Students to be given degree after they plant sapling, says higher edu minister

TOI INTERVIEW

Students to be given degree after they plant sapling, says higher edu minister

Ramendra.Singh@timesgroup.com

Bhopal:22.09.2021

In an initiative for environmental cause, the higher education department has decided to give degree and marksheet to students after they plant a sapling. Higher education minister Mohan Yadav told TOI during an exclusive talk.

Higher education department has taken several new initiatives. What are they?

Students will be given a degree and marksheet after they plant a sapling. This will inculcate a habit of respecting and conserving the environment. Institutes should compulsorily get their entry on the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal. Its monitoring will be ensured at the directorate level. With this, changes can be brought in the GER of the state. Universities have been asked to adopt a village.

Colleges have been opened. What instructions have been given to colleges to follow Covid guidelines?

We have instructed the colleges to follow Covid guidelines in toto. We have started college with 50% attendance strength. As the students are of above 18 years of age they have been asked to submit certificate of at least first dose of vaccination.

Is it true that the state govt is planning to change the name of vice-chancellors?

It is completely true. Vice-chancellors will be known as Kul Guru. We will put it in the cabinet soon. We have got informal approval also. Kul Guru is a term which has been in use for the past several years in our tradition. We just want our students to continue that tradition. I think this will also help in generating higher respect for prestigious positions like VC.

Controversy erupted over adding topics like Ramcharitmanas or engineering of Ram Setu in academics?

I do not understand the logic of creating any controversy on these topics. First of all, this is not mandatory for students to study. It is optional and available for any student of any stream to study. Besides, even if it is added I do not think there is any harm for students to study such a great legacy of Indian culture.

There is a dearth of teachers in colleges. What steps has the department taken in this regard?

We have decided to recruit more teachers through PSC. We are working on it and the vacancies will be issued soon in the near future. We will be able to fill the majority of the posts in the colleges in the near future.