GUWAHATI, Sep 24 � The Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University has launched a series of curriculum reforms in the backdrop of the challenges emerging in the social as well as employability front.
Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Srinath Baruah while addressing media persons here on Monday informed that subjects like Spoken English, Computer Application and Office management have been made mandatory at the BA level for the young students so that they get employment after completing their course. For those older students who are not bothered about getting a job after completing BA, cultural history of Assam (both folk and traditional) will be compulsory instead of Computer Application and Office Management.
�In view of the tough competition that is ahead for today�s generation, we decided to bring in some curriculum reforms,� said Baruah adding that the need of the hour was to usher in reforms in the educational field so that young people do not have to sit jobless.
It needs to be mentioned here that the university has provided free vocational training to around 2000 youths of the region through the ITIs and Polytechnics of the State on subjects such as welding, plumbing, electrical housewiring etc so that they could be absorbed in different industries or create their own employment opportunities.
The university is also planning to cover all the jails in the long run so that the jail inmates too can avail opportunities of higher education. So far, the inmates of Guwahati Central Jail, Jorhat Central Jail and Abhayapuri Jail have been availing this opportunity free of cost. On the other hand, the university has from this year also started providing free education to the differently abled individuals.
�We have also been entrusted with the responsibility of training more than 50,000 untrained teachers over a period of three years by the government of Assam,� informed Baruah.
The university is introducing communicative certificate courses on various tribal languages from next year. According to the university authorities, this initiative will go a long way in ensuring integration and wide recognition for the tribal languages. �All our activities are aimed at providing the best to the students,� said Baruah pointing out that the university�s experimental internet radio has proved very advantageous for the students across the nook and corner. The community radio of the university is now live on the internet as e-Jnan Taranga. This e-radio could be listened to at www.kkhsou.in/crs by minimum of ten thousand listeners at the same time. The university is also planning to open regional centres at Jorhat, Silchar, Kokrajhar and Lakhimpur. It has already submitted a Rs 216 crore master plan of its permanent campus at Patgaon. The university has decided to organize the first Dr Bhupen Hazarika Memorial lecture on Nov 5.
