TOI: Thiruvananthapuram:
Monday, October 07, 2019
In
view of the lukewarm response of higher education institutions (HEIs) towards
the first ever higher education survey, the Kerala state higher education
council (KSHEC) has requested the state government to make participation in the
survey mandatory for all higher education institutions in the state.
The
survey, modelled on the national higher education survey, was initiated by the
council as part of the efforts to create a database on the academic and
infrastructure facilities in colleges in government, aided and self-financing
sector. The absence of reliable data was cited as one of the major impediments
the state face while formulating policies and interventions in the sector.
The
survey was launched on January 31, 2019, by the council through a dedicated
portal on KSHEC website though which the higher education institutions were
expected to upload the data required. The council informed all the institutions
and universities about the importance of taking part in the statewide survey.
The council even extended the deadline several times for institutions to participate
in the survey.
The
council had also sent email intimation to all HEIs for registering in the
survey portal by designating an employee of the institution as a nodal officer,
exclusively for this purpose. The present status of the survey indicates that
only 36% of the HEIs functioning in the state have registered in the survey
till date, a resolution, passed by the executive body of the council in this
regard, said.
“It
may be noted that all the government and aided HEIs are covered by the Right to
Information Act 2005 and as per the UGC/ AICTE directives all HEIs have to
mandatorily disclose all information pertaining to the institution for the
benefit of all the stakeholders. In this context, the executive body meeting of
the council has decided to request the government to issue a government order
which mandate all higher education institutions in the state to compulsorily
participate in the All Kerala Higher Education Survey, invoking provisions in
RTI Act and UGC/ AICTE directives related to mandatory disclosure of
information by the HEIs,” the resolution, passed and submitted to the
government, said.