Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister approves 5th Deans Committee

Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi issued necessary instructions for the entrepreneurship of agriculture graduates while putting emphasis on agricultural education for the upliftment of agriculture throughout the country. Keeping this in view Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, suggested that a professional curriculum should be framed out on agricultural
graduation level while incorporating the basic and fundamental requisites in a traditional agriculture courses.

Indian Agricultural Research Council, Department of Agricultural Education and Research, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry, Government of India had constituted the 5th Deans Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Ram Badan Singh, erstwhile President, Agricultural Scientist Selection Committee and Vice Chancellor, Central Agriculture University, Imphal for contemporary rescheduling of quality curriculums in the field of agriculture graduation education.

The 5th Deans Committee had been discussing with the Vice Chancellors of Agriculture Universities, faculty members, teachers as well as students for last two years with the objective to prepare a extensive report in this regard to make agricultural graduation education as employment oriented, rescheduling of the curriculum, check out the assistance sought from the centre for strengthening agriculture education on state level, to extend appropriate advise for the enrichment of professional knowledge and training to the teachers related to agriculture, to issue necessary instructions for the improvement in administrative procedure in agriculture universities and for the establishment of agriculture degree colleges. The committee framed out a manual for necessary administrative educational norms for the objective of their implementation and for the preparation of contemporary curriculum in respect to the agriculture related subjects as agriculture, agriculture engineering, bio-technology, dairy technology, fisheries, horticulture and sericulture.

They have amalgamated agriculture related traditional curriculum, their doctrines and practices in the first year, technique based curriculum (knowledge of Indian and Global technology) in the second year, talent enhancement in the third year and unified curriculum related to entrepreneurship and trade in the fourth year.

In this process some new dimensions as curriculum of student ready has been advised to be added triggering in a provision for the graduation students to carry the task out with the overall skill development with the farmers during the span of 4th year. Only five dimensions have been chalked out for student ready programmes comprised of venue, skill education, rural task experience, industrial education as well as product works etc. resulting in an enhancement of smooth viability in agriculture education sector and self-employment.

5th Deans Committee had recommended a few new subjects like bio-technology, community science, food nutrition and diets as well as sericulture. Shri Radha Mohan Singh, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, has approved the recommendations of the committee on 29.06.2016. The 5th Deans Committee report will be implemented in this educational session i.e. 2016-17. Indian Agriculture Research Council has already issued instructions to the agricultural universities to implement 5th Deans Committee report. Through this new curriculum all agriculture based graduation courses will be altered into the professional ones which will be conducive to earn their livelihood in future.