Autonomy set to spur expansion

Hyderabad: Decks have been cleared for state universities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to compete with private universities. They can now open their satellite centers in different places across the country on par with the private universities.

This is made possible following the University Grants Commission (UGC) granting autonomy to NALSAR University of Law (NALSARUL) and Osmania University (OU) in Hyderabad, Andhra University (AU) in Visakhapatnam, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (RSV) and Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) at Tirupati.

According to sources, until now the universities were dependent on either the UGC or Union HRD Ministry to obtain permissions to introduce new courses and to enter into collaborative programmes with the reputed universities across the globe. With the autonomy they have been granted, they are now free to take decisions without any prior approvals.

Among the two states, NALSARUL and AU are ranked as category I universities with each having a NAAC score of 3.60. Similarly, SVU and OU have been granted category I status with each having a NAAC score of 3.52.

That apart, Kakatiya University (KU) at Warangal has been granted category II with a NAAC score of 3.35. Under deemed to be universities category, it is the RSV at Tirupati, which was accredited A+ with a highest NAAC score of 3.71.

However, the only glitch that the NALSAR, AU, OU, SVU, and RSV are facing vis-a-vis their private counterparts is lack of support from respective state governments.

For example, the NALSARUL has not only fared well than the OU and KU in its academic performance but is also ahead of many law universities in the country. But, the fall in the budgetary allocations would not help it to take forward its proposals for diversification and innovation.

When contacted, NALSARUL Vice-Chancellor Faizan Mustafa said that he was happy with the development. “The university has introduced several new courses. However, if the UGC still insists on the same nomenclature of the degrees awarded by the universities, then it hardly makes any difference. The university is looking forward to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao promise of help in setting up a city campus and to improve the infrastructure in the campus.

Taking a similar line, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor Prof G Nageswara Rao said that the university had started M Tech in Bioinformatics. But, the students who joined with GATE score in the course were not provided the scholarships. It was because nomenclature of M Tech offered by AU is different from the approved list of degrees by the AICTE, he said.

“Now, the university is free to offer degrees in multiple and interdisciplinary subjects. Also, since there are different category bands, funding to category I would be on higher side. Also, the university is planning to open new campuses as it is free to do so now,” he said.

SUV Vice-Chancellor Prof Avula Damodaram said the university is focusing more on strengthening its own teaching, research and human capital by optimum utilisation of funds. The autonomy would further help it to increase its competitiveness among the universities. The main focus of the university is liberal arts, humanities and allied fields as demand for such courses is growing, he added.

There is scope for more funding available from the UGC, MHRD and other agencies of the Centre. However, to stay competitive, OU, KU, and RSV needed support from the State governments to make the most out of the autonomy confirmed on them said officials from these universities.

By VRC Phaniharan