President's rule has proved to be a boon for students and for college and university teachers waiting long for wage arrears in the educationally backward state of Bihar.
Bihar is under President's rule since March
Decks are being cleared for the execution of a series of measures, like introduction of the Central Board of Secondary Education curriculum and post-graduate courses in private medical colleges.
Appointment of 'Shiksha Mitras', amalgamation of academies of different languages, special teaching arrangements for visually challenged students, payment of University Grants Commission salary arrears to college and university teachers, besides special grants for madarsas and Sanskrit schools are the other thrust areas of the state administration under Governor Buta Singh.
Chief Secretary K A H Subramanian said a Patna branch of Birla Institute of Technology , Mesra (Ranchi) will start functioning from July. A 20-acre plot of the Bihar Veterinary College, Patna, has been allotted for the new institute. A memorandum of understanding between the state government and the BIT management will be signed soon in this regard. The state government will give Rs 30 crore for the institute.
Subramanian said the government has also taken steps to ensure that the Bihar school examination board follows the CBSE syllabus from the next session.
The administration will also allow post-graduate courses in private medical colleges of the state. To begin with, the medical education department has issued 'essentiality certificate' to a medical college in Katihar for starting PG courses in anatomy, pharmacology, pathology, micro-biology, preventive and social medicine, general medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, radiology, anaesthesia and orthopaedics.
President's Rule also brought cheers for teachers of colleges and universities in the state with the Centre releasing Rs 50 crore to the state government for payment of salary differences following implementation of the UGC scales. The amount will be paid as arrear for the period between January 1, 1996 and March 31, 2000.
Higher education secretary Navin Verma said of an arrear of Rs 112 crore, the Centre would provide 80 per cent and the state would provide the remaining amount as grant.
