Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Eight colleges get `Potential for Excellence' status

By G. Satyamurty

COIMBATORE, AUG. 20. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has identified 47 ``high quality colleges,'' including eight in Tamil Nadu, for awarding the status of ``College with Potential for Excellence'' (CPE), the Vice-Chairman, V.N. Rajasekaran Pillai, told The Hindu here today. The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the commission.

The colleges selected in Tamil Nadu are: Ethiraj College for Women and Loyola College (Madras University); Lady Doak College, Madurai; Ayya Nadar Janakiammal College, Sivakasi, and Fatima College, Madurai (Madurai-Kamaraj University); PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore (Bharathiar University); St.Joseph's College, Tiruchi (Bharathidasan University), and St.Xavier's College, Palayamkottai (Manonmaniam-Sundaranar University).

Rs. 1 crore-grant

``Though we originally notified to select 154 colleges, we could identify only 47 in the first phase based on certain criteria. The rest would be chosen within the next two months,'' he said.

The colleges which had been awarded the CPE status would get Rs. 1 crore each for the rest of the Plan period (two and a half years). The funding was for ``focussed academic activities and for strengthening and capacity building in undergraduate and postgraduate education in conventional arts and science colleges. This is not for building or any other infrastructure.'' Those selected not only had academic excellence but also accreditation from the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC), the autonomous status and quality infrastructure.

``As autonomous colleges they had already received Rs. 70 lakhs grant and now they would have substantially more at their disposal for strengthening their academic activities.'' The selection was done after screening at three levels. Each university suggested three names, which were considered by a State-level committee and ultimately by a UGC panel. ``Now an expert group of top-level academics would be identified to advise and monitor these institutions.''

Autonomy

The meeting also decided to confer autonomous status on five colleges in Bharathiar University — SNR Sons Colleges, Kongunadu Arts and Science College, RVS College of Arts and Science, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women and Dr. G.R. Damodaran College of Science (all in Coimbatore) and four in Madras University — Government Arts College for Men, MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College and Quaid-e-Milleth Government College for Women (all in Chennai).

``Though the target set for granting autonomy for colleges as early as 1987 was 500 institutions in the country, so far only about 200 got it. For the past 5-6 years, almost all proposals were pending. Only now they have been cleared.'' At present, Tamil Nadu has more than 60 autonomous institutions.

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