Odisha government launches centres to develop colleges: Report

NEW DELHI: The Odisha government has introduced an institutional mechanism named district college development facilitation centres (DCDFCs) to develop higher education institutions, the Times of India reported.

Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra directed the district collectors to start the centres for addressing the issues faced by colleges, the report said.

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Mahapatra took a district-wise review of the centres and told TOI that the development of colleges is the government's priority right now and collectors must be directly involved.

During the review, he asked collectors to scrutinize the major problems such as settlement of land in name of a college, separation of Plus 2 wing from degree colleges, quick implementation of the developmental projects in the colleges, proper utilisation of the government fund given under different schemes and development of academic-ecosystem in the campus, the report said.

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Collectors were also asked to conduct meetings with colleges to examine their issues first-hand and prioritise them accordingly, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has announced that schools will remain closed today in view of cyclone JAWAD, as per report.

Furthermore, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) 2022 exam for admission to MBA in International Business in Odisha which was scheduled to be held on December 5.

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The exam will not be held at exam centres located in Bhubaneshwar, Sambalpur, Cuttack in Odisha. The date of IIFT 2022 for candidates who are admitted to exam centres in these cities will be announced later.

Along with IIFT 2022, the agency has also rescheduled the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) 202 1 to December 12 due to cyclone JAWAD in Odisha. Earlier, the exam was scheduled to be held on December 5.