State plans tie-up with WEF to train students

The government of Karnataka is planning to collaborate with the World Economic Forum (WEF) to impart training to 10,000 students as Global Business Leaders. The government would be collaborating with WEF's Global Shapers for this programme.

According to a press release from the department of higher education, the programme is aimed at training students from universities and colleges under Open Source Leaders programme. Of this, 5,000 engineering students from Vishveshwaraiah Technological University (VTU) and another 5,000 students from under graduate and postgraduate courses will be trained.

Giving highlights of the achievement of the department of higher education in the first 100 days of the new government, R V Deshpande, minister for higher education, said the department proposes to establish a Karnataka Higher Education Academy to tackle the issue of quality in higher education. The academy will be set up at Dharwad on the lines of IAS and IPS Academy with modern facilities and infrastructure to provide best of the training to the newly recruited teachers.

He said the government has also initiated a proposal to set up Naipunya Nidhi to promote skills among degree and polytechnic students in order to improve their employability and promote entrepreneurship. The students will be imparted right skills, attitude and develop self-esteem among others.

"We want to promote higher education among students coming from economically poorer background whose family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. We will provide them an opportunity to take up higher education in general courses by awarding Rajiv Gandhi Scholarships to students who would avail loans from Banks for meeting their expenditure towards books, clothes, tools, instruments, required during their studies. In this direction already we have conducted a meeting with leading Bankers to formulate further action and implementation," Deshpande said.

The government also proposes to provide KSWAN (Karnataka state wide area network) connectivity to all government colleges and polytechnics along with LAN and accessories for broadband and Internet connectivity.

A sum of Rs 5 crore has been set aside for taking up innovative activities in VTU to encourage teachers and students to innovate. Innovation clubs are being set up in the University, he said.

The department is also planning to collaborate with Bombay Stock Exchange Institute to start new courses on Capital Markets, Banking Operations, Insurance and Financial Operations at UG and PG level.