Community colleges are here

Updated on: Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The concept of community college is slowly coming of age in Tamil Nadu. At the start of the academic year, Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy, after a meeting with vice-chancellors, announced the launch of a minimum of 10 community colleges by each State-run university to empower school dropouts acquire vocational qualifications and to nurture entrepreneurship.

Fructification of the concept could help a significant section of the population, especially students in the productive age from the downtrodden sections, turning them into valuable human resources for the State. The Directorate of Technical Education mandated with the task of drafting curriculum and conducting examinations will hold a meeting of co-ordinators on November 22 for effective implementation of the concept through the university system of education.

In the mean time, the Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) has done significant work in promoting the concept. It had quietly set up 140 community colleges in the past two years in association with industries. In fact, the TNOU is in the final stages of achieving vertical mobility by offering a degree to the students of community colleges. TNOU has held talks with IGNOU for offering of a degree for students wherein they would pursue first year and third years at TNOU and the second year at IGNOU for an associate degree for the award of a degree, officials said.

At present, the TNOU offers 32 job-oriented skill-related certificate courses. Unlike distance education, the students have to attend community colleges as in the case of regular colleges and attendance is compulsory. Life coping skills and communication skills are also compulsory. Students pay nominal fee and are eligible for stipends as well, officials said.

Academics consider as very important the State-government's eventual acceptance of the economic relevance of the community college concept in the society. They say the fee structure could hold the key for success in the university system as the courses are meant for future breadwinners from economically downtrodden families.

Informed sources say universities have received instructions that the courses must be offered free of cost in the initial years. To make the concept of community colleges effective and make them function seamlessly, universities will prefer to conduct the courses, undertake evaluation and award certificates themselves.

The challenge before universities will be to sustain the initiative without putting the burden on the learners. Academicians suggest dovetailing the benefit of allocations of several crores of rupees made for welfare of BCs, MBCs, SCs and STs through different ministries to the learners in community colleges. The ministries have been executing the training programme for the targeted beneficiaries through non-government organisations. The advantage in bringing the funding under the ambit of community college scheme is that the benefits would be tangible and measurable. The universities are understandably prepared to back initiatives by the community colleges to create credit linkages with banks.

Bharthidasan University, Tiruchi, that draws strength from the presence of its Institute for Entrepreneurship and Career Development (IECD), intends to have 14 community colleges, said K. Meena, vice-chancellor. The Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) has started 11 community colleges, covering three districts — Madurai, Virudhunagar and Theni.

“Nearly 500 students have been admitted. We are giving preference to dropouts. Courses like mushroom cultivation, cellphone servicing/TV mechanism and computer hardware are in good demand,” says R. Muthulakshmi, co-ordinator, MKU. A major constraint being felt in running community colleges is the budget provision to get funds. “There is no specific fund being given right now. We are requesting for a separate provision from the university funds so that we can sustain their functioning,” says Dr. Muthulakshmi.

Bharathiar University has so far entered into Memoranda of Understanding with six colleges. It is looking to extend the concept to include at least 40 colleges, says P. Thirumalvalavan, Registrar. Anna University of Technology, Coimbatore, has already 11 in its kitty.

Community colleges are here

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