected to the Parliament. IIT will be functioning from the academic year of 2008-2009. However, with the infrastructure is not yet ready, the IIT will start functioning from the arms factory in Medak initially.
IIM is on the way:
With IIT already here, the State government has intensified its efforts to bring in yet another world-class institute - Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to the state. In fact, the central government in principle has given its approval for starting of IIM in the state. The HRM minister Arjun Singh has promised to start the prestigious institute before the end of the current five-year plan. As of now, there are only seven IIMs in the country, at Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta (Kolkata), Indore, Lucknow and Kozhikode. If Andhra Pradesh achieves its dream of establishing IIM, sure it will be yet another jewel in the state crown.
IIITs at 3 regions:
The much-awaited three International Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) institutes will commence their programmes from August 1, this academic year (2008-2009). The three IIITs are coming up in three regions of the state, at Nuzivedu in Krishna district (Andhra), Basara in Adilabad district (Telangana) and Idupulapaya in Kadapa district (Rayalaseema).
The IIITs will offer six-year integrated course in which students can join after completing SSC leading to a dual degree in IT and a domain specialisation. In the proposed pre-university course (2 years), besides the Intermediate syllabus, the thrust will be on soft skills, the officials said.
Another Central University:
Besides the University of Hyderabad, which is also called Central University, the Andhra Pradesh State is all set to get another Central University. The HRD Ministry has decided to start 14 new Central Universities at various places in the country during the current plan period. Though the HRD Ministry has decided to start the institute at Visakhapatnam, the Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s government, is contemplating of moving it to Kadapa, the home town of the chief minister. However, the HRD Ministry has expressed its disapproval for this change of place and wanted it to be at Visakhapatnam itself, the next major city in the state after capital city Hyderabad.
Engineering Education:
This spurt of activity in education is a lot to do with growth of employment opportunities for the youngsters. Particularly, the boom in the Information Technology and it’s allied fields like IT Enabled Services (BPOs etc) has resulted in more and more engineering colleges coming up in the state. Literally, there is a rush among the youngsters to get a seat in an engineering college of their choice now. Particularly the middle class, with their eagerness to not to be left out of the race, are pushing their children into engineering education. And, precisely for this reason, every middle class family in the state has at least an engineer in their midst now. Besides, with the software boom, a lot of parents are now striving hard to provide their children with quality education, a better job, a better lifestyle. So the competition is very intense. One can’t be blamed for this current scenario since it’s producing positive results.
Private organizations are also making most of this opportunity. As a result, there are more and more engineering colleges coming up across the state. As on date, there are 330 engineering colleges in the state with another 50 colleges scheduled to start from the academic year of 2008-09. This means, the number of engineering college seats available in the state is likely to go up from 1.30 lakhs to 1.50 lakhs this academic year.
University at every District HQs
The state government has proposed to start a university at every district headquarters on a priority basis. As per this plan, three new universities - Nalgonda University, Telangana Univesity, Yogi Vemana University – were started in the last two years. The State government has announced its decision to establish five more new varsities at Mahabubnagar, Kurnool, Srikakulam Nellore and Karimnagar districts recently. These five new universities are expected to function from the academic year of 2009-2010. As of now, there are 15 universities for 23 districts in the state.
Hyderabad, a hub of education:
Hyderabad has become a hub of activity for higher education in the country. As of now, the Pearl City boasts of eleven universities of national and international repute. Notable among them includes Osmania, JNTU, University of Hyderabad, Central Institute of English and Foreign Langagues (CIEFL), University of Law (NALSAR) and National Institute of Technology etc. Even, Dr.B.R Ambedkar Open University is playing a crucial role as it is striving hard to spread the concept of education among the rural poor and catering to needs of school drop-outs and bringing them back to education fold. Here is a list of all the important educational institutions, available in Hyderabad.
1. Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University; 2. Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages; 3. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University; 4. National Institute of Technology; 5. Jawaharla Nehru Technological University; 6. Maulana Azad National Urdu Univesity, Hyderabad; 7. NALSAR University of Law; 8. Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences; 9. Osmania University; 10. Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University; 11. University of Hyderabad.
Conclusion:
In the last few years, Andhra Pradesh has become a hot destination for higher education. In one word, it’s raining education in the state with many more private enterprises joining the race. The competition is going to hot up in the coming days. World-class institutes like Indian School of Business (ISB), which is located in Hyderabad, have made their foray into global arena. And, many successful graduates from this world-class institutes making significant contribution to the country and society in general, Andhra Pradesh’s place in the sphere of Higher Education is permanently enshrined in the world. And, it can only get better in the coming days. One thing is for sure, it’s the boom time for education in the state.
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