State to get seven model colleges run by universities

“They will be university constituted colleges and will be run by the universities under whose areas they fall,” Minister for Higher and Technical Education Rajesh Tope told The Sunday Express. He pointed out that this was for the first time that the universities would be running colleges of their own in a departure from the usual practice where colleges are affiliated to them.

Each college will be built at a cost of Rs 8 crore,out of which Rs 3.5 crore will be funded by the central government and the remaining funds will be contributed by the state government,said Tope.

The land for the colleges had been identified and an agreement between the state and the Centre has already been inked. The colleges will also have hostels for residential students and will run on government grants.

Tope said in addition to conventional streams like Arts,Science and Commerce,these colleges would also have courses like hospitality management and degree courses which would enhance the employment potential of students. “We will have curriculum which is relevant (to the job market),” said Tope,adding that these institutions would have better quality of education and faculty.

Tope also said the work on these colleges,which were scheduled to be started by June 2012,had begun.

The plan to set up these colleges is part of a five-year scheme announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in August 2007.

The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has plans to set up model degree colleges in 374 educationally-backward districts (EBDs) across the country. Of the 374 EBDs,200 model colleges were to be set up between 2007 and 2012.

The plan was announced with an objective of catering to the needs of students in the EBDs and improving access,equity and inclusiveness.