Improving technical education
PHOTO: M. MOORTHY
CUTTING EDGE: The National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi.
The second phase of TEQIP (Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme), set to commence during 2007-2008 at the National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi (NIT-T), envisages training of faculty members in the cutting-edge technology to enhance their competence and skills.
During the last six months, seven faculty members underwent one-month training in reputed institutes abroad, including the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Singapore, GKSS Research Centre, Germany, and University of Loiusville, U.S.A., and National Taiwan University, Taiwan, under the first phase of the TEQIP, a prestigious project of the Central Government funded by the World Bank.
The objective of TEQIP is to support production of high quality technical professionals through reforms in the technical/engineering system in order to raise productivity and competitiveness of the Indian economy. The project assists competitively selected engineering colleges, technical universities and polytechnics in the country in achieving their own vision of institutional development and academic excellence.
Institutional development leads to better teaching/learning processes, improved academic infrastructure and ambience, better transparency in evaluation, increased resource sharing with network partners (NIT Warangal and NIT Surathkal are the two network partners of NIT-T), better acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes by students, more industrial interactions for staff and students, active student participation in research, and increased interactions with community, the system/capacity improvement involves better manpower planning at system level with labour market surveys and market watch, faster quality assurance mechanisms at systems/sub-systems and institutional levels, improved cadre of managers trained to foster and to promote excellence and higher appreciation of network philosophy and advantages.
Short-term courses
Accordingly, the NIT-T has conducted 20 short-term courses over the past six months. The curricula have been revised and continuous assessment is made (50 per cent for two cycle tests and three assignments and 50 per cent for the end-semester examination). Relative Grade systems followed in IIT-Madras have been introduced in NIT-T also. B.Tech students are encouraged to take two or three elective courses in the other departments of their interest to strengthen inter-disciplinary activities and research.
NIT-T has signed MoUs with BHEL, IBM Research Centre, Pune, Amadasoft, Chennai, and FL Smith, Chennai, to enable M. Tech. students to undertake projects, said M. Chidambaram, Director, NIT-T.
NIT-T is one among the 18 institutions in the country identified for TEQIP as a Lead Institution by virtue of its well thought-out proposals, and commitment to establish an entrepreneurial, responsive, participatory and accountable management culture. It has received Rs. 170 million so far in two instalments out of a total project lifetime allocation of Rs. 209 million. Significantly, the NIT-T has exceeded Rs. 135 million against a financial target set at Rs. 120 million by the end of March 2006. A substantial sum of Rs. 103.160 million was spent on strengthening equipment in the various departments.
Societal orientation of TEQIP manifests in its Tribal Development Plan under which reserved category students are provided assistance in the learning process through conduct of free additional/ special/ remedial classes to strengthen their subject understanding, and services to community and economy. Service to community is being undertaken through skill-oriented training programmes for women and unemployed youth, masons, carpenters and bar-benders.
Likewise, service to organised sector/ industry personnel includes short-term courses, certificate courses and knowledge enrichment programmes.
R. KRISHNAMOORTHY
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