UGC to Launch an Inter-University Centre for Teacher Education

In an important move, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to set up an Inter-University Centre of Teacher Education during the current 12th Five Year Plan in order to yield a strong base of quality teachers in Indian Universities, said a top UGC official.

To be established at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 300 crore, the centre would deal with the requirements of south India, said UGC Vice-Chairman, H Devaraj, while addressing the 47th convocation at the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU).

Similarly, the UGC had introduced Faculty Recharge Program during the 11th Five Year Plan to improve the quality of teachers. As many as 104 teachers were selected under that program.

This groundbreaking move, as expected, would address the problems faced by the universities in lack of quality faculty.

The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development has also been trying to improve and transform the status of higher education through same track program -- Rashtria Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

The HRD minister asserted that the institutional mindset has to be transformed in India in order to facilitate the possibility of fostering cross pollination of various faculties and industry interaction that is necessary for the transformation of higher education in the country.

MKU Vice-Chancellor said on the occasion that the university had been identified among one of the 15 institutes in the country that facilitate connection to India program for undergraduate students of universities and colleges of USA.