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| Friday, January 04, 2008
Community colleges may come under open university system
“It will be good if the scope of universities is widened”
TOPPER: Governor Surjit Singh Barnala presenting the degree
certificate to Amala Preethi, first ranker in BCA course,
at the annual convocation of Tamil Nadu Open University in
Chennai. Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy (right) and
Vice-Chancellor M. S. Palanichamy (second from left), are
in the picture.
CHENNAI: The Government is planning to bring community colleges
under the open university system, Higher Education Minister
K. Ponmudy said on Thursday.
Speaking at the convocation of the Tamil Nadu Open University,
he said it would be good if the scope of open universities was
widened. Community colleges, which provided a valuable alternative
education system, needed to be brought under one roof. They
gave training and qualification, especially to school dropouts,
offering bridging courses to those in need of vocational training,
or those with technical skills who need some theoretical background.
He said some correspondence and distance education providers
started commercialising education. Making it clear that he was
not referring to any specific institution, he said even courses
such as engineering and medicine were being offered under the
distance education mode.
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi
National Open University, who was awarded an honorary Doctor
of Science degree by the TNOU, said the open university system
was key to enhancing national productivity, since it provided
capacity building and training opportunities needed to strengthen
the quality of the workforce. Only five per cent of the Indian
workforce had any kind of academic qualification or vocational
certification, against 85 per cent in developing countries.
Pointing out that barely 10 per cent of the relevant age group
in India had access to higher education, Asha Kanwar, vice-president
of the Commonwealth of Learning and chief guest at the convocation,
urged that open and distance education be expanded immediately.
“It can no longer be a poor cousin of formal traditional
higher education. It has to become an integral part of the total
educational context.” University Chancellor and Governor
Surjit Singh Barnala awarded the degrees to the candidates.
In all, 14,384 students were awarded degrees, including 2,288
postgraduate degrees, and diplomas, although most received them
in absentia.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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