HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Jan 11: Governor Gulab Chand Kataria attended a briefing session at Raj Bhavan on Thursday where he took stock of the ongoing initiatives undertaken by Higher Education Department to enhance the enrolment and quality of higher education.
Taking stock of the programmes implemented by the Higher Education Department, Governor Kataria emphasised the need for meticulous expenditure and monitoring of budget utilisation. He asked officials to give special attention to the revenue expenditure of the department and instructed them to closely oversee SOPD projects and central-sponsored schemes.
Moreover, the Governor underscored the need for primary and qualitative research in the higher education department. He said that qualitative research has a positive impact on society. Quality research also elucidates impacts on accreditation and ranking by the bodies such as NAAC and other agencies. Emphasising the need for dedicated efforts in this regard, he asked the department to prioritise research activities. He also asked the officials of the department to focus on addressing the infrastructure gaps present in the technical institutes across the state.
Stating the National Education Policy 2020 a crucial development for the higher education institutes of the state, the Governor asked the officials to dedicate their efforts and attention to implement the NEP 2020 across the state. Furthermore, he sought information on the implementation status of the multiple entry and multiple exit in state higher educational institutes.
In a bid to ensure accountability and quality of higher education, the Governor called for regular monitoring of results across all higher educational institutions. He proposed the establishment of monitoring teams tasked with evaluating institutes comprehensively and adherence to quality.
Minister of Education Dr Ranoj Pegu, adviser Education Government of Assam Prof Nani Gopal Mahanta, additional chief secretary Higher Education department, Biswaranjan Samal, senior officers of the department including officials from the Directorate of Higher Education and Directorate of Technical Education were present at the meeting.