The Hindu : New Delhi News : Experts suggest measures to tackle challenges facing new university

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Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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Experts suggest measures to tackle challenges facing new university

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Eminent educationists feel that the proposed new South Asian University (SAU) will face many challenges and have suggested a series of measures to address these problems.

Taking part in a discussion organised here by Capital Foundation Society, they dwelt at length on different aspects of SAU, an idea mooted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the November 2005 Dhaka summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Initiating the discussion, Director of Ash Institute of Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University Gowher Rizvi, who has been entrusted with preparing a concept note for SAU, underscored the need for imparting “portable” skills to students. He also stated that the objective of the University was not just to provide quality education but also to make it more accessible. Prof. Rizvi said the University should be structured in such a way that its degrees are acceptable in other institutions as well.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor B. B. Bhattacharya highlighted the wide variations in the education provided to students in different SAARC nations and said SAU should think of ways to tackle them. He advocated accommodation for all students on the campus as “common sharing is a great education in itself”.

“Whether or not the students should be charged for their accommodation should also be worked out,” said Prof. Bhattacharya.

Indira Gandhi National Open University Vice-Chancellor Rajasekharan Pillai said SAU has to consider merit as well as affirmative action: “It should be decided whether SAU will be a teaching university, a research university or both. SAU should ensure academic and professional mobility of teachers as well as students, which is a problem in our university system.” Calling it a “nodal centre for dissemination of knowledge in this part of the world”, Director of the Centre for Dalit Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, M. Mujtaba Khan said: “The University should have a separate department to study social exclusion. SAU will help in changing the tone and tenor of SAARC into a forum for action and commitment.”

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