New colleges to get rolling this session

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, June 19, 2007
THE STATE government had recently announced the setting up of six new colleges under Calcutta University (CU) and the good news is that these academic institutions will start admitting students from this academic session. The higher education department has already sanctioned the proposal and the university is currently in the process of inspection.
Classes for colleges under CU will start on July 16 and therefore activities have been put on the fast track to ensure that the new colleges get rolling from the current academic year.
“There is enough time. Within one week we will give them clearance. The (new) colleges will get ample time to distribute forms and admit students,” said Suranjan Das, CU pro vice-chancellor (academic).
To begin with, the colleges will be given permission to admit students in BA general course and gradually they will be allowed to open commerce and science sections and honours courses.
“It takes time for every college to set up the laboratory and library that is required to offer science, commerce and other modern subjects. Once the colleges fulfill these criteria they will be given affiliation for other streams too,” said Das.
All these colleges are being set up under the state government’s pay-packet scheme. Under the scheme the colleges have developed primary infrastructure and the state government will provide salary to its teaching and non-teaching employees.
“We have given sanction to 17 colleges under various universities. They are coming up in areas where there are no colleges within a 15-kilometre radius . The ratio of schools in those areas have also been taken into account,” said higher education minister Sudarshan Roychoudhuri.
Jibontala Mahavidyalaya, Canning; Mohitosh Nandi Madhavidyalay, Jangipara; Bamunpukur Humayan Kabir Mahavidyalaya, Hooghly; Shirakole Mahavidyalaya, Shadhan Chandra Mahavidyalaya and Amdanga College will be the new colleges under CU.
The new institutions come at time when the university is requesting the state government to lessen its pressure by shifting some of its colleges to other universities.
“We know that the university has tremendous pressure. The introduction of Part I, Part II and Part III system has put more pressure on the university. But the state government already has plans for a university in North 24 Parganas and if that happens about 50 colleges will go move out of CU and our pressure will be lessened,” said Das.
The higher education department is already looking for land in Barasat to construct the university. The new university will definitely ease the pressure on CU that at present caters to 160 colleges and admits over one-lakh under-graduate students every year.
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