Assam governor chairs meet on higher education

GUWAHATI: Assam governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday presided over the second consultative committee meeting on higher education at the Raj Bhavan, marking a significant milestone in shaping the educational landscape of the state as well as to attain the goal of Viksit Bharat @2047.

The meeting delved into crucial topics, including the establishment of an NEP cell, the incorporation of IKS and VBSY in every higher education institution (HEI), preparatory steps for launching post-graduate education on the basis on NE in all the higher educational institutions in Assam and examinations under FYUGP in alignment with the NE guidelines, the Raj Bhavan stated.

A focal point of discussion was the preparation of HEIs for the introduction of one or two-year PG programmes from the academic year 2024-2025, as outlined in the UGC circular dated November 17, 2023. The emphasis was also placed on readiness for UG/PG research labs and on the importance of education in "environmental science and climate change," the statement said.

The governor encouraged HEIs to actively adopt intellectual property rights (IPR), patenting, trademark, and copyright practices in their research and development cells, suggesting the creation of dedicated cells or centres in each institution.

During his address at the meeting, the governor expressed a keen interest in activating and facilitating the implementation of NE. He called upon members of the group to form small member committees of higher education institutes and higher education departments of Assam to personally visit various HEIs for in-depth discussions on academic and administrative matters. These committees are to be a form of peer groups for sharing and mutual learning in particular focus on the implementation of NE.