World Bank bid adieu to Sikkim tech schools

Gangtok: Two polytechnic colleges in Sikkim will have to fend for themselves from June after six years of World Bank aid. The Centre for Computers and Communication Technology at Chisopani in South Sikkim and the Advanced Technical Training Centre at Bardang in East district have shown “remarkable” trends as far as enrolment, technical education imparted and placements are concerned, World Bank reports said.The 12th joint review mission of the World Bank on technical education projects was held in the state capital today. The project is being carried out in eight states across the country, of which five, including Sikkim, are in the Northeast.Among those present at the review meeting were S.K. Shrivastava and Andreas Blom — both World Bank officials — and Ravi Mathur, a joint secretary and the national project director. The presentations said the intake of students in the two institutes have increased from 35 in 1999 to 276 in 2006. This year, the government had advertised for 390 seats. State human resource development minister G.M. Gurung, who was present at the meeting, said: “After June, we will stand by the institutes.”The annual expense of running the two polytechnic colleges is around Rs 1.5 crore. Half the expenditure will be borne by the state government. “We will be able to manage the other half,” said an official representing one of the two institutes.