Encouraging innovative courses in the clusters and allowing institutions only in backward districts are going to be the major recommendations to be made in the perspective plan to be submitted to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) by the State Government.
The report has to be submitted by November 30 to the AICTE on the State's plan on the growth of technical education, based on which the AICTE will formulate its policy in sanction of new colleges and additional courses. The committee consisting of former Technical Education Commissioner K. Laxminarayana and former JNTUH Vice-Chancellor D.N. Reddy held series of meetings with the college managements, industry and other stakeholders to finalise the report. The team is said to have found only five per cent increase in students joining from 10th class to Intermediate in the State over the years. So the committee is proposing that sanction of new technical institutions should not more be than five per cent on the existing number.
Moreover, certain districts like Adilabad, Nizamabad, Anantapur, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam have only a few colleges while the majority institutions were established in and around Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. If at all new colleges have to be permitted, the backward districts should be considered first. At the same time, innovative courses could be promoted in Hyderabad cluster based on earth, defence and agriculture research institutions. “Similarly, Visakhapatnam cluster can be promoted with courses based on marine technology, ships, steel and navigation,” a member felt.
Another interesting aspect is promoting technical institutions through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The members feel that in Coimbatore most technical institutions are run by the local industry and it serves well for students as well as the industry. Similarly, the JP group in Noida has started a university and it offers courses for absorbing technicians in its industries. “Such models can be replicated here,” a member felt. In fact, the committee held meetings with the FICCI and FAPCCI representatives seeking their views on these issues.
# Adilabad, Nizamabad, Anantapur, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts have only few colleges
# Majority of the institutions established in and around Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam