GUWAHATI, March 3 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today advocated a research- based employment-driven curriculum for higher education which should be restructured every five years to keep the education system in tune with the changing times.
Holding a review meeting of the higher education department in the conference room of his office at Janata Bhawan this evening, the Chief Minister said the education system is the mirror of a society which should have an answer to every phenomenon happening in the society.
�An education system with deep-rooted emphasis on research and development would go a long way in solving various societal problems of our society,� he said.
Sonowal added that in today�s society, unemployment is a key issue and education should be imparted to stimulate the employability quotient of the students.
Sonowal also advocated encompassing components like skill, research education, culture, sports and industry with the ambit of education to help the students respond to the present need of society more effectively.
Taking a note of the Gross Enrolment Ratio of Assam which is 17. 2 per cent at present, of the students between 18 to 24 years of age, the Chief Minister asked Principal Secretary Higher Education Ajay Tiwari to take steps to make higher education more skill-driven and career-oriented through participatory teaching to stop brain drain of the students from the State.
He also issued instructions for revamp of polytechnic colleges in the State and for transforming them into skill centres. He reviewed the progress of work regarding setting up of three universities, Sri Sri Bhattadev University in Barpeta district, Sri Sri Madhabdev University in Lakhimpur and Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore University in Hojai.
Sonowal asked the higher education department to expedite the process of starting the academic activities of the proposed Cultural University at Majuli. He said that till the new cultural university gets its exclusive campus on the river island, academic activities should start from an alternative accommodation from this year itself.
The Chief Minister asked the Principal Secretary to expedite the process of setting up private universities like University of Marine Science, Amity University, Techno India University and CV Raman University, on which an MoU has already been signed. He also called for necessary administrative intervention for creating sports infrastructure in every college of the State, to which effect an MoU was also singed.
Adviser Higher Education to Government of Assam Dr. Mihir Kanti Chowdhury, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sanjay Lohiya and senior officers of the higher education department were also present at the meeting.
