The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Confusion in higher education due to dual control: Ponmudy

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Sunday, Jan 27, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Confusion in higher education due to dual control: Ponmudy

Staff Reporter

SATHYAMANGALAM: The confusion in higher education has to do with it being in the Concurrent List, Minister of Higher Education K. Ponmudy has said.

Participating at a function here at the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology on Saturday, he said: “Education is in the Concurrent List with both the Centre and States having a say. This is the reason for the confusion in managing higher education.”

The Minister said a few of the Centre’s agencies insisted upon entrance examination for professional courses while the State, considering the plight of rural and poor students, was against it.

This led to confusion and the State had to win the battle to enable all sections of students to access professional education. Dr. Ponmudy touched upon the issue of excellence in engineering institutions. “Excellence in engineering colleges has to do with not only infrastructure, which is just a small part, but quality of education. And, all institutions must ensure that students are given the best of education.” Touching upon the issue of new colleges coming up, the Minister said it was good as it would create competition and consequently result in improvement in the quality of education. This competition was all the more necessary because engineering colleges functioned in a global environment where they had to produce engineers of global standard.

He earlier inaugurated the Vedanayagam Auditorium in the College. State Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N. Palanisamy, who inaugurated the Internet centre, said the State Government always placed education high on the priority list.

Minister for Food A.V. Velu, who inaugurated the Applied Sciences Block, said engineers played an important role in the nation’s development as they were the ones who brought in more foreign remittances than any other professionals.

N.K.K.P. Raja, Minister for Handlooms and Textiles, inaugurated the Sun Centre of Competency. Member of Legislative Assembly from Sathyamangalam L.P. Dharmalingam, Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Coimbatore, R. Radhakrishnan, Chairman of the Bannari Amman Group of Companies S. V. Balasubramaniam, College Director S. K. Sundararaman and Principal A. Shanmugam participated.

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