Latest news with #TANSCHE
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
TANSCHE to annually train 180 UG and PG students during vacations for national level entrance tests
The Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) will train 180 UG and PG students of basic sciences annually to get them ready for national level entrance examinations. According to a government order issued earlier this month, 30 students each from and programmes in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics will be selected from government colleges through a merit-based screening test. During summer and winter vacations, they will be put through two five-day residential workshops 'aimed at enhancing the conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills'. This would help the students face national entrance examinations such as Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM), Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST), Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), National Eligibility Test (NET) and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) Graduate School. The government has allocated ₹28 lakh per annum for the two residential camps. The programme seeks to provide a level the playing field for students from poor and marginalised backgrounds and increase their enrollment into premier institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER). At the two camps, the students will be trained by qualified faculty members with proven expertise in problem-solving and examination coaching and will be provided with curated study materials free of cost. Academic support will also be extended to the students round the year through online session.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
T.N. to establish new ranking list for higher education institutes
The Tamil Nadu government has provided in-principle approval for establishing a State Institutional Ranking Framework (SIRF) — a ranking list for higher education institutions in the State. According to a government order issued on Monday, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE), which had in a letter to the government earlier this month proposed to develop indicators for performance assessment of higher education institutions, will be the implementing authority of the ranking. The government has agreed to sanction ₹75 lakh for implementing the SIRF, and ₹10 lakh to meet preliminary expenses such as forming an expert committee, stakeholder consultation, and software development. The ranking will seek to 'encapsulate holistic development of students in terms of skill acquisition, competency development, and professional readiness', besides ranking institutions on other metrics. In the first phase of implementation, an expert committee would be formed for consultation with stakeholders across academia and industry to finalise indicators and evaluation metrics. These will be tested in 20 diverse institutions across disciplines. The indicators will then be refined based on feedback before the project is rolled out in full. Such a move was necessitated as the current ranking frameworks, including the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), largely focused on indicators such as research output, faculty-student ratios and publication metrics. There was insufficient focus on student learning outcomes, overemphasis on number of publications and citations, heavy reliance on institutional self-reporting without verification, limited stakeholder engagement and absence of a level playing field, the order said. A holistic outcome-based evaluation capturing aspects like problem solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork and ethical reasoning would be a key feature of the SIRF. Institutional performance would be assessed through indicators such as internships, employability indices and alumni outcomes, besides seeking inputs from students, faculty, employers and alumni. All submitted data will undergo verification and TANSCHE will provide open access to its evaluation criteria. For this, the Council will set up a digital platform for data submission, analysis, visualisation and reporting, the order added.
New Indian Express
07-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
TANSCHE to unveil first-ever model policy for academic and administrative audit of HEIs in TN
The policy will require the HEIs to ensure if they have appropriate student support systems on the campus, if adequate actions are being taken to ensure safety of students, measures taken for their mental well-being, and mechanisms in place to address grievances received from students of any kind. 'The policy is designed to enhance transparency, administrative efficiency and academic performance and it applies to all HEIs in TN, however, state-run institutions will be our priority,' said MP Vijayakumar, vice-chairman of TANSCHE. Notably, the TANSCHE had recently released a draft model policy on technology usage in HEIs, which promotes digitisation of all services and facilities available in institutions. According to higher education department officials, TANSCHE is working on 12 such policies like policy on outcome-based education, infrastructure and equipment maintenance, among others, to improve the quality of HEIs and ensure accountability. The remaining 10 policies will be released in the next few months. Sources said TN also plans to link the release of a certain percentage of monetary grants to the HEIs on the basis of their adherence to these policies. The adherence to the policies will also be taken into account during the State Institutional Ranking Framework (SIRF) ranking.
The Hindu
26-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Anna University signs MoU with Autodesk to set up design and innovation lab
Anna University on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Autodesk, a multinational technology and design company, to set up a Design and Innovation Lab at the Centre for University-Industry Collaboration (CUIC) on the University campus in Chennai. With the establishment of the lab, over 30,000 students from Mechanical, Civil, Architecture, EEE, and Media Sciences will be able to use the educational version of Autodesk's technology products. Besides, at least 10,000 students from polytechnics and ITIs will be trained in futuristic technologies every year free of cost. In addition, about 400 faculty members will be trained every year as trainers for skilling, upskilling and reskilling. The company has made a ₹1.28-crore donation to the University to conduct year-long training programmes at the lab, said CUIC Director K. Shanmugasundaram. The MoU was signed by J. Prakash, Registrar, Anna University, and Conway Goh, Director-Asia Pacific and Japan, Autodesk Education Experiences, in the presence of Govi. Chezhiaan, Minister for Higher Education. Mr. Goh said recent figures in the company's State of Design and Make Report showed that talent crunch impacted business growth and industry leaders were struggling to find employees with the right technical skills while also lacking resources to build effective internal training programmes. The widening skill gap, he said, was forcing the leaders to rethink workforce strategies. At the Design and Innovation lab, students would be able to experiment on Autodesk platform solutions and have access to one of the most sophisticated AI technologies: Generative Design. QR-based feedback for students At the same event, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) launched a QR-based feedback mechanism for students in government colleges and universities. The QR code will be made available at all campuses of government institutions and students would be encouraged to raise complaints or offer feedback over amenities like drinking water, sanitation and canteen. The feedback will be registered on a dashboard that would be managed by respective institutions with oversight from the Higher Education department. Guidelines for educational institutions Mr. Chezhiaan also released a draft policy on e-governance for higher education institutions in the State brought out by TANSCHE. M.P. Vijayakumar, vice-chairman, TANSCHE, said that the Council was in the process of bringing out a set of policies on 12 different areas, including recruitment, research, affiliation, university-industry collaboration, outcome-based education, skill-based education, and internet usage. These would first be released as draft policies and suggestions would be invited from all stakeholders. The final shape of these documents would be that of model policies, adherence to which would enable institutions certain privileges, like grants. J. Innocent Divya, Commissioner, Directorate of Technical Education, and E. Sundaravalli, Commissioner, Directorate of Collegiate Education, were present.
The Hindu
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
SIPCOT and TANSCHE join hands to make students industry-ready
The State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) has joined hands with Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) for an initiative where students will be prepared for industry roles prior to graduation. 'We are acting as an interface between industry and TANSCHE,' K. Senthil Raj, Managing Director, SIPCOT said. 'On Thursday, we hosted a meeting where we gathered insights from companies on the skill gaps they observe in graduates of recent times. The idea was to understand what industries will be seeking from graduates over the next decade,' he added. Around 100 companies across five SIPCOT Industrial Parks in Kancheepuram participated in the meeting, offering insights into job roles, skill requirements, and assessment frameworks that would help in tailoring training programmes to align with the evolving needs of the industry. The meeting was chaired by K. Senthil Raj, SIPCOT Managing Director and M.P. Vijaya Kumar, vice-chairman of TANSCHE. 'With the rise of Generative AI and ChatGPT, the need for people in routine jobs will decrease. In the coming years, there will be a greater demand for more creative people. We need to equip our students accordingly,' Mr. Raj said. 'TANSCHE will be circulating a questionnaire to companies on what they are looking for – we will facilitate that,' he added. This initiative was conceived with a specific focus on students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The initiative provides students with opportunities like internships, technical competitions, and inclusion in an empanelled talent pool. For industries, this model helps reduce post-recruitment training costs and facilitates early engagement with emerging talent. Students will get to select preferred roles by the end of their first year and undergo regular assessments.
