RECs in for major facelift, to get more financial aid

NEW DELHI, JULY 21: Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) are going a get a major facelift. Not only will be they come under the Block Gran...

NEW DELHI, JULY 21: Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) are going a get a major facelift. Not only will be they come under the Block Grant System on the pattern of the IIT/IIMs, they will also henceforth have greater financial support.

Proposing this at the parliamentary consultative committee meeting, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Murli Manohar Joshi said the RECs would be restructured like the internationally reputed IITs/IIMs to reduce regional disparities in technical education.

The RECs will also be deemed universities with full academic autonomy to facilitate academic innovation, promote interaction with other institutions and industry.

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They will have a common entrance text under the umbrella of National Education System of Testing (NEST) – a single-tier test with objective type questions. Joshi also that the HRD Ministry also holding consultations with educational institutions and state governments to hold the first test.

Joshi clarified that the proposal to strengthen and restructure the RECs is being considered on the basis of the recommendation of the High-Powered Review Committee. The RECs will also focus more on post-graduate courses and information technology which is one of the key areas of development in this part of the world. The HRD Minister also directed the All India Council of Technical Education to process the applications for the self-financing technical institutions as fast as possible.

Agreeing with the members of the parliamentary committee on the regional disparities, the HRD Minister said that problem arose from the fact that private initiative was not forthcoming in the north and eastern part of the country.

The Ministry has also formulated a scheme to integrate the physically disabled in the mainstream of technical and vocational education. Fifty existing polytechnics in different states will be selected for this purpose where 25 students with disability per polytechnic will be given diploma level technical courses.