The World Bank assisted Technician Education Project in Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura states of India aimed to address the limited opportunities for technical education and shortage of trained human resources in the region. Key outcomes of the project included increased enrollment of women students, full employment of graduates, poverty alleviation, and transformation of the states to undertake industrialization. The project significantly improved the human capital and self-sufficiency of technical manpower in the states. It also increased entrepreneurship and enabled the states to undertake further industrial and economic development.

1. Impact of World Bank Assisted
Technician Education Project-III
on Meghalaya, Mizoram, and
Tripura States of India
Thanikachalam Vedhathiri
vthani2025@gmail.com
and
Theagarajan Ramadoss
rtrajan59@gmail.com

2. North East India

3. Existed Scenario in many North Eastern States
of India
• Abundant Natural Resources
• Limited opportunities for technical education in the region
• There is no Directorate of Technical Education for planning state
specific technical education programs
• Shortage of trained human resources for development works
• Many students had to seek admission in other region
• Industries could not grow due to shortage of technicians and
engineers

4. New Scenario
• Government’s “Look East Policy”
• Planning Special Export Zones in the proposed new corridors & hubs
• Planning to link North East to Thailand and Create an Industrial
Corridor
• Creating more MSMEs to support the industries
• Need for Trained Human Resources
• Planning for Digitation of Government Records
• Modernization of Existing MSMEs

5. Objectives of Research
• Assess the employment potential of the graduates of the project
polytechnics established under World Bank Assisted Project.
• Study the envisaged impact of the technicians on three project
states, viz, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
• Identify the satisfaction of the people (community leaders, parents,
employers, and government departments) in these project states.
• Assess the possible development of the economy due to technicians
developed through the project polytechnics.
• Review the achievement of the graduates.

6. Focus of the Impact Study by International
Development Agencies (IDAs)
• Innovation in products
• Replicability of the project in other regions
• Effectiveness of the program in state context
• Strategical relevance
• Influencing the policy makers in key decisions on further
development, starting industries (Behrman, 2001,Rao and Michael,
2003, Imas, Linda and Ray, 2009 and Bamberger et al. 2010. )

7. Cost –Benefit Analysis
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Estimates the total expected benefits of a
development project, compared to its total expected costs.
• It seeks to quantify all of the costs and benefits of a project in
monetary terms assesses whether the benefits outweigh costs.
• The World Bank assisted projects are based on the detailed project
reports which were planned based on:
- Human Capital Needs for the Fast Growing Industries
- Envisaged GDP due to FDI and sustenance through human capital
- Poverty Alleviation
- Utilization of Resources

8. Cost- Effective Analysis
• It compares the relative performance of two or more alternate
projects in reaching common outcome.
• Developing Skill Development Programs
• Developing Technician Education
• Developing Engineering Education
• Developing Agricultural Education
• Developing Forestry Education
• Developing Vocational Education

9. Impact Evaluation
• Estimates the benefit and effective side
• Cost analysis provides the cost information
• Cost-benefit analysis based on impact evaluation evidence would
exist not only for a particular project, but also for a series of projects
or project alternatives.
• This enables the policy maker to assess which project or alternative
is most cost-effective in reaching a particular goal.

10. Planning Development Projects in Technician
Education
• Capacity Development: Planning new institutions, new programs,
new labs, workshops, resources and infrastructure
• Quality Improvement: Revising the existing curricula, developing
additional new curricula to meet the emerging needs of the industry,
developing new instructional materials, learning aids, modernizing
evaluation of students performance and achievement, faculty
training, industrial training of students, etc.
• Efficiency Improvement: Refining educational administration, utilizing
project resources for training the working professionals, undertaking
sponsored projects, extending testing facilities to MSMEs etc.

11. Project Authorities
• National Project Implementation Unit (NPIU): Coordination between
various state project implementation units, consultants and Ministry
of Human Resource Development
• State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU): Coordination between the
Directorate of Technical Education, Project Polytechnics
• Academic Consultant: To plan curricula, equipment, faculty
development, planning continuing education programs for the
working professionals, establishing learning resource development
centers, undertaking research works, guiding the project institutes for
improving the skills and competencies of the graduates.

12. Project Authorities…
• Procurement Consultant: to procure the equipment, and other
resources.
• Building Consultant: to plan various buildings, and infrastructures

13. Impact Study
• Developing needed questions as per the objectives of the project
• Meeting the SPIU Officials, Polytechnic Administrators, Directorate of
Technical Education, faculty members, students, alumni, employers
and community at large and getting feedback through quesnnaires.
• Conducting local seminars with the stake holders.
• Observing the performance and utilization of resources procured
under the project and drawing inferences.
• Analyzing the feedbacks and drawing conclusions.
• Preparing draft report and discussing the outcome with the state
authorities and finalizing.

14. Technician Needs of the States under
Government of India’s Development Initiatives
• Digitation Initiative: Engineers and Technicians with knowledge of
computer applications, digital technology, and medical electronics
• Power Generation, and Transmission: Electrical Engineers, Technicians
who can work in hydro electric plants, solar power plants, hydro
power plants, etc.
• Infrastructure Development: Roads, bridges, reservoirs, canals, water
tanks, building construction, water supply, waste water treatment,
maintenance, etc. Civil Engineers and Technicians.
• Telecommunication, broadband, WI FI, etc. : Electrical and Electronic
Engineers, Communication Engineers, Technician, etc.

15. Technician Needs of the States…
• Technicians to work as Architectural Assistants.
• Technicians repair and maintain Automobiles like buses, cars, three
wheelers, farm machineries, three wheelers and two wheelers, etc.
• Technicians to manufacture furniture, handicrafts, etc.
• Technicians to design costumes, garment manufacturing, and fashion
technology.
• Technicians to work in beauty parlors.
• Technicians to work in food technology, fruit processing, MSMEs, etc.
• Technicians to work in biochemistry labs, hospitals and medical labs.

16. Faculty Development Process Adopted to
Create Outstanding Impact
• Strategic planning of educational programs, & services to the society.
• Leadership development to assist MSMEs.
• Nonformal curriculum development to create skill development
programs for out of school youth.
• Creating a learning organization.
• Using a normative and reeducative process of educational changes
and transformations.
• Establishing a continuing education center in each project polytechnic
• Training the members of community is using the Internet

17. Significant Outcomes of the Project
• Enrollment of women is far above the project plan
• Polytechnics in Andaman, Arunachala Pradesh, Tripura and
Meghalaya are further utilized to offer B.E./B.Tech. programs
• The graduates have been fully employed in all project states
• Poverty has been alleviated
• Digitation has been successfully implemented
• Transformation has helped the states to undertake industrialization.
• Faculty offered needed continuing education courses to skilled
workers and government employees.

18. Significant Impact…
• Entrepreneurship increased in many fields like garment
manufacturing, automobile repair, furniture making, building
construction, electrical wiring, etc.
• The states become self sufficient for technical manpower
• The technicians are able to acquire problem solving abilities, critical
thinking skills.
• The project polytechnics are able to propagate peace engineering
education.
• The Directorate of Technical Education became professional in
planning and implementing new institutions.

19. Return on Investment (ROI)
• The return on investment is enormous due to developing industry
specific technicians, and utilizing many institutes to offer degree
programs through shift system or integrated system.
• All the institute faculty planned continuing education programs for
the benefit of MSMEs and government engineering departments, and
community members.
• Industrial development has become feasible due to well trained
technicians
• Brought a social innovation in the project states.

20. Further Needs for the State Growth
• Engineers are needed for planning and establishing new industries.
• Many states don’t have engineering colleges.
• Many Directorates planned to run engineering degree programs in
the project polytechnics in shift system.
• This is an additional return on the investments on the project
polytechnics.
• Improved the human capital.

21. Surprises
• No discrimination to any students
• Enrollment of women students exceeded the target
• National integration increased
• Peace Engineering Education sustained
• All programs are open to all
• The women graduates have got jobs in other states
• Entrepreneurship increased
• Many started their production units in garment making, vehicle
repair, and service.

22. Thank You
•Your Questions, Please