The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : TEQIP lifts quality

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

TEQIP lifts quality

Special Correspondent

Some 128 institutions are covered under the programme

VISAKHAPATNAM: Lot of improvement has been noticed in the 12 engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh which are receiving grant under the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP), according to TEQIP Mentor and Performance Auditor J.S.R. Subrahmanyam here on Tuesday.

As many as 128 institutions including the NITs in the country are under TEQIP and with their good performance, the State colleges put AP first among the States, Prof. Subrahmanyam said at a press conference.

“AU College of Engineering is among very few colleges that are making efforts to promote trans-national and trans-disciplinary research and preparing a ground for high quality research in leading edge technologies like nano technology, bio informatics and bio technology. AUCE applying for four patents in the US is not a mean achievement”, he pointed out. AUCE was allotted Rs.15.3 crores and spent around Rs.13 crores so far.

New courses

Principal of AUCE Allam Appa Rao explained about the new courses and projects being planned or executed by the college.

TEQIP, a Rs.1,500 crore World Bank-funded programme in which the Government releases funds to select colleges with no burden to the colleges, has been introduced to provide the much-needed boost to the technical institutions in improving their academic and research activities as the Government funding to the institutions was not on the required scale. Infrastructure, faculty, library and other facilities for the students are being improved in these colleges. A small portion of the fund is being spent on programmes beneficial to the society. The TEQIP-aided institutions are also expected to be role-models for other institutions. TEQIP commenced in 2005 and would end in 2008.

Prof. Subrahmanyam who visited all the 12 colleges in the State as an Auditor or part of inspection teams, found that the ambience of the colleges had improved a lot. Quality equipment for students and researchers was purchased and red tape was avoided to a large extent. Research output and development activities were substantially improved.

The TEQIP audit would take place twice a year and during the last two audits done during January-February and June, AP colleges were found to be top and AUCE was among the top five in the State, JNTU being No. 1.

“But now is the time for every college to show its result, because till now the colleges are receiving funds and equipping themselves. From now on, they should show how best they are using the new facilities”, Prof. Subrahmanyam said.

He was confident that AUCE and other AP colleges would show good results again.

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