Education in Aurangabad!!

Over the years coverage of school education has gone up in the district and the region. This is reflected in the census data as well as the percentage of educated citizens has now reached 87.5%. The focus of school education therefore should be on increasing the quality and decreasing the dropout rates.

Let’s now focus on after school skill development and higher education. Merely getting everyone into colleges and churning out graduates should not be the aim of higher education. Indeed the system cannot afford to have everyone in college. Those unable to pursue higher education should have an alternative available to them at a place near to their residence. The need of the hour is skill development along with technical and higher education especially development of soft skills and entrepreneurial spirit.

In the past, Aurangabad had good number of facilities and institutions available for pursuing higher education attracting students from other states, cities and even foreign countries. Government Medical College, Government College of Engineering along with education societies such as Sarswati Bhuvan Education Society, Marathwada Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, MIT, Maulana Azad Education Society, PES, MGM etc have catered to the needs of the citizens.

The scenario changed recently with many proposed niche institutes such as IIIT and IIM being shifted to other cities. However Aurangabad and surrounding area have been promised institutions such as School of Planning and Architecture, Institute of Chemical Technology, Skill Development Institute at Shendra, Science City and Rural Development Institute at BAMU, Upgradation of State Institute of English to Center of Excellence status, National Law University etc. Of these, NLU (also established in Nagpur and Mumbai) has started functioning from this academic year from a loaned premise, while SP&A, ICT and Skilled development institute, Rural Development Institute, Science Centre remains on paper.

For the development of any city institutes of national and state importance play a major role. They attract talent from all over the country and provide skill up-gradation and job opportunities for the locals. With people from different states and sub nationalities, the city acquires cosmopolitan culture thus providing a base for the talent to settle down which eventually attracts big business and industry.

To become an educational hub, Aurangabad needs many such institutions like SP&A and ICT. In the field of Medicine we should push for AIIMS or AIIMS like state Government Institute. This will give the necessary boost to public health in Aurangabad and help establish a premier research institute in the field of medicine in the region. In engineering, on the lines of ICT Mumbai’s sub campus being established at Jalna, we can have an IIT Mumbai’s sub campus at Aurangabad, which can eventually outgrow to become a full-fledged IIT in itself. Management Institute of national repute offering MBA programme can be invited to set up a campus in Aurangabad. Industry bodies like CMIA can take the lead in this respect.

Aurangabad houses a well-established army cantonment and a defence cluster is proposed for the production of defence equipment at the DMIC node in Aurangabad. To aid in the defence manufacturing process and build institutional capacity, the city can be a host to various defence research facilities. Infrastructure of Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics should be upgraded and emphasis should be on imparting industry requisite technical and soft skills. Many things have been promised and many proposals are pending, the list just keeps on growing. Will of state leadership and constant public pressure is required to get the sanctioned projects off the ground and turn the tide in the field of higher education.

Online Petition for SP&A Aurangabad

Sign the petition to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar to Set up School of Planning & Architecture in Aurangabad

The proposed SPA in the city would only be fourth in the country after New Delhi, Bhopal and Vijaywada. While making the announcement, the state government made a provision of Rs 10cr for the project in its annual budget for 2015-16.
According to sources, the district administration has not received any instructions from the state government regarding finalizing the land for SPA.
We demand that Marathwada be given justice and SPA is established in Aurangabad as soon as possible. Need to create public pressure on this issue. Hope everyone is on board and will work at individual level to highlight and raise this issue at every forum available.