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Task force on higher education will be set up soon

PUDUCHERRY: Education Minister M.O.H.F. Shahjahan on Sunday said a task force would be formed to draw up a road map for higher education in the Union Territory, comprising academics, students and business persons.

Speaking at the valedictory function of the two-day national seminar on ‘National Knowledge Commission’s Report and its Implications on Higher Education’ organised by Kanchi Mamunivar Centre for Post Graduate Studies, he said the idea behind the task force was to bring quality education, more job-oriented education and education on a par with the present day scenario.

“We will form the task force and come up with a workable project for higher education. It will be a result-oriented task force and involve people from the Information Technology sector, industries and business,” he said. Emphasising the need to bring in a fundamental change in education, he said the shift should be from memory-oriented education. “We do not require an intellectual society but an intelligent society. We have failed to tap intelligence and there should be a quantum change from intellect-oriented to intelligent-oriented education. For this, the system of education has to change from LKG,” he said.

The key question was not what you teach but how you teach, Mr. Shahjahan said. Stressing the importance of making more creative human resources, he said freedom of thought was important for children.

“Parents are forcing the children to do what he or she is naturally not inclined to. The natural instinct in the children has to be developed,” he said.

Mr. Shahjahan insisted on the need for research and development in education and the importance of creating more job-oriented educational system. “I have urged the Chief Minister to spend more funds for education,” he said.

Director of Higher and Technical Education Jayanta Kumar Ray said the Centre had identified places were the Gross Enrolment Ratio was less. Yanam region was identified in the Union Territory and a new college could come up or the existing college could be strengthened, he said.

Former Chairman of NAAC A. Gnanam, director of the centre Babu Markose Abraham and Organising Secretary D. Aravazhi Irissappane spoke.

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