Nagpur: Is there a plan to shift Nagpur’s renowned Institute of Science to Pune? The Institute of Science, established to promote science and inculcate scientific attitude in students and society, is currently in Nagpur. Are efforts being made to shift the Institute to Pune? In this sequence, the vacant posts of the college are not being filled.
Raising the issue, Mahesh Dayawan, President, MODI Foundation, said in this regard that the State Education Department intends to shift or close down the office in Pune by deliberately leaving the posts vacant. He said that the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad would be urged to let the Institute of Science in Nagpur itself and efforts will be made to achieve this goal.
Notably, the Institute of Science was established in 1968. On April 1, 1980, the concerned office was shifted to Nagpur. In 2016, the name of the State Institute of Science was changed to ‘Territorial Education Authority’. Since then there has been a stir in the organization. The post of Director is in charge of the organization and many important posts are vacant. Out of 44 sanctioned posts, only 15 posts have been filled and 29 posts are vacant. Interestingly, these posts have not been filled for the last several years, the MODI Foundation claimed. “Therefore, it seems that the Education Department is making efforts to shift this office to the headquarters of Vidya Pradhikaran in Pune. Hence the important vacancies are not being filled?” the Foundation added.
Multi-purpose activities by the Institute:
The extraordinary subject of science and technology as effective tools for the welfare of human life in all fields such as agriculture and food, health, nutrition and medicine, industry and industrial development, housing and public works, natural resources, transport, information and public relations, Education, entertainment etc are important.
Various programs and activities are being implemented by the Institute of Science in these subjects for the benefit of the students and for its promotion and dissemination at the village and taluka level. This mainly includes organizing science exhibitions at Tehsil, District and State level, Inspire Awards, unprecedented science fair, training of science teachers, hobby of science, giving information about science, filling applications for National Talent Search Examination, organizing fairs are included.
Sanctioned Posts & Vacancies: Director 1, Professors 2, Lecturers 4, Superintendent 1, Science Advisor 1, Technical Assistants 2, Science Supervisors 5, Senior Clerk 1, Stenographer 1, Shorthand Writers 2, Senior Clerk 1, Lab Assistants 3, Peons 2 and the one post sweeper is vacant.
It is worth mentioning that all the Head Offices of the Education Department are in Pune. However, at the state level the regional education authority (State Institute of Science) has its only office in the state capital. Now if it is shifted to Pune, then the injustice will be done to Vidarbha again.
