3rd Brainstorming Session

The 3rd Brainstorming Session on ‘Agricultural Education Policy’ was held on 8-9 March’ 2008 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

The major recommendations are:-

  • There is an absolute need to introduce agricultural education right from the school level upward culminating into vocational courses with particular emphasis on deliverables in each course.
  • The states may be encouraged to set up ‘Board of Higher Education’ in agriculture for improving the quality of education.
  • SAUs should make efforts to enhance influx of students from rural areas in agricultural programmes. Reservation of seats for such students in agriculture education through legislation may be an answer to it.
  • Admission to agricultural programmes in all the private/public institutions should be through common entrance test.
  • There is a need to reconsider monitoring of teaching quality, evaluation and to re-visit the internal evaluation as existed earlier than shifting to external evaluation.
  • Course curriculum should be made demand-driven to prepare students, to face the newly emerging challenges, and lay due emphasis on practicals.
  • SAUs should have more diverse range of relevant courses which the students can choose VIZ, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, Information and Communication Technology, Space, IPR, WTO, Agri-business etc.
  • For the sake of quality education, thrust should be given on Human Resource Development (HRD) in cutting edge technology areas as it used to be in the 1970s.No post should be kept vacant.
  • There is a need to establish relation/collaboration with traditional universities, IITs, IIScs., IIMs and industry for perfect wide range updated education.
  • There should also be a separate fisheries, live stock and animal husbandry education policy integrating education, research and extension.
  • Accreditation process needs to be speeded up and extended to private agricultural colleges. Simultaneously AUs should be equipped to handle the affiliation of private agricultural colleges to keep up the academic standards.
  • Evaluation system should be combination of both external and internal with 50 % weight- age given to each. As this is recently recommended, it may be reviewed after gap of some period.
  • There is a great need of open door policy to encourage students and teachers from basic sciences to join AUs and basic sciences students be admitted to agricultural PG courses.

 

Brain Storming Session was held at Indian Veterinary Research Institute, IVRI, Hebbal (Bangalore) campus on 17-18 August 2005

Theme: - Distance Education In Agriculture

Sub Themes:

  1. Role of Distance Education in Agriculture Development.

  2. Extension Education, Distance Education and Continuing Education - Conceptual Frame work.

  3. Current Status of Distance Education in Agriculture.

  4. Developing knowledge through Distance Education - ways and means.

  5. Changing attitudes and motivating through Distance Education.

  6. Veterinary Education through Distance Education for various clients.

  7. Cyber Extension and Information Communication Technology (Internet) in Agriculture.

  8. Imparting technical skills and conducting practical through Distance Education.

Major Recommendation

  1. There is general consensus that SAUs, DUs and CAU should not award formal degrees through ODEL in agriculture and allied disciplines at present and instead focus on catering to societal needs on demand driven vocational, entrepreneurial education and continued educational programmes for farmers, extension workers, rural youth and capacity building of agricultural graduates and faculty using ODEL.

  2. As a first step, in capacity building on ODEL activities and programmes at SAUs, each university may identify a Nodal Officer to eventually establish a Co-ordinating Cell on Distance Education. ICAR should be approached for funding under National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) for establishment of Distance Education Cells at all SAUs and CAU.

  3. Considering the Paucity of Specialised cadre of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary extension workers to promote livestock health and production based extension services in the State line departments, there is an urgent need to provide qualified veterinary extension specialists or alternatively give intensive training on Animal Husbandry and Veterinary extension programmes to the existing agriculture extension workers.

  4. ICAR should take the responsibility of training the faculty in SAUs and DUs on distance education and learning techniques and developing the course content with the involvement of agencies like IGNOU, ICRISAT, NAARM, Dept. of Information Technology etc.

  5. A provision may be made for engaging experts for awareness creation and training of the faculty in SAUs, DUs, CAU in distance education activities from the ICAR Education Development Grant under the Head HRD.

  6. A regional consortium approach for creating infrastructure for development and delivery of distance education to the clienteles should be supported by ICAR to strengthen the existing distance education facilities at SAUs, DUs and CAU.

 

"Brain Storming Session" of I.A.U.A was held in continuation of 26th Convention on 23-24 October, 2002 at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (T.N.).

Theme: - AHRD and State University Relationship

Some of the important points that were stressed are :

1. Training of faculty in new areas i.e. Information Technology, Bio-technology, Computers etc.

2. Necessity of basic science faculty.

3. Job oriented teaching, training and research.

4. Difficulty in coping up with syllabus of all-India pattern due to old and obsolete facilities.

5. Stringent financial situation does not allow high standards of education, research and extension, due to lack of staff and money.

6. Periodical revision of courses and syllabi to meet the developing advancements within 5-10 years.

7. There appears to be week linkages between administration/teaching research/extension and farmers responsible for poor growth, development and outcome from the University.

8. University should have some system of exposure/training for entrance tests to generate money.

9. An Advisory/placement committee be constituted in each University to facilitate and guide final year students.

10. Possibility of opening campuses in African and Gulf countries on the same lines asthe advance countries are doing/planning in developing countries.

11. A group of Scientists may be selected for patent writing and processing on the technology/material outcome of the University.