The Higher Education Department has outlined a 17-point action plan under the Mo Sarkar programme to ensure better service delivery in the higher education sector.
As part of the action plan, lecturers’ attendance will be monitored through biometric machines to ensure that they discharge seven-hour duty on every working day. Besides, minimum 75 per cent of attendance has been made compulsory for students to appear annual examinations.
This apart, ‘Mo College’ platform would be established in line with the ‘Mo School’ campaign to allow alumni and other interested persons to contribute to development of colleges, said an official.
The action plan brings a new change in the guidelines for distribution of free laptops to meritorious students. Meritorious students of well-to-do families will be excluded from laptop scheme on income ground. Under the scholarship programme, merit lists will be prepared at district as well as block level to ensure that all meritorious students get the benefit. A Scholarship Council will also be formed to maintain transparency in the distribution process. The action plan also stresses on activating career counseling in universities and reputed colleges and skilling of students of degree colleges to enhance their employability, including soft skills like spoken English.
These apart, colleges and universities would be asked to excel in a few subjects/courses so that outside students can be attracted, said a letter written to the Planning and Convergence Department from the Higher Education Department.
Efforts would be made to get colleges accredited under the NAAC. Besides, a uniform transfer policy will be brought in for both teaching and nonteaching staffs, the letter added.