By Pallavi Mishra
Dehradun, 22 Sep: At the behest of the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand, an educational tour comprising faculty members from the Government Colleges and Universities of Uttarakhand was organised to visit Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for academic interaction, exchange and enhancement from 15 to 20 September.
Dr Arun Kumar Chaturvedi, Nodal Officer, coordinated the entire programme by scheduling and monitoring it. The educational tour is an initiative taken by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Minister of Higher Education Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, and the Secretary, Higher Education, Dr Ranjit Sinha. They won a lot of appreciation and accolades, both, from the members of the organising institution and the faculty members who participated. The scheme, titled “Mukhyamantri Ucch Shiksha Gunvatta Unnayan Evam Gyanvardhan Prashikshan Yojana (Shaikshik Bhramana Yojana), 2025, is a successful collaboration between Department of Higher Education, Uttarakhand, and UGC-MMTTC, Jawaharlal Nehru University, for the qualitative improvement of the state of higher education in the state.
Prof Ravi Shekhar, Programme Director, UGC-MMTTC, in his valedictory speech appealed to the faculty members attending the programme that they need to strengthen the state by empowering its youths through knowledge and skills and sharing with them the nuances of research methods and techniques which could broaden their horizons. He advised working harder in academics with full sincerity and integrity, so that the maximum utilisation of time and human resources could be made for a secure future.
He added, “The present Government of Uttarakhand has invested a significant amount on improving the quality of Higher Education as compared to other states like West Bengal and Kerala where it is meagre. As College and University teachers we must not overlook the sincere and genuine efforts made by the Government of Uttarakhand which is keenly observing and generously investing on higher education. Their efforts are commendable, which must be held in high esteem, and we must pay back through our skills, research and knowledge.”
The educational tour comprised lectures from eminent academicians like Prof Yamini Roy Chowdhury, Prof Vivek Kumar, Prof Shankar Sharan, Prof Heeraman Tiwari, Prof T Vijay Kumar, who elaborately spoke on research, artificial intelligence and the National Education Policy. The careful application of Artificial Intelligence in academics was much emphasised. The participating Faculty members also visited the School of Humanities, Social Sciences, & School of Language & Culture, Media, the University Central Library, etc. A visit to major historical sites was also arranged.
As a participant in the educational tour, Pallavi Mishra, working as Assistant Professor in the Department of English, SDM Govt PG College, Doiwala, expressed her gratitude towards the Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Uttarakhand, for providing her the opportunity to visit the premiere institute and, also, to the Chief Minister & Minister of Higher Education for envisioning the scheme. She said, “The premier institutes can offer the best of minds if they are focused towards imparting knowledge to the youths of the country rather than moving out to foreign countries. The maintenance and upkeep of these institutes also clamour for attention. The profound knowledge base can be accessed by keeping these visits both–sided i.e., the Professors can be invited from time to time to visit far–off colleges of Uttarakhand that would prove to be helpful.”
