BU's new school and depatrment inaugurated
Minister for Higher Education and Mines, K.Ponmudi, speaking at the inauguration of new schools and departments at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore on Wednesday.Through specific measures adopted by the Government the enrolment rate had gone up from 13 per cent to 17 per cent in the last one-and-a-half years, Minister for Higher Education and Mines, Government of Tamil Nadu, K.Ponmudi, said here on Wednesday.Inaugurating new schools and departments at the Bharathiar University, he said that the thrust was on increasing the number of colleges and enhancing quality of education. Seven new colleges have been opened in the State this year.
The shift system introduced in colleges would lead to double the number of students attending colleges, he added. Teachers should take the responsibility of improving the quality of education. They should also prepare the youth for the rapid developments in the education sector by introducing them to the opportunities available to them. Schools of excellence encouraged the interdisciplinary approach to teaching. Interdisciplinary approach was as important as specialisation. The concept of schools of excellence also rectified the disadvantages of the credit system where the students were confined to the subjects they had chosen and had no chance of learning related subjects.
While science could be taught in the mother tongue, importance should be given to English as a language for communication. The reason why China lagged behind other countries despite its rapid pace of development was the lack of proper communication skills.Secretary to Government, Higher Education, K.Ganesan, said that according to the 11th plan, the number of universities in the country should be increased from 350 to 1,500.The stress was on making higher education accessible to students from the downtrodden sections.Teacher appointments had not been made in the last seven years. But, this year, 2,000 vacancies were going to be filled up, he said. Also, the Government had spent about Rs.1 crore in training teachers.
While the country had developed from being an agrarian economy to an industrially developed one and now a knowledge economy, the focus should be on research. In India, research was largely neglected. However, the creation of new schools and departments would work towards enhancing research activities.Vice Chancellor of Bharathiar University G.Thiruvasagam said that the university was among the 47 universities in the country that had been given an ‘A Grade’ by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council. It would therefore be eligible for special funds allocated for such universities. Bharathiar University also featured among the top ten universities in the country, he added.
