Young chief executive officers heading campus startups in affiliated colleges of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) may no longer have to run from pillar to post to avail of the twin carrots of relaxation in attendance and grace marks under the government’s ambitious student entrepreneurship scheme.
Cusat has decided to offer an online facility that would help young entrepreneurs overcome the cumbersome bureaucratic process involved in availing the 20 per cent relaxation in attendance and four per cent grace marks. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy convened a meeting of Vice Chancellors to plug the bureaucratic delays in the effective implementation of the scheme last month.
The Hindu had reported in July this year that of the 400-odd students in about 250 campus startups across the State, only less than 20 have availed of the benefits under the scheme rolled out in October 2012. Cusat Vice Chancellor J. Letha said young entrepreneurs in affiliated colleges of the varsity could upload the relevant details of their startup venture on the official website of the university along with the copies of the relevant documents prescribed by the Department of Higher Education as part of the new initiative.
The Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) have to forward the certificate proving the eligibility for grace marks and relaxation in attendance of student entrepreneur to the Principal of the college concerned. The principal of the affiliated college must forward it to the registrar of the university concerned with due recommendations, on receipt of which the university shall provide the eligible grace marks and attendance to the student entrepreneur for the semester for which it is applicable.
All these processes could now be done online to check the bureaucratic delays. Dr. Letha said the varsity had suggested the authorities to include its Centre for Innovation, Technology Transfer & Industrial Collaboration as a TBI listed under the student entrepreneurship scheme. She said the proposed changes under the scheme would be placed before the varsity syndicate soon for approval.h
Source : The Hindu