State universities in TS and AP shy away from starting CIKS

Hyderabad: Are State universities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh lacking foresight and initiative and ending up playing second fiddle?

If the goings-on are any indication, several Central universities and the Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) have been competing with one another and launching the Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems (CIKS), under the Schools of Humanities in their respective institutions.

However, according to sources in the State Councils of Higher Education in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, "not a single State university so far has mooted any proposals for starting CIKS in their respective institutions."

Speaking to The Hans India, the Vice-Chancellor of a Telangana varsity said, "Every university has to comply with two norms in a routine manner. Firstly, it needs a go-ahead from the State government. Secondly, the new centre or courses have to be approved."

"CIKS is altogether a new area of study to specialise. Each university has to evaluate it before deciding on starting, including figuring out the financial implications associated with starting such a centre," said a higher education official from the APSCHE. However, higher education institutions (HEIs) face such issues before starting a new centre or school. For example, a faculty member from the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIH), said the institution had to do a lot of convincing acts before the senate of the IIT-H. But, the approval from the senate is clinched after briefing about the billions of rupees of world-wide market potential the IKS has; it needs trained human resources," he added.

The IITs in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Guwahati are a few names which have already launched their CIKS. Besides, the Union Ministry of Education has created a separate division for promoting IKS and providing funding.

As part of the same, study and research in the fields of science and technology, astronomy and architecture, economics and politics, culture, arts and linguistics will be conducted from the Indian perspective. Several foreign universities have been conducting such research and study, "our students and researchers in India end up following and consuming the intellectual capital created about IKS by others, even paying higher rates in dollars and other foreign currencies to access," he pointed out.

Against this backdrop, the Central HEIs are competing to launch CIKS with funding from the Union Education Ministry and other sources. What are the practical reasons leading to the central HEIs and IITs could be eye-openers for the State universities in TS and AP remain a million-dollar question.