PJTSAU, NALSAR active in tie-up with foreign varsities

Hyderabad: Of the sixteen State universities in Telangana, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) and NALSAR University of Law are the two higher educational institutions in the State which are ahead of all others when it comes to implementation of faculty and students exchange programmes with the foreign universities.

According to the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) officials, there are six conventional, nine specialised and one technological university in the State.

Of these, the two specialised universities, namely, the PJTSAU and NALSAR University of Law are the ones which continue to sustain their rankings at the national level.

That apart, the faculty and students exchange programmes of the PJTSAU has started from the last academic year. Similarly, NALSAR is the one which has been sending about 30 of its students to foreign universities under students exchange programmes.

This is the institute which is more active than any other State university giving top priority on this front beside the research and development activities.

The PJTSAU has been ranked third among the agriculture universities by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the NALSAR University of Law continue to be in the top three higher educational institutions in the country for years.

Reason being, "Unlike other universities in the State, both the HEIs are focusing on the different parameter on teaching, research, outreach programmes. One of the key components is both of the HEIs are taking their industrial and academic linkages seriously unlike others," the officials added.

For example, the PJTSAU has entered into MoU with the Cornell University, USA in the last academic year. From the current academic year of 2019-20, the university has already started sending its faculty and students giving effect to the MoU signed.

Similarly, it is also implementing the MoUs signed with others like Western Sydney University, Australia, Paradenia University, Sri Lanka and others. The varsity is also sending its scientists and academic staff to get trained in different fields of agriculture, technology and allied fields.

PJTSAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Praveen Rao said the university has also sent its academic and research staff to undergo training for grain processing and storage technology at Yuan LongPing High-tech Agriculture Co., Ltd, China.

Also, the university has signed pacts with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), latest is with Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) for collaboration in farm mechanisation.

Professor of International Law and Registrar of NALSAR, Prof V Balakista Reddy said that the university has MoUs with 33 universities and HEIs located abroad.

They include, Griffith University, Australia, The University of Western Ontario, Canada, Kings College London and University of Warwick, UK, Tel Aviv University, Israel, University of Oklahoma, USA, Max Planck Institute for I.P. Munich, University of Illinois College of Law, USA and other reputed institutions from Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, Israel, Brunei and others, he added.