Berhampur, March 3: Representatives from various educational institutions has finalised draft syllabus for 60 subjects at the two-day workshop on common syllabus and regulations for undergraduate courses under choice-based credit system (CBCS), which concluded at the Berhampur University today.

'The ball is now in the government's court,' said Berhampur University vice-chancellor Deepak Behera.

Higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahi, who presided over the concluding session, said focus should be put on initiatives for capacity building of the teachers.

Principal secretary of higher education department B.K. Dhal said the exercise to have a common syllabus across the state began in seven to eight months ago. 'We have to develop infrastructure and resources to introduce this new system. We are not giving importance to the capacity building of the teachers, which is very important. The students may face difficulties, as they are the stakeholders. They may resist accepting the system. Reform to a new system is not so easy,' Dhal said.

Vice-chancellors of seven government-run universities, including Chitta Ranjan Tripathy from Sambalpur University, Prafulla Chandra Mishra from North Odisha University, and director of vocational education department Rosnara Begum, attended the workshop.

Tripathy said: 'Around 50 to 60 per cent posts in most of the colleges are lying vacant and we have to recruit adequate number of teachers and sensitise them. We have to amend the university statute and come out with a government order before introducing the common syllabus.'

Mishra said that it is necessary to open a special cell in each college to educate the students about the pattern and how to learn more. Begum said a skill-based university should be established and each university must develop skill hubs. She thanked the experts for selecting 10 out of 30 vocational courses.