Freedom may just be days away for Presidency College.

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, July 1, 2007
Speaking at the centenary celebration of David Hare Training College on Sunday, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said the final decision on granting autonomy — complete or partial — to the premier institution would be taken very soon. “We need more and more centres of excellence in higher education and Presidency College will be one of them,” he said. Higher education minister Sudarsan Raychoudhuri, who was also present on the occasion, added that the decision would be taken within this month.
The state government had formed a six-member committee for suggesting ways to develop the quality of education at Presidency College. Headed by West Bengal Council of Higher Education vice-chairman Subimal Sen, the committee submitted its report to the higher education department on May 30.
It suggested that Presidency be given special powers and concessions, which other colleges under Calcutta University do not enjoy, without being granted complete autonomy. But whether the state government will follow this suggestion is still not clear. “The matter will be discussed in the higher education council and with college authorities before a final decision is taken,” said Ashok Mohon Chakraborty, additional chief secretary of the higher education department.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister also expressed concern over problems dogging the education sector. Till now, the Left Front government had been harping on poor infrastructure as the biggest bane, but on Sunday the chief minister admitted that the quality of education too was suffering. “I am concerned. We are trying to find out ways to upgrade the academic standard. The problem begins right from the primary level,” he said.
There are 58,000 primary schools in the state, but not every child has the opportunity to go to school, he pointed out. “Despite our efforts, about 7-8 lakh students are still left out. In the 11th Five Year Plan, we will focus on this aspect and aim for cent per cent literacy as far as children are concerned,” he said.
Bhattacharjee also questioned the quality of teaching in schools. “Do teachers understand the needs of students? What is the quality of knowledge they gain after they pass out Class IV? These are some questions we need to answer,” he said.
Stressing on the need for vocational training, the chief minister said, “Every year, more than 500,000 students qualify the Madhyamik examination though all of them do not get first division. But that does not mean they cannot prosper in life. Vocational training can be the steppingstone to success.”
Bhattacharjee said the state government would open new colleges that will lay special thrust on science and technology. “Technology is our future. These colleges will help achieve our target,” he said.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com