Institute of Eminence (IOE) selection process ignored balanced regional development: MP Ninong Ering

Our Correspondent

Itanagar, July 20: Expressing disappointment that none of the universities from the North-eastern region has been selected for the status of Institute of Eminence (IOE), Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Ninong Ering has urged the Centre to give due importance to the North-east in the process of deciding on universities of eminence.

"The concept of balanced regional development has been ignored in the IOE selection process, and such discrimination will result in chaotic downfall of education standard in the region," Ering said in a letter to Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday.

"The North-eastern region has a number of universities which are doing well, and they need to be given greater impetus to promote education in STEM and liberal arts," Ering said adding, that giving NE universities the IOE status would have encouraged industrialists and foreign educational institutions to come to this region and set up vocational/technical universities, "which could have provided necessary skills, improved the education quality, and possibly reversed the brain drain from the region."

Informing that none of the selected universities was from the Northeast region, the Congress MP from Arunachal East Parliamentary Constituency said only six universities (three public and three private) were selected, as opposed to the 20 universities (10 public, 10 private) that were initially planned.

"There is no justification on how these universities were selected, what criteria were followed and why only three public universities were selected and others denied despite the recommendation. This decision has disappointed many academics who have spent days and nights applying for the IOE status," Ering added in the letter.