Central Placement Cell in M’lore From Next Year: Limbavali

Pics by Dayanand Kukkaje

Mangalore, Aug 2, (DHNS) : The Education Department will open Central Placement Cell (CPC) in Mangalore from next academic year, said Higher Education Minister Arvind Limbavali. 
 
Speaking at a conference on higher education organised by Association of Mangalore University and College Teachers (AMUCT) at Roshni Nilaya here on Sunday, he said the main objective of starting CPC is to help rural talents. “Reputed institutions like NITK or Manipal can organise campus recruitments. But what about colleges in rural areas with few talents?” he said and added that the CPC in Mangalore will help students from surrounding regions to take part in the placement process in a common place. Besides Mangalore, CPCs will be started in Shimoga, Hubli and Gulbarga too. Stating that more than 200 companies have agreed to take part in the CPCs, the Minister said a CPC has already been started in Bangalore.

50 pc fee for mgmts

Stating that he has agreed to the demand of the managements to retain 50 per cent of tuition fee by the college managements for maintenance, Limbavali said that henceforth only 50 per cent of the tuition fee need to be paid to the government.

“Don’t create a situation wherein teachers have to seek loan to run their families,” he told the managements. On the other hand, he appealed to the teachers to go to rural areas to impart knowledge.

“I have made a list of 32 reasons like “father/mother/wife/husband/children not well..” etc... Please don’t come with such reasons,” he told teachers and appealed them not to come to Vidhana Soudha over transfer issues.

Help students

While assuring the teachers that they will get UGC salaries soon, he called upon each teacher to identify and help at least one poor student and pay his or her fees. He also appealed to the students to stress on value based education.

Stating that the Rs 639 crore arrears due for lecturers for the years 2006 to 2010, will be paid soon, Limbavali said the Ministry is also contemplating on AICTE scale for lecturers concerned.

Referring to the vacancies at aided colleges, the Minister said that steps will be taken to fill up the vacancies, besides regularising the services of contract lecturers.

“However, the Aptha Mitra scheme will continue to help new colleges,” he re-iterated. As per the scheme, the established colleges will have to help new colleges in terms of sharing infrastructure facilities like laboratory, etc.

Move flayed

Referring to the Centre’s decision to scrap AICTE and UGC to create an independent National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), which will take over the academic, accreditation and financial functions of the regulators, the Minister opined that “not only AICTE and UGC, but medical, agriculture and law universities too should be brought under NCHE and it should only be a guiding body, instead of the regulating body.

No freedom, only autonomy

Presiding over the programme, Vice Chancellor Prof T C Shivashankar Murthy said that the University has given autonomy to colleges, but not the freedom, as per the KSU Act.

Apparently, he was referring to the demands of colleges seeking more freedom. Calling upon teachers to be a role model in society, he appealed teachers to re-dedicate to the profession, especially after the new salaries. “Prove to the society that you are worthy of salaries you get,” he said and gave brief account of the steps taken by the university which includes computerisation of evaluation.

Amend KSU Act

Higher Education Council Member and FUCTAK former president Prof A M Narahari appealed the Higher Education Minister to make clear stand on deemed university and autonomous colleges. Besides, he also urged the Minister to start an interactive website for higher education so that all details such as enrollment, finances and general administration will be known to all.

AMUCT President Prof Joselyn T Lobo lamented that a few lecturers in unaided colleges were getting less than the salaries of some domestic servants and urged the minister to look into the issue.

Earlier, Arvind Limbavali, Prof T C Shivashankar Murthy, Prof A M Narahari, Collegiate Education Director K V Kodandaramaiah, Joint Director Prof T H Eeranna, FUCTAK President Prof C H Murigendrappa, General Secretary Prof T M Manjunath and School of Social Work Dr Jacintha D’Souza were feted. AMUCT bulletin edited by Dr Norbert Lobo was released on the occasion.