All-India character for regional colleges urged

New Delhi, May 5: The high powered committee set up by the Union Education Ministry on the Regional Engineering Colleges has suggested that these institutions be renamed Central Engineering Colleges.

Admissions to all the Central Engineering Colleges through an entrance examination for the State quota as well as the quota for other States is one of the far reaching suggestions in the report just submitted to the Government. Some other important recommendations are: Selection committees for all categories of posts should be constituted properly and healthy conventions established in appointing experts. Posts should be advertised on an all-India basis. Travel expenses for persons called for interview should be paid as in the case of institutes of technology.

To achieve national integration and improve the quality of admissions the committee suggested the provision of full rail concessional provision fares by second class once a year to students from other States whose homes are more than 500 km from the colleges. The existing scholarships available in each college should be divided equally between the students from within the State and those from outside. Colleges should provide opportunities for students from other States to imbibe something of the language and culture of the State.

The organisations and programmes of the Central Colleges should be linked up with other engineering colleges in the State, the Central Colleges with overall powers for both academic and administrative purposes.