Following is an excerpt from a 2009 report in jobberclub.
Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) plans to establish a world-class university with Rs 5,000 crore investment in Gujarat.
JITO, which is having its global summit in Ahmedabad over the week-end, may also sign an MoU with the Gujarat government during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit-09. The university will come up over 200 acres of land near Ahmedabad.
… “The blue print of the world class university is ready. The upcoming university will be managed separately by the Jain Education Trust,” said Utkarsh Shah, president, JITO-Ahmedabad chapter. Shah said the university will provide courses in all relevant fields.
April 29th, 2010
Based on this PRS page the following relevant bills are listed for introduction in this parliament session (to end on May 7th 2010).
- The Prohibition of Unfair Practices in Technical Educational Institutions, Medical Educational Institutions and Universities Bill, 2010
- Prohibits adoption of certain unfair practices in these Institutions and protects interests of students.
- The Educational Tribunals Bill, 2010
- Establishes Tribunals for effective and expeditious adjudication of disputes arising in higher education.
- The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) (Amendment) Bill, 2010
- Amends the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act, 2006.
- The Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulation of Entry and Operation) Bill, 2010
- Provides for regulation of entry and operations of Foreign Educational Institutions to impart higher education in India.
- The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Institutions Bill, 2010
- Provides for external quality assessment of higher educational institutions and programmes through mandatory accreditation and creates an institutional structure for regulation of accreditation agencies.
- The Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010
- Brings eight new IITs within the ambit of “the Institute of Technology Act".
- The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010
- Amends various procedures and includes IISER in the NIT Act, 2007.
- The Innovation Universities Bill, 2010
- Provides for establishment of innovation Universities aiming at world class standards.
- The Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Bill, 2010
- Establishes Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, as an institution of national importance
April 29th, 2010
Following is an excerpt from a report in Times of India.
The Prime Minister’s Office is having second thoughts on letting 14 world class innovation universities come up in places selected during Arjun Singh’s tenure.
Sources said the system of first selecting the sites and then building the universities will not work in case of these institutions since the concept is different than a usual university. Besides, there has been a major change in the concept of innovation universities from the time of Singh. The HRD ministry in its latest concept note has suggested that apart from the government even private educational be allowed to set up these universities.
On the places selected during Arjun Singh’s tenure, an official said, “Innovation universities should come up in places that can attract students and world class faculty. Some of the sites selected earlier will not be able to live up to the expectations from a world class university.”
But the twist in the tale is that many of the states have already finalized the sites for these institutions and will definitely protest in case the Centre changes its stand now. In many cases, states have shortlisted sites away from what HRD had finalised. This could become a problem.
… Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have selected sites in Sabarkantha and Sehore, respectively. But since these two places were not shortlisted by the HRD ministry, Gujarat has been asked to finalise a site near Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar and MP in an area near Bhopal.
I think, one may get a wrong interpretation of the above report until they read the last paragraph. Also, Sehore is near Bhopal; it is only 38 kms from Bhopal. So something is missing; perhaps the reporter or his source did not do a proper fact-checking.
However, if the center indeed plans to change some of the sites that it had announced earlier, then the sites that may be in most danger may be the sites that are not near state capitals. But that itself will be very difficult after the series of announcements in the parliament and other venues.
See http://www.orissa2020.org/appendix/location-of-proposed-national-universities for the comparison of the sites that were initially picked. Finally, the center would not dare to take away one of these universities from one state and give it to another state.
April 29th, 2010