Minister for Human Resources Development (HRD) N. Lokesh held separate meetings with the representatives of private school managements, private Intermediate, ITI and polytechnic college associations, and private degree colleges in the State to get a first-hand account of the issues faced by them and provide a solution to them.
Interacting with the representatives of private Intermediate, ITI, polytechnic, vocational and unaided college associations, Mr. Lokesh said they had a pivotal role to play in shaping the next generation. He said India was on the cusp of transformation and that the whole world was looking at it.
“In Andhra Pradesh, the government has plans to place five lakh skilled workers abroad in the next five years through the Overseas Manpower Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (OMCAP),” Mr. Lokesh said, adding that around 150 skilled workers, after undergoing training imparted by the TDP’s central office, had secured job opportunities in the U.S.
The Minister said the government would revamp the education system and upskill the youth with training through OMCAP to help them land jobs abroad.
Affiliations
Drawing the Minister’s attention to the problems related to affiliations, they sought a clear policy framework. Payment of reimbursement pertaining to tuition fee, maintenance fee and penalty fee related to college transfers were some of the issues highlighted by private Intermediate college managements. They also wanted a representation in the Intermediate Board Committee for Junior Colleges.
Speaking with the degree college managements, Mr. Lokesh gave his nod to extending the affiliations to colleges for a period of five years in one go, instead of the current system of renewing the affiliations annually.
He said, for prompt solution to the issues faced by the colleges, joint meetings would he held every month with the officials of the Department of Higher Education.
Similarly, for private schools, he said the validity of the recognition period would be extended for 10 years from the current eight. The Minister also assured them that he would look into their other issues and try to address them effectively at the earliest.
MLCs P. Ashok Babu, K. Srikanth, B. Ramgopal Reddy and V. Chiranjeevi were among others who participated in the meeting.
