Saturday, Jul 17, 2010
Centres of Excellence will be established, says Ponmudy

• They will have the same examination procedure
• Panel of V-Cs to look at creating curriculum of international standards

Chennai: The working of the five Anna Universities will be co-ordinated with the same examination procedure, and a committee, comprising the five Vice-Chancellors, will look at creating a curriculum of international standards, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said here on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after chairing the first meeting of the recently constituted Tamil Nadu State Council for Technical Education, he said it would monitor the curriculum, which would also have components tailored to regional needs of each university. “There are nearly 500 engineering colleges in the State producing 1.5 lakh fresh graduates each year out of the total 7 lakh produced in the country. With the number increasing dramatically, we also need to improve the quality and the council will go into these aspects.” The Council would monitor the setting up of a State Research Board and Research Centre and a Youth Welfare Department to study aspects relating to research in colleges.

It would also prepare textbooks in Tamil for other streams of engineering in coming years after taking into account the response of students to the Mechanical and Civil Engineering courses this year. Centres of Excellence would be established with the support of Non-Resident Indians and ‘Earn while you learn' scheme implemented in colleges.

A committee, comprising Council vice-chairman M.S. Palanichamy, Anna University-Chennai Vice-Chancellor P. Mannar Jawahar, and Member-Secretary A.M. Sameeyullah, would look into complaints relating to collection of excess fees and capitation fees in colleges.

Guidance and counselling centres would be formed in colleges to help students overcome their distress owing to various pressures.