Committee of state education ministers recommend that community colleges be called by a different name

Updated on: Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Committee of state education ministers has recommended that proposed 200 community colleges should be called by a different name. Though highly successful in the US, the committee is of the view that not all its features can be imported to India due to socio-economic and socio-cultural differences between the nations.

The committee — headed by Archana Chitnis, minister of school education, Madhya Pradesh — has said these colleges, with equal emphasis on enhancing vocational and educational ability of students be given a "suitable indigenous name, which meets the character of these colleges aptly and reflects the contemporary needs of the society and nation".

The committee that also visited the US to study community colleges has said in India these colleges should offer courses that are a mix of knowledge and skill components. Three year honours degree course could be broken into modules/credits specifying the total number of credits required for acquiring a degree. The skill component of the curriculum should be separately drawn.

It has been recommended that these colleges should specify the credit requirements for awarding other qualifications like certificate, diploma, advanced diploma so that those who join after class XII and want to leave should have some qualification. These colleges have also been asked to offer short-term courses of various durations to the learners in areas where no formal qualification would be needed.

Committee has said that a student of community college will have the option to exit after completing certain credit points of a course and rejoin the course at his/her convenience later with full protection of credit already earned. Since these colleges are meant to serve the need of the community, local students would be given suitable weightage in registration. Central and state governments have been asked to lend support. States would set up State Level Steering Committee under chief secretary and representation from all stakeholders and the Centre would form a National Level Monitoring Committee. Cost of establishing these colleges would be shared by the Centre and states.

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