Emphasizing on the need for designing new certificate courses that provide jobs, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari today exhorted the Open Universities to shift focus on catering the needs of market and industry. As the common varsities offer traditional courses, the open universities should formulate a variety of new courses enabling the youth get jobs in various sectors, he said. Since Telangana Government is giving priority to various sectors with job potential including the Agriculture, Health, Animal husbandry and others, the open universities should work out a plan to devise new courses, Srihari stated.
He was inaugurating the Centre for Staff Training and Development Building in Dr BR Ambedkar Open University, and wished it to become the best institution at national level. Srihari stated that it was decided to fill up 1061 vacant posts and help provide quality education to the students to help them excel in their future endeavours. As part of strengthening the varsities, Chief Minister K Chandhrasekhar Rao has allotted Rs 420 crore for the varsities and Ambedkar University gets Rs 20 crore, which should be used for providing basic amenities, practical knowledge using latest equipment for the students and for infrastructure and new buildings.
He said that it is prime time for the varsities to tap the drop outs and offer them special courses and introduce job-fetching courses in the fields of health, education, agriculture, industry, IT and others. Stating that Dr BR Ambedkar Open University was started in the year 1982 as the first open University in the country, he said about 30 per cent of the students are being qualified from similar Universities.
Srihari said that the contribution of the Open Universities in the country is significant as they cater to the changing needs of the drop outs. Pointing out that Keralites are dominating in the fields of education and health, Srihari sought the open university to formulate certificate courses to roll out trained veterinary and agriculture assistants and nurses to get jobs immediately and cater to the market demand.
On the allocation of Rs. 20 crores to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Vice Chancellor and Professor K.Seetharama Rao has thanked the Chief Minister and Srihari. He promised that new courses will be designed as per the demand of market and industry. The VC said that in future more students will be attracted for the new courses in open universities.(NSS)