Santanu, I agree completely with you. The engineering colleges in each district can be the works of partnership among Assamese individuals abroad, Assamese individuals spread out in India, rich and entrepreneurial Assamese folks in Assam (they have to take the lead), and the governments at various levels. They could do wonders. A consortium of some kind, with input from IIT-Guwahati, AEC, JEC, REC-Silchar, Tezpur University and Dibrugarh University, can provide accreditation to these private-public engineering colleges.
Along with these, we can think of building some management colleges/departments in each district. Possibly, some districts may have management college, and others engineering colleges. We need to get businesses going everywhere. Jugal > I do agree that fostering quality private medical and engineering > colleges (and even business schools) in district towns can do wonders. > However, such institutions cannot be built simply through voluntary > contributions - simply having the requisite amount of money is not > enough. There are thousand and one ways in which such publicly gathered > funds can stagnate, depreciate and disappear. Like any other business, > it requires dedicated entrepreneurship and a willingness to invest based > on private anticipated returns. And to that extent, the constraints on > development of such institutions in Assam are the same as for any > industrial enterprise. > > There are hopeful signs though. Just look at the private schools (called > public schools in India) that are apparently mushrooming in Assam and > making tons of profit from the wealthy. If these same or similar > entrepreneurs move on to slightly more ambitious enterprises - we could > see this happen very soon. There is a decent market. I know of tons of > Assamese and other north eastern students who pay a lot to go to (rather > unknown & often low quality) private engineering colleges in small towns > of Orissa, AP, Gujarat... Students of this genre (and their parents) > might easily be attracted to spend substantially less & go to local > private colleges that are of at least as good quality. Further, somewhat > less wealthy students who cannot afford to live far away but can manage > the tuition will enter the market. There is plenty of money flowing > through the upper middle class in other north eastern states and some of > their wards can be attracted for similar reasons. Keeping up the quality > of these institutions requires offering scholarship to bright poor > students - and eventually, the benefits can flow in all directions. The > one questionable factor is placement and these private colleges will > have to work out (profit sharing?) arrangements with better colleges of > such kind in India located in prime cities to get help with placement. > Institutions like IITG, AEC, JEC etc can actually be roped in to provide > some kind of certification. > > The entrepreneurship has to come from Assam. Local public co-operation > can help. Donations by nonresident Assamese may help. But it can be done > even with bank loans, provided the return on investment looks good. And > when it does, we may not really have to talk about it. We might just see > it happen. > > Santanu. > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of J Kalita >> Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 10:55 AM >> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Subject: Re: [Assam]Re: Another issue >> >> >> I was talking to a friend of mine who a colleague here at the >> University >> of Colorado in the Electrical Engineering Department. He is from >> Mangalore. He told me that South Kanara District where he grew up has >> 2 medical colleges and 5 engineering colleges. So, it's not >> far-fetched to imagine that Assam can have an engineering college in >> each district. We already have an IIT to provide the leadership, and >> engineering college (which can be a department of the "best" college >> in each district), but with separate rules to encourage >> entrepreneurship, independent thinking, rigorous curriculum, >> accreditation requirements, etc.. could do wonders. >> >> My colleague also told me that all the colleges in his district >> are private. They are making huge amounts of money from students >> outside the state/district and even abroad, but providing >> scholarships to >> local >> needy students. A byproduct of having medical colleges >> is that there is excellent medical facility in the district. >> >> What our discussion concluded that in Karantaka, the IISc and >> the Federal >> Institutes and labs, provided the high level energy, and the smaller >> 50+ engineering schools in the state provided energy from below. Both >> these worked in synchrony to an extent to make Karnataka bloom. >> >> On a side note, if we produce too many engineers in Assam, we >> will export >> them to India and abroad. :-) It's going to bring dividends >> in the long run. >> >> To make this happen, even partially, we need to have the rich people >> in Assam come forward to help build these colleges, even a few. There >> are may be 1500 Assamese families (if we count each >> individual as a family) >> in the USA, the UK, Australia, Europe, etc., and they can't >> do it! It has >> to come from cooperation of those who are in Assam and have >> money and talent, >> and those who are in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, etc., and done well, >> and those who are in foreign countries. We cannot depend on >> one group alone. >> >> Jugal Kalita >> >> > >> > Roshmi Choudhury wrote: >> > >> >>But have you thought about the brain drain problem that is going on >> >> with the IITians? >> > >> > What kind of brain drain you are talking about? That is a wrong >> > >> > term! Not all the IIT graduates come out of the country. >> Only a portion >> > come >> > >> > out and that is not bad I guess. That way they are marketing >> > >> > Indian Brains to the world. And that is why we have millions of >> > >> > jobs outsourced to India. If we look at the trend in job >> > >> > outsourcing from US then we can see that most of the jobs are >> > >> > outsourced to India and China and these two countries have the >> > >> > maximum number of immigrants ( or potential immigrants) in >> US. So they >> > >> > are contributing to the Indian economy in an indirect way ( not >> mentioning >> > >> > about the recent investments in India by these people ). >> > >> >>By now we realize what it means to have a hundred computers >> lab, super >> >> computers, the most recent CAD software, etc - well it is >> some recovery >> >> from the students, but that is really minimal considering >> the amount >> >> the government invests. >> > >> >>A lot of money and time is wasted in educating these bright >> youngsters, >> >> and then they leave the country for better prospects >> instead of trying >> >> to create a technologically advanced country. >> > >> > Again I cannot agree with this one. I will say wastage when you >> > >> > produce hundreds of degree holders without even a little knowledge >> > >> > about what they studied and where are they going to use their >> > >> > knowledge they acquired ( if any ). To be frank I don't see >> any reason >> > >> > why we should have hundreds of arts postgraduates coming out of the >> > >> > universities every year. I know couple of guys who went to ITI >> > >> > after they finished their masters. That is called wastage of money! >> > >> > What do you think? >> > >> > >> > >> > Santonu>From: santonu goswami <santonu_g_2000 at >> yahoo.com>>To: assam at >> > pikespeak.uccs.edu>CC: shntikamhaz at hotmail.com>Subject: [Assam] >> Another issue>Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 20:33:39 -0800 (PST)>>I do agree >> with you. I think fees have never been a problem for any IIT >> >>aspirant.>And I think it is time we should change our attitude that >> > education should >be free of cost.>>We can see the oucome of free >> education in thousands of postgraduates who >donot know >> what to do with >> > their degrees. That way, the govenment is >actually wasting a lot of >> money for nothing. That amount could have been >invested to >> create some >> > entrepreneurs ( perhaps Jugal Kalita's proposal) . >But who cares? >> Instead of creating some courses which can creare some >entreprenurs >> either we are creating more seats or more universities or >> more >capuses. >> > Why? Is it because we have more postgraduates and that is >> why we >need >> > more jobs or we are having more students and that is why we >> need more >> >>universities? The math is >> > realy puzzling to me. That way we will go on >creating >> more and more >> > useless educated. Is there a realistic solution to >this problem? Or >> our universities will become some production units for >educated >> jobless( unproductive ) people?>>Regards>>Santonu>shantikam hazarika >> <shntikamhaz at hotmail.com> wrote:>>Fees have never been a problem. >> Nowa days banks bend backward to give >educational loans. Even part >> time studenst in the Assam institute of >Management have >> managed bank >> > loans. One student even got a loan for his >summer project. >> IIMCalcutta >> > advertises that no student who secures >admission in iimc needs to >> worry about the fees.>>shantikam hazarika>> >From: santonu >> goswami>>> >> >>To: assam at pikespeak.uccs.edu> >Subject: Re: [Assam] Export IIT >> > concept?> >Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 11:08:18 -0800 (PST)> >> >> >Any comment >> > on Saurav Da's mail regarding IIT >> > fees?>>>--------------------------------->Nutrition is in! >> Junk food is >> > out! Be a part of the microwave >> > revolution.>>--------------------------------->Do you >> Yahoo!?>Protect >> > your identity with Yahoo! 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