SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 19: The teachers and the management of the state government-owned Birsa Institute of Technology (BIT) Sindri are face to face over autonomous status to the institution.
The BIT Sindri Teachers Association while opposing the move of the Higher Technical Education department, has shot off a memorandum to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for keeping the institution under the state government in the interest of the poor and meritorious tribal students.
“BIT Sindri is the lone government engineering college of Jharkhand government. After getting an autonomous status fee of the institution would be enhanced many folds. As a result, the poor, meritorious tribal and general students of the state would be deprived of engineering education,” said Prof Amar Kumar Sinha, secretary of BIT Sindri Teachers Association in his memorandum to the chief minister.
The teachers’ body said it is nothing but an attempt to privatize the institution. The Association charged that autonomy is being granted after keeping teachers, non-teaching staff, and students in dark. The teachers have urged the chief minister and the education minister to save the institution in the interest of students.
On the other hand, a senior officer of BIT Sindri said that for all-round development of the institution, the Higher Technical Education department has decided to make it an autonomous body.
Earlier on August 13, a high-level team under Additional Chief Secretary of the higher technical education department KK Khandelwal visited BIT Sindri and discussed with the management and teachers the development and extension of the institution. Technical education director Arun Kumar Singh, IIT Kanpur Prof Vinod Kumar Singh, Prof Yogesh M Joshi were other members of the team.
BIT Sindri management sources said IIT Kanpur and IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad had also recommended granting autonomous status for the institution to run at the pace of changing times in technology.
“ After the creation of Jharkhand in 2000, Bihar has set up 34 new engineering colleges and all smoothly functioning under the state government. Jharkhand has still a lone engineering college ( BIT Sindri) but conspiracy is on to make it autonomous at cost of poor students,” the teachers; body said.
