Page 22 - EW March 2025

Education News

the state’s Visvesvaraya Technologi- ercise has been welcomed, inevitably investment in the state (pop.99 mil-
cal University (diploma graduates are education experts apprehend imple- lion) were signed.
qualified to seek lateral admission mentation challenges. In July last Education MoUs signed during
into the second year of the four-year year, the state’s department of tech- the summit included an agreement
BE degree programme). The new C-25 nical education admitted that 36.70 between the West Bengal government
curriculum specifically aligns with the percent of teaching posts and 80.40 and the British Council to improve
BE engineering syllabus. percent of non-teaching posts are va- English language learning in 84,000
Initial feedback to the new C-25 cant in over 150 state-run polytech- government schools, reforming uni-
curriculum is positive. “This is a wel- nics. This huge shortage of teachers is versity curricula, internationalising
come development. With the advent likely to endanger implementation of higher education, and assisting skill
of AI, machine learning, robotics and the C-25 curriculum within the short development. Sanjiv Goenka, chair-
other emerging technologies, it’s im- time of a few months prior to com- man of the Rs.2,595 crore RP-Sanjiv
portant to regularly revise syllabuses mencement of the new academic year Goenka Group, announced an invest-
and curriculums to produce job-ready in June. ment of Rs.10,000 crore in energy,
and employable certified graduates. Reshma Ravishanker (Bengaluru) healthcare, and education. Addition-
The job role of diploma graduates ally, Sardar Taranjit Singh, manag-
is to supervise shop floor workers, WEST BENGAL ing director of the Rs.638-crore
therefore, they must be abreast with JIS Group, promised investment of
latest industry skills. This will signifi- New beginning? Rs.450 crore, including Rs.200 crore
cantly improve workplace efficiency for strengthening JIS University
and productivity,” says Prof. A.S. fter 34 years of industrial sited in Agarpara (West Bengal). The
Seetharamu, former professor of stagnation under communist JIS Group operates 39 education
education, Institute of Social & Eco- Arule (1977-2011) and during institutions offering 185 programmes
nomic Change, Bengaluru. the first two terms (2011-21) of the to over 45,000 students. It pledged
India Inc is served by perhaps the incumbent Trinamool Congress Rs.250 crore for establishing a Rishi
least skilled workforce worldwide. A (TMC) followed by the too prolonged Aurobindo University at Mogra in
mere 4.4 percent of its workers have national Covid pandemic shutdown, Hooghly district.
received formal vocational and skills is the high-potential West Bengal Although within government and
training (cf. 52 percent in the US and economy on the mend? The Eighth TMC, there was considerable eu-
26 percent in China). Consequently Bengal Global Business Summit phoria about revived interest in the
industry, agriculture and service pro- (BGBS) 2025, staged on February state’s economy and large number of
ductivity is among the lowest world- MoUs signed, inevita-
wide. bly, opposition parties
“The Karnataka government’s pro- are sceptical. BJP
posal to overhaul the curriculum for leader Amit Malviya
diploma courses and in particular described BGBS as an
mandate a 13-week industry intern- “extravagant spectacle”
ship for all diploma students is the staged to “mask” the
need of the hour. The mismatch be- state’s poor economic
tween industry requirement and col- condition under TMC
lege curriculums has to be bridged chief Mamata Ba-
to increase employment, workplace nerjee for the past 13
productivity and efficiency. Diploma years.
courses that provide affordable skills According to
training to class X school-leavers are Mamata Banerjee (centre) at BGBS 2025 Malviya, 21,521 indus-
an overdue solution to India’s skill- trial units statewide
ing and unemployment challenge,” 5-6, attracted the participation of downed shutters between 2016 and
says Prof. K.R. Venugopal, former 5,000 delegates including 25 ambas- 2021, leading to huge job losses.
vice chancellor of Bangalore Univer- sadors and 200 foreign investors Citing data of the Corporate Af-
sity and chairman of the committee from 40 countries. fairs Ministry, he noted that major
constituted by the Delhi-based All In- Over two days, the state govern- companies including Britannia, have
dia Council for Technical Education ment received investment proposals exited Bengal. Malviya also cited
(AICTE) for inclusion of AI in higher valued at Rs.4.45 lakh crore and the state’s declining contribution to
ed curriculums. 212 memoranda of understand- India’s GDP — from 10.5 percent in
While the curriculum revision ex- ing (MoUs) and letters of intent for 1960-61 to 5.6 percent in 2023-24.

22 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2025