Jorhat, April 17: Jagannath Barooah College or JB College, a premier institute of higher education in Assam, has been selected for the Star College scheme of the Centre for financial aid to improve the quality of the under-graduate science courses, teachers' skills and enhance laboratory infrastructure.

It is the first college in Upper Assam and the tenth in the state to benefit from the first phase (three years) of the Star College scheme of the department of biotechnology under the Union ministry of science and technology. Another two colleges from the state, which were selected for the first phase, have not qualified for the second phase.

Principal Bimal Barah told The Telegraph that several colleges of the state had applied for the scheme last year and of the five colleges shortlisted for presentation in New Delhi, only JB College has been selected.

The college received the letter from the department recently and will implement the scheme from the next academic session, which starts in June.

He said the aim of the scheme is to add more value to the science departments selected under the scheme so that students and faculty get an opportunity to excel in their career and holistically improve the quality of science education.

Barah said in the first phase, financial grant is given to improve the quality of undergraduate courses by introducing inter-disciplinary practicals and projects, enhancing laboratory infrastructure and improving skills of teachers through continuous training programmes and arranging visits of students and teachers to national-level laboratories, research institutes and industrial units.

The principal said four college departments - zoology, botany, physics and chemistry - have been selected under the scheme.

He said according to the rules, a one-time assistance of Rs 5 lakh to buy equipment and tools for laboratories for each selected department will be given, while Rs 2 lakh will be given annually for three years to each selected department as recurring expenditure for training and other miscellaneous purposes. He said each selected department would also get Rs 1 lakh annually during the period to organise visits to prominent research institutes and industrial units. Barah said new inter-departmental practicals and projects would have to be prepared to enhance the quality of courses.

Barah said as JB College received autonomy last year from the UGC, it can redesign the syllabi of subjects selected under the scheme on its own without taking approval from the affiliated university.

He said during the first phase of the scheme, a committee constituted by the department of biotechnology, will carry out a yearly performance review and at the end of three years there will be categorisation.

Scheme coordinator and zoology faculty member Nilave Bhuyan said if a college was granted "outstanding" remark, it would qualify for the second phase - star status for the next three years.

In the second phase, the college will get Rs 10 lakh as one-time assistance while the other two funding will remain the same.

Bhuyan said if the college is given a "good" remark in the first phase, it will be given a chance to continue for another two years in the same category to qualify for the second phase.

If the college is adjudged "satisfactory" in the first phase, the scheme gets discontinued.

The maximum duration of the scheme is nine years, which means if a college is selected for the second and the third phase, it will be discontinued after completion of the last term, even if the college gets an "outstanding" remark.

A college that gets a "good" remark in the first phase and gets another two-year extension after qualifying for the second phase, will not be able to continue with the scheme even it gets an "outstanding" remark after eight years.