KBK Adivasi Central University & similar ones in other backward-n-tribal district clusters

The first draft of the KBK Central University proposal is now at:
http://orissalinks.googlepages.com/kbk.doc
and
http://orissalinks.googlepages.com/kbk.pdf

It was created using various data avaialble over the Internet and emails/ideas from Dr. Digambara Patra.

Chitta

HRD Ministry asks State for comments on tribal varsity

Deba Choudhury | Bhubaneswar With the reservation controversy still creating a turmoil of sorts in the country, the Human Resources Development (HRD) Ministry has more recently come up with an idea of setting a tribal university at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, with campuses proposed in several tribal dominated States including Orissa.

The Human Resource Ministry has invited comments on the proposal from various Ministries of the State including Home, Tribal Affairs and Agriculture. The proposed Indira Gandhi National Tribal University will encourage studies on tribal art, culture and traditions, forests and natural resources. Tribal students will be given priority in admission.

Amarkantak falls under the Fifth Schedule area and is close to the other tribal-dominated States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Maharashtra. The Sixth Schedule areas will subsequently be covered under the university. The D Swaminathan Committee, set up by the University Grants Commission, recommended the setting up of a university exclusively for promoting tribal culture and providing tribals access to higher education.

Now how an Orissa campus will help the State is a question perhaps even the Government has no answer to as the universities extant in the State do not function properly due to lack of resources and scanty financial allocation by the UGC. Time and again the poor State has been crying hoarse for a Central university since 1991. During the time of Biju Patnaik, the State had asked the Centre for up gradation of Utkal University to Central university status. However, the concerned Ministry, vide letter 14-71/90 UI on May 7, 1991, stashed it.

The Centre established three Central universities in 1994 at Kohima in Nagaland and two in Assam at Silchar (Assam University) and at Napaam (Tezpur University) in addition to the Central University (North-Eastern Hill University) in Shillong established in 1973. Not only these Central universities but also other Central universities were created by Special Act of Parliament from time to time. However, Orissa's cause remained unheeded.

Moreover, in 2005, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, urged the Centre to allot a Central university for KBK region but it was turned down.

However, spending 0.69 per cent of GDP on higher education and not conceding Orissa's demand to allot a Central university, though UGC guideline says the State with no Central university shall have to be given at least one, the union HRD Ministry's newly proposed tribal university with Orissa extension seems to be an act of providing a doll to please a crying baby.

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My thoughts:

I think the state govt should answer that:

(i) We want a central university in KBK and we are in the process of sending a
proposal for its inclusion in the 11th plan.

(See http://kbkcentral.blogspot.com/ for data and logic for such a
university. )

(ii) Since our plan is specific to KBK and its adjoining districst we request that
the Amarkanta Tribal University have campuses in the other
tribal districts of Orissa, namely Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh,
Sambalpur, Deogarh and Jharsuguda. The first 3 should have the highest
priority based on their tribal percentage.

Moreover these above districts are close to Amarkantak and
very far from KBK and KBK needs its own central university.

Chitta

From Outlook, Dec 22, 2000

Centre proposes tribal varsity

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Centre proposes to set up a tribal university at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, with campuses in several areas across the country.

The Human Resource Ministry has invited comments on the proposal from various Ministries including Home, Tribal Affairs and Agriculture. The Indira Gandhi National Tribal University will encourage studies on tribal art, culture and traditions, forests and natural resources. Tribal students will be given priority in admission.

Amarkantak falls under the Fifth Schedule area and is close to the other tribal-dominated States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Maharashtra. The Sixth Schedule areas will subsequently be covered under the university. The D. Swaminadhan Committee, set up by the University Grants Commission, recommended the setting up of a varsity exclusively for promoting tribal culture and providing tribals access to higher education. The Ministry accepted its recommendations.

I think along the lines of Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Banaras Hindu University, to make the purpose of the proposed university crystal clear, it should be named KBK Adivasi Central University and this university should have significant percentage of seats (say 30-35% each) reserved for both Adivasis and KBK residents.

Source: Moily Committee report (page 105) which cites the Planning Commission as its source.

Name of the State	Rural SC	Rural ST	Rural OBC	Rural Others	Urban SC	Urban ST	Urban OBC	Urban Others
Andhra Pradesh	16.5	23.8	10.4	4.1	41.4	45.0	30.8	17.6
Assam	44.0	38.7	39.4	40.0	20.0	2.7	17.3	4.1
Bihar combined	59.8	59.7	42.9	26.5	51.9	39.5	39.4	16.4
Gujarat	17.8	29.1	11.7	4.8	29.1	36.7	24.7	7.1
Haryana	19.0	-	11.9	1.2	25.4	-	6.7	4.5
Karnataka	26.2	25.5	16.1	11.8	47.0	51.4	27.9	17.2
Kerala	14.6	24.2	10.8	5.4	24.2	-	23.4	14.5
Madhya Pradesh combined	41.3	56.3	32.5	12.2	54.2	52.6	47.6	23.2
Maharashtra	33.3	43.6	22.2	13.6	39.9	43.0	32.9	21.7
Orissa	51.8	73.9	39.5	23.4	70.6	59.6	41.1	30.6
Punjab	12.4	18.0	7.4	0.7	11.3	13.0	9.4	2.1
Rajasthan	19.6	25.3	10.2	6.3	41.8	20.7	21.0	11.1
Tamil Nadu	32.6	43.2	15.0	11.8	44.9	5.2	21.9	8.0
Uttar Pradesh Combined	43.7	34.1	33.1	17.7	43.5	13.3	37.0	23.7
West Bengal	35.1	50.0	20.4	29.7	28.2	31.9	20.8	10.7
All-India	36.3	45.9	27.1	15.2	38.5	34.8	29.5	15.4

NSSO study shows widening urban-rural gap

Chetan Chauhan

New Delhi, November 4, 2006

The latest National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) findings put the gross enrolment ratio in higher education at just 11.4 per cent as against University Grants Commission claim of 13 per cent.

The NSSO clearly demonstrates a widening urban-rural gap in education, girl child and weaker sections not reaching the highest level of competitive education and dramatic fall in classroom attendance as students reach higher level of education.

With higher education infrastructure growing mostly in urban areas, as many as 20 per cent of urban youth are enrolled in colleges as compared to just 7.9 per cent in rural India. Orissa, which gets dismal allocation for higher education from the Centre, has only 4.1 per cent rural youth enrolled. Similar pattern is observed in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The exception are the north-eastern states, where most universities are funded by the Central Government, with overall higher education enrolment figure close to 40 per cent.

The debate over reservation to socially weaker sections in admission in higher educational institutions gets an interesting backing from the report findings. The study says the forward castes are much ahead of SCs/STs and OBCs when it comes to enrolment in colleges. As compared to just 8.2 per cent for SC, 8.9 per cent for STs and 9.5 per cent for OBCs, the enrolment figure for forward castes is about 17 per cent. However, their enrolment at primary level is comparative with forward castes.

The social bias against the girl child is clearly evident from the NSSO findings. Though 79 per cent of the girl population enrol in schools only 7.7 per cent reach higher educational institutions. The enrolment rate of boys in colleges is almost double than that of girls even though the difference in admission between the two at primary level is just five per cent.

If the girl is born in the weaker section, reaching higher education becomes even more difficult. Only 4.9 per cent Scheduled Caste girls reach higher education, with girls in Other Backward Classes slightly better with 5.8 and as high as seven per cent in Scheduled Tribes. But among forward castes, the number of girls taking admission in colleges is as high as 13 per cent.

Earlier this week, UGC chairman SK Thorat at an ASSOCHAM seminar on higher education had called private participation to bridge these disparities.

Email chetan@hindustantimes.com