Panel to streamline higher education in Bihar

Patna, May 07: With a view to streamlining higher education, Bihar government is planning to set up a state council of higher education on the norms and guidelines laid down in the national education policy. Once the decision is taken, the three existing bodies - the Bihar State University Commission, Bihar college service commission and the Bihar inter-university board - would be amalgamated to make way for the state council of higher education, which is already successfully functioning in many states, secretary, state human resource development department Dr M M Jha told mediapersons today. Jha said the move to prune the higher education system gained momentum after the state administrative reforms commission strongly recommended having one body instead of three for higher education. The motive behind having the state council was to reduce the interference of the department even in routine works of the universities like promotion and appointment of teaching and non-teaching employees, Jha said. Sources in the department said that Governor Buta Singh as chancellor had also constituted a committee headed by retired IAS officer I C Kumar, now the vice-chancellor of Veer Kuer Singh University, to suggest changes in the Bihar Universities Act and other aspects to streamline the functioning of the universities. Keen on improving the standards of higher education in Bihar, the government might bring a bill for setting up the council, which is successfully functioning in many other states, sources said. Besides having administrative power, the proposed council will also have financial powers. As in other states, once the council comes into being, it will release grants and development funds after assessing the requirements of the universities, as the government instead of directly funding the universities will make available the funds to the council, the sources said. At present, the universities are dependant on the government for everything which should not be the case, the sources said. After the constitution of the panel for higher education, the role of the government would be confined to just monitoring the administrative work as the panel would work as the nodal agency for higher education in the state.

RANJAN RITURAJ SINH