Tech varsity for workers is a non-starter

NEW DELHI: The government’s plan to set up a workers’ technical university to ensure that India’s working population squares up for the rapidly changing needs of the industry may remain just that.

The committee headed by Dr G Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc), has proposed a university based in Hyderabad with 13 regional centres that will cater to nearly 3 lakh workers/students a year. However, the committee is yet to put a price tag to the project, and has left that job for yet another panel.

The idea of such a university was suggested to ensure that 40-crore strong workers’ population — of which more than 98% is in the unorganised sector — can continuously upgrade its skills.

The ministry of human resource development had set up a three-member committee headed by Mr Reddy to prepare a feasibility report on this. Other members of the panel are professor SG Dhande, director, IIT Kanpur, and professor PB Sharma, director, Delhi College of Engineering.

While the committee has worked out issues like student intake and academic content, it has suggested that a financial and technical team be set up by the government to study the funding aspect.

The proposed university will provide two broad streams — formal, which will offer engineering diploma, MBA and MCA programmes, and the non-formal which will identify skill gaps and provide tailor-made modules through distance mode and part-time courses.

As for intake, 60% will be dedicated to industrial workers, 15% rural unorganised, marginal and landless labour, 10% rural artisans, and 15% will be workers from other categories.

The committee is examining the option of providing formal stream to workers’ children and will have an annual intake of 3,120 students while the part-time course will be meant for 20,280 students. Vocational education for workers and part-time management and technical courses will be available for 30,000 and 48,000 students, respectively.

Countries like Mexico, the US, China and Japan already have similar universities in place. Intuc, which mooted the idea, believes that a workers’ technical university will be of great help as it will churn out highly skilled individuals who, in turn, can make the industry remain globally competitive.

As per the proposal, the technical university could be managed by the trustees comprising workers’ representatives. The cost of establishing and managing the university will have to be borne by the government, which still has to be worked out by a separate committee.

The Reddy panel has suggested a funding formula through central grant and support from industry, unions and charity, and even the ILO. Earlier, at its 28th plenary session, Intuc was clear that the university should offer free technical education with free boarding and lodging facilities to poor workers and their children.