Govt. assessing manpower, resource needs

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI, JUNE 17. The State Government has embarked on a serious attempt at estimating the manpower and resources requirement for engineering education in the next five years.

A high-level committee has been given the task of making a projection of engineering manpower in the State in different disciplines. This will enable the Government to decide the actual number of engineering colleges required in the State to meet the demand of various sectors of the economy and industry.

The move assumes significance because the Government is on the verge of deciding the grant of `no-objection certificates' for starting engineering colleges for the coming academic year.

Once the committee, to be headed by the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) Vice-Chairman, Dr. M. Anandakrishnan, finalises its report, the direction for growth of engineering education in the State can be decided upon. ``We want to first estimate the demand for various sectors and disciplines and the nature of the output of the engineering education programmes here'', Dr. Anandakrishnan said after a meeting of the TANSCHE here on Saturday.

The analysis would also be on economic basis, by assuming two or three growth scenarios. Already, Tamil Nadu is looking at sectors such as power, information technology, petroleum, automobile and agro/food processing, for large investments in the next few years. ``We can assume different growth rates to make the analysis of human and other resource requirements''.

At the same time, the quality of the output can be projected so that norms are established to estimate the number of teachers required and how to bridge the gap between the existing and required teacher strength.

Also, a policy instrument could be evolved to determine the intake capacities in colleges and see whether it would be possible to have a `flexible intake' so that changes could be made according to shifting demand for courses. Similarly, it would be possible to see whether the existing colleges could be strengthened or new ones started.

Another issue discussed at the meeting was suggestion to implement the State Government's announcement of setting up `Centres of Excellence' in different universities.

At the behest of the Government, the Council had identified some areas of excellence and the universities had been asked to present their track record and special capabilities in such areas. A committee could evaluate and identify the talented groups to produce world class research output and means of converting such research into products.

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Section  : Southern States
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