VCs urged to chalk out strategy to impart quality education

Chandigarh, Jul 3 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon vice chancellors and college principals to jointly chalk out a strategy to impart quality education to economically poor and bright students, especially those with rural background.

''It is my endeavour that none should be left illiterate and uneducated in the state, because the growth and development in terms of physical infrastructure is meaningless until we improve our human resource through imparting quality education at the levels of schools, colleges and universities'', he said while presiding over a conference of the Vice Chancellors of Universities and Principals of the colleges from all over the state at Law auditorium of Panjab University here.

He said that career counseling for 10+2 students had been introduced for the first time in the state in order to facilitate aptitude-oriented professional placement for the youth.

Mr Badal asked the vice chancellors to allow starting 'add on courses' in the colleges affiliated to their respective universities to enable students to get vocational training so that they were gainfully employed later on.

The Chief Minister impressed upon the principals to keep a liason with concerned authorities of universities, Director Public Instructions (Colleges) and Universities Grants Commission to derive maximum benefit from schemes relating to scholarships for the students under different categories, grant for expansion of infrastructure in colleges and recruitment of qualified and trained staff.

Speaking on the occasion, Vice Chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Mool Chand Sharma asked the principals to send comprehensive proposals under various schemes offered by the UGC.

He said that 374 new colleges would be jointly set up by the Ministry of Human Resources and UGC which would be funded by the Commission.

In his welcome address, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr R C Sobti briefly outlined the special courses started by the university especially for the benefit of rural students.

Earlier the Chief Minister released a calendar on various scholarship schemes for the students prepared by the Punjab DPI Colleges.

UNI VKJ VN1820