2nd National Symposium
Dates: 13-14 November 2003
Place: Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology, Udaipur

Theme: University Autonomy and Quality Improvement of Higher Education

Sub Theme:

  1. Status of Agriculture Education in India

  2. University Autonomy - Concept and Issues

  3. Challenges and Opportunities of Higher Education vis-a-vis Teaching

  4. Research and Extension Education

  5. Excellence and Quality Assurance in Higher Education

  6. Agricultural Education in the Context of Globalization

Recommendations

  1. The concept of autonomy should be crystallized and its implications should be specified with respect to academic, financial, administrative and legal perspective.

  2. There is a great need for complete autonomy at all levels, which include the freedom to start new courses, create new posts and re-deployment of staff.

  3. The revenue generated by the university should be kept apart for the development of the university and should not be deducted from the annual grants-in-aid.

  4. The Model Act of the ICAR must be reviewed and after necessary amendments, it must be implemented in letter and spirit by all Agricultural Universities in the country.

  5. The intake for higher education must be restricted strictly on the basis of merit and the remaining sub-standard out-turned students be diverted/encouraged for vocational education/training.

  6. Job-oriented certificate and diploma programmes, in addition to the regular degree programmes, for upgrading skills and developing confidence of agricultural graduates should be launched to overcome the problem of increasing unemployment of agricultural graduates.

  7. The four year B.Sc. (Ag.) degree programme needs to be reoriented with two years study of basic courses, one year professional learning and in the IV year from the first semester for Rural Awareness Work Experience (RAWE) and the second semester should be devoted to interactive sessions.

  8. The degree programmes should include super-specialization in some of the emerging areas such as Natural Resource Management, Hi-Tech Horticulture, Precision Farming, Crop Production and Crop Diversification, Fashion Designing and Rural Home Management.

  9. There is a need to introduce need-based courses and their regular revision with changes in socio-economic condition of stakeholders and policies on macro development strategies at government level.

  10. The Master's Degree in Agriculture Engineering should be awarded with specialization in major areas of Irrigation Water Management, Renewable Energy Technology and Post Harvest Technology and Engineering.

  11. A meeting of Deans of all Home Science Colleges and Senior Home Scientists of SAUs and traditional universities be convened to discuss various issues related to higher education in Home Science in SAUs and to make the programme viable, professional and career oriented.