The Union Human Resource Development Ministry (MHRD) has sanctioned seven Community Colleges for the State. This alternative system of education is meant for the disadvantaged section of the society so as to offer them job-oriented courses.
The districts where these colleges would be set up are Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Koraput, Sundargarh, Ganjam, Baleswar and Mayurbhanj. For the time being, the colleges would run in various Government college premises and later have their own campuses, for which the MHRD would provide funds.
Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department GK Dhal is in touch with the MHRD and has, meanwhile, presented the financial proposal of Rs11.33 crore for these colleges. Official sources said funding would start from this financial year as per the decision of the concerned authorities.
The present arrangement is: the Dharnidhar College would host the Keonjhar Community College while the Fakir Mohan College would have the Baleswar Community College. The Community College of Kalahandi would be run at the Government College of Bhwanipatna; the Community College of Sundargarh at the Government Autonomous College, Rourkela; the Community College of Ganjam at the Khallikote College, Brahmapur and the Community College of Mayurbhanj at the MPC College, Baripada.
These colleges would offer courses which are a mix of knowledge and skill components, apart from offering courses for preservation and upgradation of skills available with people by virtue of their professions. There would be no formal qualification required for admission to the colleges, where the curriculum would be transacted under a three-year Honours degree course.
The colleges would design courses to upgrade traditionally available skills to a certifiable level so that the certified skills of learners are acceptable nationally. The colleges would act as catalyst centres for developing and promoting traditional skills of the community on the basis of commercial viability. The colleges would also offer barrier-free short-term certificate courses of various durations to the learners. It would be predominantly skill-based and would particularly take care of the workforce and lifelong learning needs of the locality.The MHRD has proposed to set up 100 such colleges on a pilot basis across the country during the 12th Five-Year Plan.