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Education Plus
The reform agenda in engineering
AMUTHA KANNAN, R. KRISHNAMOORTHY & PRICILLA JEBARAJ
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A year after the reorganisation of engineering education in Tamil Nadu, what progress have the regional universities made? A report.
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Photo: K.V. Srinivasan
At the centre of change: The College of Engineering at Anna University in Chennai.
A year after Tamil Nadu’s engineering education system was re-organised, with regional affiliating universities at Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli added to the original institution at Chennai, the bouquets are flowing in, mixed with occasional brickbats.
On the positive side of the balance sheet, the pros seem to be increased attention for affiliated colleges, reduced burden on staff in Chennai and the opportunity to start innovative schemes. The cons include budgetary and quality concerns.
“The division truly has its advantages as we have been able to introduce many path-breaking changes and innovations,” says R. Radhakrishnan, vice-chancellor of Anna University-Coimbatore. Among the new measures are new patterns of evaluation and assessment to bring about a shift from testing the “abilities of rote” of a student to testing “abilities at diligent application of the mind, discernment and discrimination.” The university has also adopted a rigorous curriculum that has 35 credits in six trimesters. In accordance with international methods, a nine-point grading system is being adopted.
In another innovative move, the university has outsourced the entire English subject syllabus, with certification by the University of Cambridge, and has also tied up with SAP Germany for a training programme. The university has a big plan to start B.E. programmes in Tamil, launch outreach programmes and establish overseas campuses.
Anna University-Tiruchi has focussed on faculty development and research progression in its first year. Vice-chancellor V. Ramachandran says that 225 teachers have enrolled in a faculty development programme helping them to complete their postgraduate studies without disrupting their teaching duties. Through creation of two new centres, Centre for Academic Excellence and Centre for Convergence of Technologies, the university has been facilitating application-oriented teaching and applied research to explore advancements in current technologies. Research Initiative Programmes are being conducted in emerging areas.
Next on the agenda are e-learning methodologies that would facilitate video-streaming of expert lectures to affiliated colleges and tie-ups and possible joint degrees with international institutions.
Even as these new regional bodies attempt to establish their reputations, the already-reputed Anna University in Chennai is not resting on its laurels. Increased focus on research had led to 165 Ph.Ds being granted this year, the highest of any technical institution in the country, according to vice-chancellor D. Viswanathan. Placement has also been improving every year, he says. Emerging areas of knowledge are not being ignored either, with the Central Government approving a Rs. 4.3-crore grant this week to start M.Tech. courses in nanotechnology.
For the Chennai body, the biggest impact of the trifurcation lies in the reduced administrative burden on its staff members and the increased attention given to affiliated colleges. “Earlier, we had to take care of 225 colleges, many of them quite far away. Now, with just 108 affiliated institutions, we are able to give better guidance to the private colleges,” said Dr. Viswanathan. However, the administrative trifurcation is being done in phases.
Placements and examinations will be handled by the Chennai centre until the current second-year students, admitted under the united system, graduate. While some of the regional universities have made initial attempts at revising the curriculum, there is still some confusion as the government has advocated a uniform syllabus, according to Dr. Viswanathan. Admissions will remain under the single window system run by the Chennai centre.
Affiliations have been divided, however, and each regional university is looking to welcome 15 - 20 new colleges into their fold next year. This could lead to some financial constraints at Anna University Chennai. “After the trifurcation, our income is drastically reduced, because affiliation fees (and ultimately examination fees) don’t come to us anymore,” said Dr. Viswanathan. With the government unwilling to increase its grant, the university is looking to other avenues such as its distance education programme, to increase its revenue.
Some senior academicians are also voicing concern about a compromise on quality by the new regional bodies. “These new universities are starting without the advantage of good infrastructure or experienced faculty, which they will have to develop now,” said one expert, saying that the regional universities are forced to depend on the staff of their affiliated colleges.
“When we approve a private deemed university, we put up so many restrictions and demands to ensure quality. The same kind of requirement should be there for government universities also, or it is the student who will suffer,” he warned.
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