KOCHI: In a bid to bolster the higher education sector in Kerala, the state government has given an administrative sanction to set up seven Centres of Excellence (CoE).The announcement was made by Higher Education Minister R Bindu at the concluding session of the International Conclave on Next-gen Higher Education at Cusat in Kochi on Wednesday.
According to the minister, another step to be taken towards reforming the higher education sector in the state is presentation of a bill for necessary amendments to acts of various universities in the state. She said that the bill will enable realisation of ideas like constituent colleges and college clusters.
As for the seven CoEs, she said, “Besides administrative sanction, funds also have been allocated for the preliminary activities of the centres of excellence.”
The seven centres are the Kerala Institute for Science, Technology and Innovation (KISTI), Kerala Institute for Advanced Studies for Social Science and Humanities (KIASSH), Kerala Network for Research Support in Higher Education (KNRSHE), Institute for Gender Equity, Centre of Excellence for Teaching, Learning and Training, Centre for Indigenous People’s Education and Kerala Language Network.
Bindu further said that the CoEs are being set up based on the recommendations made by the Syam Menon Commission.
“It has also been decided to form a suitable curriculum for PG. Steps will also be taken to enhance quality of every higher education institution in the state by ensuring hand-holding and resource sharing between premier institutions, and other developing institutions,” she said.