Pvt engineering colleges to ‘mentor’ govt school students

Neither the education department nor the students would have to pay anything for this additional facility. The colleges would bear the cost of providing the additional facilities to the students.

This “neighborhood schools programme” would be launched in mid-January next year following the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the school education department and the Punjab Technical University (PTU).

“A general consensus has already been reached between the colleges and the government and we have already plotted the division of the schools in the neighborhood of these colleges. On an average,each college would be responsible for at least six schools,” said Punjab Principal Secretary (Technical Education) Suresh Kumar.

There is a shortage of teachers in the science streams and many schools have inadequate infrastructure to cater to the science teaching.

Under this programme,the colleges are expected to provide the requisite number of teachers in science,either through guest faculty or through their own faculty to ensure that science classes in the schools receive full attention. They would also provide audio-video visual aids,blackboards and other teaching-learning material like science books for libraries.

The students of classes XI and XII would also have access to the laboratories of the colleges,their computer sections and language labs. The colleges would also extend career counseling and guidance facilities and coach the students for engineering entrance exams.

“While access to technical education is not a major issue,there are serious concerns about the quality of technical education which needs to be looked at. This tie-up is also aimed at improving the quality of education at the feeder level,which are the students of science streams in classes +1 and +2,” added Punjab Director General of School Education Krishan Kumar.

“The colleges are also expected to build a stimulating environment for studies aimed at helping students to clear the various competitive entrance exams for admission to engineering colleges anywhere in India,“ said Kumar.