Mamata committed to Presidency revamp

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all too eager to accomplish her promises of building a new Bengal. Higher education is one arena that's now among Mamata's priorities.

Mamata on Friday promised all support to the mentors' group in-charge of resurrecting Presidency University, erstwhile college, to levels that match or surpass its past academic esteem.

Nobel laureate and chief mentor Amartya Sen and Professor Sugata Bose, chairperson, mentors' committee, met Mamata at the Town Hall to discuss the road ahead.

"The chief minister said that the standard of higher education needs to be improved and attempts will be made to accomplish recommendations made by mentors (for Presidency University)," Bose said after the meeting and launch of his book, His Majesty's Opponent, a biography of Subhas Chandra Bose, at the Town Hall.

Professor Sen, who released Bose's book and met the chief minister before the book release, later said that discussion and involvement of civil society have been part of Presidency's set up and it's good that revamping is being carried out through discussion and people's involvement.

Sen said that certain areas, like research, need to be explored as the college has now grown into a university. Raising academic standards and coordination with the university's council are equally important.

He added that along with Presidency, higher education in the state in totality needs to be looked into.