Rama Devi & Khallikote colleges to get varsity status - Centre accepts proposal to upgrade infrastructure of other state universities

Rama Devi Women’s College in Bhubaneswar a

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 1: Two premier colleges of the state are going to get university status.

The city-based Rama Devi Women's College, which celebrated its golden jubilee last month, and Khallikote Autonomous College in Berhampur, a leading educational institute in south Odisha, will be upgraded to universities.

The Rama Devi University will be the country's second women's university after the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University in Mumbai.

Besides according the university status to these colleges, the infrastructure of existing state universities - Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) - will also be upgraded.

Higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahy said the Union human resources development ministry has accepted the state government's proposal to confer university status on Rama Devi Autonomous Women's College under its Rashtriya Uchhatar Siksha Abhiyan (Rusa) scheme.

Besides, the ministry has also approved the proposal to confer cluster university status to Khallikote Autonomous College in Berhampur. The cluster university will control colleges in the nearby areas, said Panigrahy.

"We will try to start the university function from the next academic session. The state government will do the needful in this regard," he said. The state government had sought a total of Rs 956 crore for various projects. However, the Centre agreed to release Rs 200 crore.The total cost of setting up the proposed women's university will be Rs 75 crore, of which the Union ministry is bearing the 65 per cent expenditure.

Khallikote Autonomous College in Berhampur. Telegraph pictures

In the first phase, the Centre would release Rs 55 crore each for these two new universities in three years. "In the first year, the colleges will be receiving Rs 18.3 crore each," said the minister.

Besides the two universities, proposals for upgrading the infrastructure of Berhampur University, Sambalpur University, BPUT and VSSUT have also been accepted. This apart, the proposal to set up six model colleges has also been accepted under Rusa in three years.

The state government has also decided to introduce more courses in these two new universities.

Apart from upgrading the colleges and varsities, the higher education department has a host of other plans for the year 2015. From filling up the vacant teaching posts to introducing market-oriented courses under the choice-based credit system for degree colleges, the department has decided to implement a slew of measures to give new lease of life to Plus Two and Plus Three students.

It has also planned to change the Plus Two syllabus, according to the CBSE model and introduce e-evaluation.

The CBCS will be implemented in all the autonomous degree colleges in 2015-16 academic year. Panigrahy said a uniform examination system and a common academic calendar would be adopted for autonomous colleges from 2015-16.