MINA: The Indian state of Jharkhand has started giving degrees with bar code which contains all security information in an attempt to ensure that they are not forged, said Gov. Syed Sibtey Razi.
Razi is in the Kingdom as head of Indian Haj Goodwill Delegation, which includes Sarfaraz Ahmad, former member of Parliament from Jharkhand, social activist Nafisa Ali and Congress leader and general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, S.M. Sultan, besides others.
Speaking to Arab News, Razi said that he is trying to clean the education system in the state and, to ensure that, has taken some major decisions like announcing the academic calendar, yearly convocation to confer degrees on successful students and issuance of bar-coded degrees to minimize the chances of them to be forged.
“There was no accountability. Academic sessions were in a mess in Jharkhand, they were always delayed but now universities have regularized their calendar and sessions are on time. To instill a sense of accomplishment among students, I have asked universities to organize convocation every year to confer degrees on successful students of different course,” Razi said.
To streamline the functioning of the universities, Razi said he has reconstituted senate, syndicate and other academic bodies, which was not done for the last eight years. The governor has also ensured that retired university employees start getting pensions within one month of their retirement.
Two new universities will soon start functioning that will take the number of universities to five in the state which also has two technical universities, Razi added.
Razi said the job market’s dynamics have changed considerably these days, professional and vocation jobs are available in large numbers. “So we have started vocational training centers at different universities for students on self-finance basis. The fee-structure is reasonable with provisions of exemption and reduction of fee for needy students. He said that funding of vocation training centers are always a contentious issue as they receive step-motherly treatment from funding bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC). Hence they were started on self-finance basis.
Razi lauded the arrangement made by Saudi government for smooth and orderly
Haj. “The government of Saudi Arabia has done a wonderful job and its efforts must be applauded,” he said.
The Jharkhand governor was happy and satisfied with the arrangements made by the Indian mission for its pilgrims. He said, “The arrangements are remarkably good.” He lauded Consul General Saeed Ahmad Baba, who didn’t perform Haj to give maximum time to pilgrims, though it was his first year in Jeddah, and relentlessly worked for providing best possible services to pilgrims.
