Bhubaneswar: The latest Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) report regarding higher education and job prospects for students in state-run universities paints a very bleak picture indeed.
It has pointed out anomalies in several colleges under Utkal University and North Odisha University (NOU). The report released Thursday audited records of Utkal University and NOU from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
Out of the 299 colleges under these two universities, 32 were randomly selected for checking. The CAG report claimed that majority of the students studying in these universities do not get on campus job placements like those in private institutions.
Many of the private universities claim 100 per cent placements while for Utkal University the figure stands at 26.10 per cent and for NOU it is 3.79 per cent. The report also pointed out the distinct lack of job placement and career counselling cells in the colleges.
“On an average 26.10 per cent students of Utkal University and 3.79 per cent of NOU could get placements through placements cells/job fairs. There was less than optimal functioning and, in many cases, complete absence of placement and career counselling cells at universities and colleges checked,” the CAG report said.
The report also recommended robust initiatives to give proper coaching to the students for competitive exams. It also pointed out the outdated syllabus and lack of revision of the same on a regular basis.
MORE P3 “Audit checked syllabi of 18 out of 42 subjects in Utkal and NOU and found that syllabi of 15 subjects were not revised, though due for revision. In NOU, only a quarter of courses had focus on employability and not a single valueadded subject was introduced in any of the test-checked Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs),” the report said.
The report also talked about the low percentage of availability of information and communication technology in such institutions besides large scale vacancy in faculty.
“Shortage of quality faculty coupled with lack of mobility across regions is a major constraint. Thirty eight per cent of faculty positions were vacant in Utkal University for the 2018-19 Session while at NOU it was 34 per cent. The student-teacher ratio in HEIs also did not adhere to the laid down norms (20:1), especially at college level,” the report said.
PNN