Newscan
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan
The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has placed a proposal by most Chief Ministers of the North-Eastern region on changing the funding pattern of its flagship scheme Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) before the Planning Commission.
Asked to comment on the Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga's request for changing the Centre/State funding pattern from 75:25 to 90:10 under the SSA schemes, the Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh said: "This opinion has been placed by most of the Chief Ministers of the North-East. We have placed it before the Planning Commission to take a final view on it."
Mr. Singh said the Chief Ministers were likely to raise this issue at the next National Development Council meeting.
Stating that all States were vying with each other to perform under the SSA, the Minister said there was no dearth of funds and the objective was to arrest the dropout rates.
He also said the Centre was expecting by this month the report of a committee headed by noted scientist C.N.R. Rao on the setting up of foreign universities in the country.
"Education being a State subject, the Centre cannot intervene directly in the matter," he said.
Call for flexibility
The Indian education system should have the flexibility to allow students to pursue their interests, according to former director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Virendra Singh.
"An education system with flexibility can help students explore their full potential. The students should, in spite of the existing system, pursue their interests instead of going for careers that do not interest them," Prof. Singh said.
Describing how great physicists and scientists in the U.S. began their career, Prof. Singh said many of them began with philosophy and slowly shifted to science and other subjects of their choice to unfold their talents.
Prof. Singh was addressing a valedictory function for the selection of students for the 36th International Physics Olympiad (IPO) to be held in Spain from July 3.
Deemed university
The North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) at Nirjuli in Arunachal Pradesh has been granted deemed university status by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, according to a release issued by the NERIST registrar P. G. Nair at Itanagar.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Education Plus
Karnataka
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Tiruchirapalli
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
