10 years on, quality education remains a dream for BPUT

Rourkela: Even though 10 years have passed, Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), which is going to celebrate its 4^th Foundation Day tomorrow, is far from realizing its dream of providing quality education because the technical institute still struggles with vacancies in key posts and lack of proper infrastructure.

BPUT had a declared vision of becoming a global brand at the forefront of technical education when it was formed under an Act in 2002.

Former President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, had laid the foundation stone for this technical university on November 21, 2003. However, after ten years, though the administrative building at its sprawling permanent campus has been completed and handed over to the university authority, four other key buildings, including the advance learning and computer centres, are nearing completion.

On August 27, 2012, Vice-Chancellor (VC) of BPUT J K Satpathy formally declared that the university, they operating from its temporary office in the UGIE campus at Rourkela, would be shifted to its new permanent campus. However, most of its staffs, baring a few, are still working from the Bhubaneswar campus office. The higher officials, including Registrar in-charge and Director of Examination, are not regularly staying at Rourkela, causing a lot of problems for students of various colleges affiliated to it.

The problems related to shifting of office, appointment of staffs and regularization of examination results have not been sorted out yet despite assurance of the VC. “Nothing has really”, alleged a student.

BPUT has a strength of 1.30 lakh students enrolled in different courses. During 2009-10 and 2010-11, BPUT has awarded a total of 42,624 degrees, has doke much to fulfill the promise held out at the beginning.

Convener of BPUT Action Committee and President of Rourkela Press Club, M D Parija, described the Foundation of BPUT day celebration as mere eye wash. “Without having proper arrangements and facilities for smooth functioning of the University, the celebration of Foundation day is totally meaningless,” observed Parija.

“The VC had earlier promised to fill up 67 vacant posts of administrative and teaching staffs. The registrar and controller of examination, who are on deputation, are unwilling to stay in Rourkela,” some student leaders alleged.

However, the VC assured that interviews for at least 7 key posts would be completed by this month end. The BPUT plans to introduce five more PG programmes and research activities from 2013 session for which 25 sanctioned posts would be filled up, he added.

The technical university lacks regular staffs in various posts. The denizens of Rourkela and members of the BPUT Action committees alleged that the authorities are not actually interested to sort out the problems.