Teachers Training colleges mired in fincial crises

From Our Correspondent

Silchar, May 10: The  University  Grants  Commission (UGC), a  government  body  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  coordition, determition  and  maintence  of  standards  of  higher  education  in  the  country, allocates  grant-in-aid  from  public  funds  to  the  central  universities  and  other  institutions  of  higher learning of the  country. All the states  in  the  country  receive  UGC Grants for  the  purpose of   upliftment  and  developments of  their respective higher  educatiol  institutions. But  sadly  this  is  not  the  case  for  Government run B.Ed   colleges  in the  state  of  Assam.

 During the time  of  the government  headed by  Prafulla  Kumar  Mahanta, the  administration  of  the  these  B.Ed colleges  was  transferred  from  the  Department  of  Higher  Education   to  the  Department of  Elementary  Education. Due  to  this  decision, taken  without  assessing  its  consequences, these  B.Ed  colleges stopped  receiving  grants  from the UGC    as  it  does not entertain any  recommendation of  the  Department of  Elementary Education. Because of  lack  of  farsightedness, on part of the then bureaucracy and  political  establishment,  these colleges  do not  get  any  grants  or  favours  from  the  UGC and  the  Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)  sponsored  schemes. No state in India, with the exception of Assam, according to the information received from the MHRD, Shastri Bhavan, avoids Central Grants to maintain their respective B.ED colleges.

 The  B.Ed  colleges  in  Assam, consequently   are  maintained  by  the  government  of  Assam by  its  own  funds  which  has  led  to  a  fund  crunch in this institutions. The shortage of funds has become a road block in the path of development in infrastructure of these academic institutions. Even the subsidy for college teaching staff’s salary is not forthcoming from the Central Government. The losses accumulated due to this self-opinioted decision, has resulted in fincial losses to the state exchequer to the tune of around Rs.100 crore.

 It is high time that the present state government looks into the matter and rectifies the fault in the system to improve the academic conditions of the B.Ed colleges running in the state. This issue was highlighted by Prof. Dilip Kumar Dey, former principal of Government Teachers’ Training College, Silchar in a letter to Sarat Borkataki, Education Minister of Assam, a copy of which is with The Sentinel. The copy has also been forwarded to Commissioner of Fince Department, and Secretary to the Chief Minister, Assam, for their kind attention to the fincial loss of Assam by Prof. Dey.