CHENNAI: Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy on Friday announced in the Assembly that free bus passes would be given to all students of government arts and science colleges and those studying in polytechnics. At present, the students get 50 per cent concession.

Mr. Ponmudy said he had discussed the issue with Transport Minister K.N. Nehru. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had approved the proposal.

The Higher Education department had chalked out a three-pronged strategy to enhance the teaching-learning experience.

This included improving the quality of education by training teachers and providing adequate infrastructure; catering to genuine demands of all sections; and ensuring access to a larger population of students.

Counselling and single-application system were the other improvements that would help students, he said. From now on, aspiring students need to submit only one application for all science courses and one form for all arts courses. Depending on the availability of seats, they would be called to the colleges and allotted seats in the discipline of their choice after counselling.

The introduction of the shift system in all government arts and science colleges was meant to double the intake within the existing set-up. This also meant that additional teachers were required.

Teacher recruitment

Initially, the Government was seeking the willingness of teachers to work for about 5 to 6 hours longer each week for additional pay.

An additional 4,682 teachers would be recruited in government arts and science colleges and aided colleges to ensure that students on both shifts get the same quality of teaching. All teachers would be required to undergo a Government-sponsored training for a month before they were sent to the colleges.

Classrooms to be added

A total of 542 classrooms would be added in 55 colleges across the State at a cost of about Rs.25 crore. The Government aimed at starting a college in each Assembly constituency.

As per this scheme, any constituency that did not have any college or polytechnic would be given preference. There were 33 such constituencies and three of these were in Chennai.

This year, the Government would set up a college at Kulithalai and Tenkasi, where the local MLA, Karuppusamy Pandian, had come forward to donate about 26 acres and made arrangements to contribute the Rs.1 crore required to set up a college.

In view of rapid industrialisation, the Government planned to set up a university exclusively to cater to management studies, he said. Keeping in line with the national norms, the State was keen on introducing the choice-based credit system. The Government would appoint a committee comprising Vice-Chancellors and professors to chalk out how best the scheme could be implemented here.

Counselling fee cut

Mr. Ponmudy announced a reduction in counselling fee for professional courses from Rs. 300 to Rs.200. He had discussed with the Chief Minister the issue of holding counselling only in Chennai (instead of the earlier practice of holding it in Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Madurai). Mr. Karunanidhi was of the opinion that the fee should be reduced since coming to Chennai was a burden for the students.

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