Patna: The state govt will soon appoint assistant professors on a contractual basis with an improved pay package in all 211 newly created degree colleges to ensure quality education. The decision was taken at a meeting held at Lok Bhawan on Friday under the chairmanship of governor-cum-chancellor Syed Ata Hasnain. CM Samrat Choudhary, higher education minister Sanjay Singh Tiger and senior officials of Lok Bhawan and the higher education department attended the meeting.In the first meeting of its kind since the present governor assumed office, it was decided to strengthen the administrative machinery of universities and improve the quality of higher education. The meeting discussed in detail the steps required to bring greater transparency and efficiency to the functioning of higher education institutions.It was also decided to frame a new Act for all state universities based on the best practices followed by central universities and universities in other states. The meeting approved moving forward with a comprehensive proposal prepared by the higher education department after studying the university Acts of 15 states so that the legislation is aligned with present-day requirements.Samrat appreciated the recent initiatives taken by the chancellor and the state education department to improve the quality of higher education. He said the expansion of higher education should ensure students from Bihar do not have to leave the state to pursue higher studies.The universities were directed to implement all 26 modules related to accounts, finance, service conditions and academic packages on the Samarth portal by the end of the current calendar year. They are already carrying out admissions through the portal, the governor was informed. The meeting was also told that universities were saving crores of rupees by implementing the Samarth modules.Referring to the new guidelines for the faculty development programme (FDP) framed by Lok Bhawan, the governor said every higher education institution must organise at least one FDP every year to ensure the continuous development of teachers’ competence. The Madan Mohan Malviya Teachers’ Training Colleges of Patna and BRA Bihar University were being strengthened for this purpose. He added that the new postgraduate curriculum framework in 43 subjects, prepared recently at Lok Bhawan, would be approved in the first week of July.The meeting also decided to implement proposals for the chancellor’s post-doctoral fellowship, the chief minister’s research fellowship and research grants to raise the standard of research in state universities. It also approved the setting up of a dedicated chancellor’s library for research scholars and faculty members.The universities were directed to dispose of all pending applications for the award of students’ degrees by Sept 30.The decisions taken at the meeting are aimed at overhauling Bihar’s higher education ecosystem through better faculty recruitment, stronger university governance, improved digital systems, enhanced research opportunities and greater academic accountability with a focus on making the state’s universities more competitive and student-friendly.
