Delegates at the meet at a city hotel on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Feb. 9: The standing committee on special science and technology package for the state universities and colleges met for the second time, after May last year, at a city hotel today.

Hyderabad University vice-chancellor and standing committee chairperson Saiyed Etesham Hussain chaired the meeting, organised by Patna University. The committee discussed the various modalities to upgrade science education in colleges and universities. The committee also met chief minister Nitish Kumar at the CM secretariat later and sought grants for scientific education.

At the committee meeting Hussain said a special package has been proposed to strengthen the educational infrastructure of the science colleges in the state. Under the initiative, 60 colleges will be identified and selected based on the potentials for excellence in science education and each college will get infrastructure support of Rs 50 lakh over a five-year period. Initially, Rs 20 lakh will be released to the colleges and after two years, depending upon the performance review, further funds will be released.

However, the meeting failed to reach any conclusion as the members differed on the 60 colleges to be selected. The members also did not fix the criteria upon which the grants would be released to the colleges.

The members, from different state universities present at the meeting, said colleges in Bihar have been classified into categories like constituent colleges, permanent affiliated colleges and temporary affiliated colleges.

At the same time, there are several colleges which are permanent affiliated, but has performed better than the constituent colleges.

The members also said since many colleges are not accredited by NAAC, such criteria would deprive them of funds.

State human resource development department principal secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, who was also present when the delegation met the chief minister, said: “The Centre will give Rs 76 crore for the development of science education in the colleges and universities of Bihar for a period of five years.”

The funds will be used to develop the infrastructure in colleges, like construction and renovation of laboratories, and to purchase science equipment.

Student exchange programmes will also be organised between the colleges and universities to increase the scientific temperament among them.