To improve the dismal state of higher education in Jaipur, the Indian government will soon come up with a dedicated policy. Quality, employability, research and private sector participation are likely to be the core focus areas of the new higher education policy. The state planning board (SPB), in a joint collaboration with six eminent universities, is working on a draft which will be discussed by leading educationalists on August 31 and July 1. The planning board has formed six committees to look at applied and innovative research, faculty engagement, student’s perspective, corporate participation and how to bring students of socially downtrodden sector into mainstream. “To get enough skilled man power in ever-growing industrialisation in the state, we have constituted six working groups. Their studies will be placed before a group of leading thinkers in education sector and suggestions will then be included in a report,” said VS Vyas, deputy chairman of the state planning board. According to official figures, Rajasthan at present has 2877 institutions of higher learning. However, a shortage of faculties, the continuous increase in workload due to introduction of new courses and a decrease in research and development activities has led to an overall drop in the quality of education. “Many colleges in the state are on verge of closure. There are no students or their quality is too poor. But same time there is a huge demand for skilled manpower in the state which our universities are not providing for manufacturing and corporate sectors. The new policy will address all these issues,” said Ashok Bapna, chairman of working group for education, SPB. The panelists who will review the six studies includes Goverdhan Mehta, former director of Indian institute of Science, Padma Vibhushan recipient MM Sharma, Mohandas Pai, chairman of Manipal Education Group, SS Mantha, chairman, AICTE, Narendra Jadhav, member, Planning Commission and Pawan Agarwal, advisor to Planning Commission on higher education. The policy will also deal with the integration of school education with demands and needs in higher learning. “Today even basic knowledge of English, Maths and Science is missing in school students. In such a scenario, interventions just in higher learning won’t help. So a portion of policy will deal with linking school education with future demands of profession life,” said Bapna. Source: Education News