IMPHAL, December 27: Education sector in the state had been adversely affected by the long-drawn insurgency, said state Education minister M Okendro Singh today.
He was speaking at a one day preparatory workshop on Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, RUSA in the context of preparation of institutional plans, strategic plans, state higher education plans etc at Imphal.
Further elaborating on his previous statement, the minister observed that the very fact that the youths continue to be the target group in any insurgency infested scenario has resulted in students of the state going outside for better education opportunities.
Ever since the government intervene in school education with the help of SSA, RMSA several issues of school and secondary education have both been addressed to a great extent, the minister said.
He continued as such there is an urgent need for improvement both in infrastructure, faculty support and expansion.
Improvement of the higher education sector in the state has been aimed at through encouraging quality technical education since about a year back, he said.
Now, under the centrally sponsored RUSA, the government is looking forward to taking up structural reforms and streamlining proposals pending due to the lack of funding, he added.
Under RUSA, the centre will provide 90 percent for infrastructural development of college faculty recruitment support, faculty improvement, vocationalisation of higher education, institutional restructuring and reforms, capacity building and planning support, MIS support restructure for the new Model colleges and up-gradation of existing colleges into Model Colleges with priority on districts having one or no college etc, whereas the state will provide the remaining 10 percent for Northeastern states, he said.
Under the scheme, both government and aided colleges will gain assistance through grants for infrastructure development and other requirements through the state government, he continued.
The state lacks basic infrastructure and teaching facility as compared to the good colleges in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru etc, he observed.
There is an acute need for both infrastructure developments of our colleges as well providing adequate teaching faculty with the requisite educational qualifications and teaching experience to take the challenges of the changing time on top priority, the minister observed.
The minister further lamented that while the enrolment of students have risen from 12000 in 2008-09 to 42000 in 2012-13, the teaching faculties number in the government colleges have remained stagnated at 1264 sanctioned posts of lecturers for the past many decades.
With 301 vacancies, the department has been bearing the brunt of teachers’ shortage in the government colleges, he said.
According to UGC norms and the Manipur University Ordinances of July 23, 2013 there is a requirement of atleast 2130 posts of lecturers for government colleges, he said.
Higher secondary department is now hopeful regarding the creation of its shortfall of 866 posts of lecturers with support from RUSA and filling up the 301 vacancies, the minister also observed.
Now with the implementation of RUSA, the higher secondary department plans to set up new model colleges at Tamei in Tamenglong district, Thanlon in Churchandpur district, Phungyar in Urkhul district, Sugunu in Thoubal district etc, he said.
The proposal for the upgradation of the DM college to a state university can get proper support from RUSA, as the centre under RUSA is intending to set up 200 universities all over the country in the next ten years, he also said.
The higher secondary department will also set up a state higher education council for planning and monitoring the implementation of RUSA, he said.
The ministry of Human Resource Development has officially asked for the willingness of state governments today to adopt RUSA in their respective States.
The State has to take undertaking to meet 10 percent state share liability within specific time frame. All other pre-requisites as lay down by the Ministry of HRD including structure and institutional reforms and restructuring and categorically declared their willingness to take all necessary measures to improve higher education in their respective state. The state cabinet had on October 23, 2013 declared to implement RUSA along with all its condition, minister Okendro said.
