Begin typing your search...
Ministry of Human Resource Development to replicate IIT-M model
Impressed by the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras Research Park (IITMRP) creating a vibrant ecosystem for innovators and entrepreneurs, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said the ministry would form a committee to enable setting up of such facilities across the country.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
Along with IIT-M, the IITs in Mumbai, Kanpur, Gandhinagar and Hyderabad were provided funds to create such research facilities, which are at various stages of completion. “Immediately after going back to Delhi, I will review the progress of all the IIT research parks and we will form a committee for a coordinated effort to see that IIT Madras Research Park is replicated everywhere,” said minister Javadekar, after visiting the research park on Thursday.
The facility, he added, provided real interaction between industry and academia. Understanding the need to encourage school students in the field of innovation and technology, the government has started the Atal Tinkering Lab for which 2,400 schools were chosen, out of which 800 have already established the labs.
“We are providing Rs 25 lakh to create a library, and to provide facilities for artificial intelligence, 3D printing, robotics and the Internet of Things.” Even as he complimented the progress made in technology space, Javadekar pointed out that the country lacks in hardware innovation.
“We call ourselves IT superpower, but only in certain sectors,” he said, citing the example of Taiwan which made impressive progress by investing in hardware. Calling himself an environmentalist at heart, Javadekar, a former environment minister, said he was pleased that the research park was eco-friendly. He added that the government is also launching a campaign called Smart Campus. The aim is to save, conserve, recycle and harvest water, and to save and generate electricity.
The minister also inaugurated a newly-built conferencing facility that includes a 150-seater conference hall named after Sir CV Raman and a 50-seater conference hall named after S Ramanujan, and a multi-purpose lounge. Javadekar interacted with young entrepreneurs, and took a round inside the premises on electrical vehicles.
NEET: State syllabi inclusion not easy, says experts
Even as the Ministry of Human Resource Development is considering the curriculum of the state boards while deciding the syllabus for National Eligibility-cum -entrance test (NEET), experts said that the process may not be as easy as it sounds. S Somasundaram, an educationist said, “A lot of factors goes into conceptualising a competitive exam question paper. Almost every state has its own syllabus and bringing all of it together would be mountain of a task.” It is not clear when the change will be implemented. “Those writing the exams this year have already started with the preparations and this is too late to change the syllabus. There has to be some clarity on when the changes will be implemented,” said T Venkatesh, of Kancheepuram who takes free NEET coaching classes for financially weak students. Massive protests were held in Tamil Nadu last year regarding NEET where many educationists objected to the fact that the NEET question paper is based on the CBSE curriculum. This would keep students from different state boards at a disadvantage. Students in Tamil Nadu wanted to be exempted from writing NEET but that didn’t come along.
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
