The Hindu : Kerala News : `Educational reforms will yield results'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

`Educational reforms will yield results'

By Our Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM, JAN. 1. Kerala, a forerunner in the field of education, should be able to reap the benefits of the opportunities provided by the new stage of economic and intellectual development that is emerging in the country, said the former President, K.R. Narayanan, here today.

Speaking at a function organised to celebrate the formal conferment of the status of `College with potential for excellence' on Kottayam CMS College by the University Grants Commission (UGC) here today, Mr. Narayanan stressed the need to move with the times and hoped that the reforms being implemented in the field of education would provide the State with a system as required by the new India that was emerging. While individuals should benefit from the new changes, the State should benefit from the educated, he said.

Mr. Narayanan said that academic recognition for his alma mater had come a bit too late. ``Academic potential of CMS College had been established long back. Only that it took (the present vice-chairman of the UGC) Rajasekharan Pillai to bring it to the notice of the UGC,'' he quipped. To be among the select 47 colleges in the country is a great achievement and the conferment of the status is a tribute to the whole State,'' he said.

The Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, also an alumnus, said his Government was committed to working towards making the State an international education destination, especially in the field of professional education. ``We cannot help to have a rethink on our education policies as our pre-eminent position in the field of modern education has slid down drastically'' he said. The self-financing stream should have been introduced at least a quarter of a century ago, so that it would have stabilised by this time. ``We cannot allow our children to be exploited anymore,'' he said.

Six State colleges

That six of the 47 institutions selected as colleges with potential for excellence are from Kerala is a tribute to the State. The Government itself has organised a function to extend felicitation to the selected institutions. He was peeved at the fact that it had to be postponed three times and finally abandoned on account of hartals, bandhs and strikes.

The UGC vice-chairman, V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, stressed the need on the part of the academic community in the State to change their mindset. The thrust is now on collegiate education and through the present policy initiatives, nearly 500 colleges will be shorted-listed as potential candidates for empowered institutions.

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