Higher Education Policy to stipulate the minimum number of working days

Updated on: Monday, June 18, 2012

The state government is preparing a Higher Education Policy which, among other things, will stipulate the minimum number of working days each course should have.

This would mean the classes lost by hartals and bandhs will have to be compensated by making the institutions functional for as many days on holidays and vacations.

An expert group that is drafting the policy, now in its final stage, has, mooted the idea of evolving a consensus among political parties on exempting educational institutions during all bandhs and hartals.

Stakeholders have been asked to respond to the themes identified by the expert group, such as grant of autonomy to colleges, starting private universities, upgrading selected colleges to Centres of Excellence and allowing foreign universities to function in the state.

The public has been asked to submit responses to the themes presented by the expert group before June 30 to sec.higheredu. [email protected].

The themes have been broadly divided into three categories, namely quality in higher education in Kerala, equity and access in higher education, and educational administration and efficiency.

The areas that come under the first theme, included issues like autonomy for colleges, need for deemed and private universities.

The major ideas mooted under the second theme of ‘equity and access’ included increasing opportunities for education, technology in higher education and use of internet as a medium of expression.

The use of IT in university governance and timely publication of university results are the major areas discussed under the third theme.

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