Some details on the proposed South Asian University in Delhi
July 14th, 2008
Following is an excerpt from a report in Economic Times.
The common university of the regional grouping, to be set up on the lines of American Ivy League universities, will also induct students and recruit faculty from across the globe so that it is not confined to "narrow distinctive barriers".
The proposal for SAU was made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the SAARC Summit in Dhaka in December 2005 and later ratified by the eight member nations.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee laid its foundation at a 100-acre plot in Maidan Garhi, Mehrauli in south Delhi on May 26. The campus construction is due to start early next year.
… A course likely on offer is "conflict resolution given that terrorism is a major problem confronting the world", he said but the final decision on academic activities will be taken in February next year when the curricula and by-laws would be drafted.
SAU will have a cafeteria approach where a student pursuing science can also take up a course in humanities.
"In a cafeteria you can pick and choose any item you like. In this university too, you can have more liberty and wider choice and there will be no narrow distinctive barriers," Chadha said.
The initial investment for SAU will be made by the Indian government after which the member countries could contribute and the university would also raise money from international financial institutions and donors, the CEO said.
The university could take up special studies on economy, culture, religion and societies in the SAARC nations, Chadha, who is on the PM’s Economic Advisory Council, said.
… The governance structure of SAU, with link campuses in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan, will be laid down by February, Chadha said.
Gowhar Rizvi of Harvard University, who was entrusted with the task of preparing the university’s concept note, has advised a middle path between government-funded and private education.
The role of the SAARC nation governments will be confined to providing annual subsidies and grants, the concept note has recommended.
Entry Filed under: Cross-cutting topics