Hyderabad: Guru Nanak University makes tall claims on study courses

Hyderabad: Here is one of its kind of best practices known anywhere in the higher education sector across the globe that State universities in Telangana can learn. The reason, it happened right in Telangana itself.

To cut a long story short Education Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy had sought an amendment to the Telangana State Private Univerities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018 and for approval from the State Assembly.

In the statement of objects and reasons citing relevant provisions of the Act, the minister said that the government after satisfying the specific recommendations of the expert committee, has decided to include five private universities as per Section 3 and 10 of the Telangana State Private Univerities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018.

The five private universities include: NICMAR University of Construction Studies at Jaggamguda, Shamirpet, MedhcalMalakagirigi District; MNR University at MNR Nagar, Fasalwadi village of Sangareddy; Guru Nanak University at Ibrahimpatnam, Ranga Reddy, and Sreenidhi University at Yamnampet village of Ghatkesar mandal in Medchal-Malkajgiri District, and Kaveri University at Gowraram village in Wargal mandal of Siddiept district.

The amendment to the Act was introduced in the State Assembly on September 13, 2022. Considering this date, the Guru Nanak University is only nine months old. But, it claims to have launched 125+ courses under the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET); University Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (UIAH); University Institute of Allied Medical Sciences (UIAMS)

University Institute of Computer Science and Application (UICSA); University Institute of Commerce and Management (UICM); University Institute of Sciences and Applied Arts (UISAA) and University Institute of Life Sciences.

It also claims to have 15 centres of excellence. What makes several vice-chancellors and senior academicians in the State universities scratch their heads is the nine-month-old varsity has also commenced PhD admissions from the current academic year of 2023-24.

However, Sreenidhi University seems modest in its public posture that it is offering only

B Tech in Computer Science Engineering (CSE); Computer Science Engineering – Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML); Computer Science Engineering – Data Science (DS) and Computer Science Engineering – Cyber Security (CS).

The university nowhere staked any claim on its website that was established under the Telangana State Private Univerities (Establishment and Regulation) Act, 2018.