The Hindu : Karnataka News : Scheme to assist select engineering colleges suggested

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 18, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

Scheme to assist select engineering colleges suggested

By Our Staff Correspondent

The Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, presenting gold medals to Smitha Prakash, a student of M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, at the fourth annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belgaum on Thursday.

BELGAUM, FEB. 17. Qualitative changes in the field of higher education in general and engineering education in particular are necessary to improve the workforce in the country, P. Rama Rao, Dr. Brahm Prakash Distinguished Professor, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials, Hyderabad, has said.

Delivering the convocation address at the fourth annual convocation of Visvesvaraya Technological University here on Thursday, Dr. Rao, who recounted the developments in higher education in the country, stressed the need to increase the number of those who intend to pursue higher education from the present 10 million to 20 million. He also called for raising by a factor of 5 the present number of 6,000 Ph.D. degrees awarded in science and engineering.

Dr. Prakash advocated that 5 per cent of the engineering colleges be selected and assisted through a quality improvement scheme.

Tributes paid

Paying rich tributes to Sir M. Visvesvaraya, he observed that it will be an education in itself if the students of the university can spend some time studying the life and works of this "astounding engineer and an inspiring visionary." Sir M. Visvesvaraya's genius is not just apparent in engineering feats such as the Krishnaraja Sagar and the Hirakud dams. He was the driving force behind bringing about a sea change in basic infrastructure in the erstwhile State of Mysore and in galvanising the State into multifarious activities, he added.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, K. Balaveera Reddy, who welcomed the guests, traced the developments made by the State's only technological university in the seven years of its existence. He highlighted the efforts made by the university in adopting advances in the field of information technology and communication to develop a unique e-campus and the decision to introduce online examination system for MBA and M.Tech students studying at its campus here. He also highlighted the importance of the programme on distance education through EDUSAT.

Earlier, the Governor and Chancellor of the university, T.N. Chaturvedi, declared open the convocation in the presence of deans and principals of engineering colleges situated in different parts of the State. The Minister for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor of the university, D. Manjunath, was present.

Poor attendance

Fewer than 75 candidates turned up to receive their degrees. Most of those present were winners of gold medals. There were only three candidates, one each to receive degrees in MBA, MCA and B.Arch. There was none from the B.Tech stream to collect their degrees. The university conferred degrees in BE, B.Tech, B.Arch., MBA, MCA and M.Tech on 26,014 candidates, who cleared the 2004 June/July examinations.

Gold medallists

Smitha Prakash, a student of M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, won the highest tally of four gold medals.

She had scored 89.5 per cent marks in the PUC second year examination and ranked 3334 in the Common Entrance Test.

Now a second semester student of M.Tech in Power Electronics at the National Institute of Technology-Calicut, Smitha said she looks forward to industrial experience. In all, 66 candidates won 74 gold medals.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

State to clamp down on illegal mining

Temple town ready for `Brahmakalashotsava'

State BJP releases office-bearers' list

Bail plea of murder accused rejected

Scheme to assist select engineering colleges suggested

Centre's decision disappoints people of Hyderabad Karnataka

Students make a beeline for U.K. Education Fair

FKCCI seeks VAT details

Govt. to clamp down on illegal mining

Centre to discuss KIOCL issue with State Govt.

Kukke Subrahmanya ready for Brahmakalashotsava

`Don't neglect GP polls'

Briefly