The Mining Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India, a 92-year-old body of mining professionals, had organised this workshop in Calcutta, earlier this year along with the All India Council for Technical Education and Coal India Ltd.

The recommendations volume was handed over to the Union ministries of steel, mines, coal and human resources development as well as the Universities Grants Commission by the Delhi branch of The MGMI in late July.

Under the lead topic `Orientation of teachers' it has been recommended that the "lecturers should undertake one year training in research, planning or industry of organised sector."

It has also been recommended that industry should organise two-week training courses for the teachersevery year, in order to give them a practical exposure to the latest technological and safety aspects.

The recommendations say that "Survey camps and mine tours must be made mandatory. Teaching personnel should be motivated for taking up such camps and educational tours."

About the undergraduate courses the recommendations say "Currently in undergraduate programme of four years duration, a high degree of weightage is given to some traditional mining subjects which are of less relevance now.

"However, it may be noted that the scope for expansion or introduction of new subjects are restricted due to limited contact hours prescribed per week. So there is a need for striking a balance between the existing and new subjects."

Among the topics that have been recommended for greater coverage are high pressure hydraulics, drilling and blasting technology, financial management, and total quality management.

It has also been suggested that detailed contents of the subjects should be decided upon by formingsub-groups on specific subjects like environment, mine-planning, ground-control, mine-mechanisation etc.

"The teaching should be oriented to foster analytical skills among the students and to give them an opportunity to learn the subjects more by self-learning than by conventional wisdom. Moreover, the curriculum should be flexible enough to quickly reorient itself with rapid technological changes in the mining industry," it says.

Under the lead topic on post graduate education the recommendations volume says "Post graduate education, by and large, has little impact on industry. It is primarily used as a tool for upward mobility of personnel in educational and R&D institutions."

The workshop also recommended that post graduate mining engineers are needed for running existing mechanised open cast mining operations and maintenance to achieve better productivity, safety and environment.

The workshop also assessed the future demand of graduate mining engineers by the end of the tenth plan. The presentnumber of mining engineers employed in non-coal sector is 1,600. This number is likely to go up to 1,760 by the end of the tenth plan.

In the coal segment the total number of mining executives is at present about 5,500 which is likely to go up to 6,000 by the end of the tenth plan. Out of this the number of mining engineering graduates is estimated to be around 3,000.

It is estimated that there will be about 200 to 250 mining graduates per year from the coal sector. Together, there will be a demand for 325 to 400 mining engineering graduates every year. The output of all the AICTE recognised mining engineering colleges in India is around 550 per year.

Two diversification areas have been recommended for immediate implementation. These are training of mining engineers in the operations of heavy earth moving machinery and information technology related applications.

In the concluding topic the workshop has said that "there has been mushroom growth of mining institutions offering mining degree programme.It therefore recommends that mining degree courses be not added or expanded until the employment situation improves..."