West Bengal's Education Overhaul
West Bengal is actively seeking to attract foreign universities to set up operations in the state. According to Jagannath Chattopadhyay, minister in-charge of Technical Education, Training and Skill Development, a few universities from Australia and the UK have already expressed interest.
Improving Employability
The state's primary goal is to improve employability and reverse the migration of students and skilled workers. Chattopadhyay emphasized that the focus will be on quality education rather than simply expanding capacity. 'We are not going to create new polytechnic seats, but create quality education,' he said.
Addressing Brain Drain
Reversing Bengal's brain drain is one of the state's biggest challenges. Chattopadhyay believes that a fundamental restructuring of the existing system is necessary. 'To reverse brain drain, we will have to demolish the current system and then rebuild it,' he said.
National Education Policy
The government has constituted a task force on the National Education Policy to drive these changes. Chattopadhyay highlighted the need for a multidimensional approach to education to make students more employable.
Preserving Diversity
While reforms are underway, Chattopadhyay assured that the diverse character of education in West Bengal will be preserved. This includes madrassas, which will not be affected by the changes.
Perception Correction
The minister also acknowledged the need to correct perceptions around West Bengal, which has lost ground as a centre of education over the past several decades. 'Our first challenge is makeover of Bengal over the next two years. Perception correction is our main focus,' he said.