Jorhat, March 16: To encourage entrepreneurship among students of technical institutions, final-year students of the Jorhat Engineering College have organised a two-day national-level technical festival, “Skill-2003”.
Anandita Das, a member of the technical committee, said nearly 70 students from 25 technical institutions across the country, including the IITs in Kharagpur and Chennai, are expected to participate in the festival, beginning April 4.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had been invited to inaugurate the festival, but he declined it because of other engagements, Das said.
Technical experts from Oil India Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd, Coal India Ltd, NIIT and Wipro are expected to attend the festival.
Workshops by students of the engineering college on cryogenic engines, CMC engines, quality management and different electronic projects will be the highlights of the first day. Interactive sessions between the students and higher officials from IOC, Tata, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd and the Jorhat-based Regional Research Laboratory have also been planned.
A national seminar on “Engineers in the present scenario of unemployment: Challenges and objectives of self-employment” will be the main event of the festival. Kulendu Pathak, vice-chancellor of Dibrugarh University, Jayanta Madhab Bora, and Sadananda Sahu, dean (PG) of IIT, Kharagpur, will address the seminar.
Cash prizes will be given to the first three position-holders in the science model competition for undergraduate students.
Bodo textbooks
Teachers and guardians of children studying at Bodo-medium schools have expressed concern over the non-supply of books meant for free distribution among middle-school students, reports our Kokrajhar correspondent.
“We were unable to start classes on schedule due to the non-availability of books,” said N. Borgoyary, a Bodo-medium schoolteacher.
Though the textbooks are meant to be distributed to students of classes V to VII at the beginning of the academic session, the schools are yet to receive the books.
Moreover, this year students of class VII of Bodo-medium schools have been forced to use the Assamese books in three subjects — general science, general mathematics and social studies.
“The attitude of the state government towards the Bodo-medium schools has never been good. Why should Bodo-medium students have to wait for books when the Assamese editions are already out,” said A. Basumatary, a high-school mathematics teacher.
