'Hunar', a road to self-reliance for women in Bihar

'Hunar', a scheme jointly launched by the Union HRD Ministry and Bihar Government to make women from minority communities self-dependent, is turning out to be a "huge success" in the state with over 13,000 of them joining the programme.

Under the scheme, started on an experimental basis in July last year, women from minority communities are being trained in computers and other skills like weaving, knitting, and child and maternity care.

"Hunar (Talent) is a huge success in Bihar which is the first state in India to implement the scheme. Altogether 13,884 candidates got enrolled for the programme," National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Chairman Dinesh Singh Bishth told a news agency.

The NIOS in collaboration with Bihar Education Project is engaged in implementing the scheme.

S Singh, Regional Director of the programme, said that the success of the project has encouraged the state government to extend the scheme for a further period of one year with a plan to enroll 50,000 Muslim girls this year.

Describing the programme as "highly-effective" in Bihar, state minority commission chairperson Baushad Ahmed said the scheme was proving to be "a big help in improving the social condition of the Muslims".

Called as skill development scheme for women from minorities, the blueprint for the project was prepared by the NIOS, which is provide free boarding for girls at the training centres.

There are over 10 millions Muslims in Bihar accounting for over 15 percent of the state's population. Despite several schemes for minorities, only 36 percent of the Muslims in Bihar are literate.

However, Muslim women in Bihar have literacy rate of 31.5 percent.

Under 'Hunar' scheme, after successfully completing the training, the candidates would be given Rs 2,000 as a grant to purchase machines or equipment related to their trade so that the can start their own business, Bishth said.

From this session, bee keeping, mushroom production, computer hardware, drawing, DTP, embroidery and elementary computer would also be added in the training, he said.

--
By :  News Team

Govt will try to implement Yash Pal report in 100 days: Sibal

Taking forward the process of reforms, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said the govt will try to implement in 100 days the Yash Pal committee's recommendations for setting up of a national commission in higher education and research.

"The report seeks to show a roadmap for future of education in India. The recommendations are pivotal for reforms. I believe it will be accepted by the nation," Sibal told reporters after eminent educationist Prof Yash Pal submitted the report to him at his office in New Delhi.

"Yash Pal committee has taken everybody on board in preparing the report. We will proceed with consensus and try to implement the report in 100 days," he said.The report on 'Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education' has been prepared after much consultation with all the stakeholders, including students and teachers, Prof Pal said.

"Our education system has become compartmentalised over the years. We have tried to bridge the gap between institutions and disciplines. We have suggested setting up of National Commission for Higher Education and Research which will be an apex body in education," he said.

The 24-member panel in its report has said that existing regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE have no business to perform the regulatory role.The universities will be made self-regulatory agencies.The National Commission for Higher Education and Research will be a constitutional body like Election Commission.

Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India will select people for the post of chairperson and members of the commission.The Constitution will have to be amended to create the commission.

The government will bring a new bill for creation of the commission.The bill will specify the role of the councils and whether the councils will continue at all."We have said these councils will no more decide what should be the design and structure of courses in universities. The universities themselves will decide their own course," a member of the panel said.

The thrust is to give full autonomy to universities which will function as self regulatory bodies and will be vested with all academic responsibilities.They will design the function and structure of programmes, including the medical and engineering courses, the member said.

The Commission will oversee the functioning of the universities and act as a facilitator for proper growth of higher education and research.Institutions will be empowered to offer all types of courses, including medical and engineering programmes.

Each programme will be inter-disciplinary in approach, the member said.Critical of the functioning of deemed universities, the committee suggested stringent regulations to ensure that these varsities provide quality education.

The committee had submitted its interim report in March this year.The committee was set up in February 2008 with the mandate of studying the functioning of different agencies in higher education and suggest measures to restructure the system of higher education.
--
By :  News Team