Principals at the zonal review meeting in Khalikote (A) College in Berhampur on Wednesday. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Sept. 14: A zonal review meeting of principals of government, non-government aided and private colleges from Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts was held at Khalikote (A) College in Berhampur today.

While addressing the meeting, minister of higher education Badri Narayan Patra asked college principals to pull up their socks and deliver quality education, failing which higher education may pass into private hands.

Stating that private colleges were performing far better than their government counterparts, Patra said: “We have failed to deliver quality education in almost all the colleges. Our students are not performing well in all-India competitions. This is because there is no evaluation of our teaching.

“There is no effort to develop the communicative skills of the teaching staff. If this continues, higher education might become privatised.”

He advised the principals and staff members of the participating colleges to update their knowledge and create human resources for the nation’s progress.

Patra also stressed the need for organising subject-wise seminars for qualitative development of the higher education sector.

Higher education department secretary Chandra Sekhar Kumar, joint secretary Anirudha Rout, director B.P. Nanda, state consultant (higher education) P.C. Acharya and Berhampur’s director of education Kanakalata Mishra attended the meeting and an open-house discussion along with 162 principals of different colleges from the three districts.

Kumar said regular feedback from the principals of different colleges would go a long way in improving the higher education scenario.

“The principals must involve themselves in organising weekly review meetings, unit tests and monthly tests and checking syllabi,” he said.

“I am confident that the education system will improve if you make sincere efforts,” he told them.

Kumar also urged for the formation of a core committee in colleges to prepare an action plan for a better academic atmosphere.

This meeting was the first of the eight zonal review meetings planned by the higher education department.

The next meeting will be held in Sambalpur later this month, sources said.