Council to partly fund students,who will later teach in technical institutes To Help meritorious students pursue PhD abroad or in India,the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is in the process of drawing up a proposal,which is expected to be implemented from this year. The idea is to partly fund the education of students who are pursuing a PhD degree. The proposal is an attempt to tide over the faculty shortage across technical institutes recognised by the AICTE. It could include engineering/IT,management,architecture and pharmacy institutes,among others. Currently,there are around 52 lakh students studying across technical institutes in the country and approximately three lakh faculty members. At least,30 per cent more teachers are required at present. We need good student participation in our teaching activities. Theres currently a dearth of good PhD candidates who can teach in the technical/professional institutes. Accordingly,we are drawing up a scheme which will enable us to provide part funding for completion of their PhD either from a university abroad or in India. We want to support talented students, said S S Mantha,acting chairman,AICTE. The exact details of the proposal are currently been worked out and will include aspects like whom to select for the scheme,the mode of selection and other procedures. Students who will be supported through this scheme will be expected to come back and serve the country for some time. Hence,there will be some collateral issues or bond. But we are yet to chalk out the details. We also have to spell out critical aspects like who to select and how to select, said Mantha. The proposal is expected to be ready by the end of May. Further,in an attempt to ensure that students are industry-ready,the AICTE is planning to introduce an initiative that will enable them to get systematic industry training. The Council is looking at collaborations with industry bodies such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI),among others for the initiative. The proposal is expected to be ready by June.
