Over 100 HE institutions bid for ‘world-class’ upgrade

Over 100 HE institutions bid for ‘world-class’ upgrade
Shuriah Niazi14 December 2017 Issue No:487


A total of 100 of India’s top universities and colleges are vying to be named 'institutions of eminence’ as part of the country’s higher education reforms to upgrade around 20 institutions into ‘world-class’ universities within the next 10 years. 

Seven Indian Institutes of Technology or IITs, Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Punjab University, the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, Jadavpur University in Kolkata, Goa University and Mangalore University, along with some of the Indian Institutes of Management and many central and state universities have joined the race for the 'institution of eminence’ tag, which will bring them greater financial and academic autonomy, according to a statement last week from the Human Resource Development Ministry.

OP Jindal Global University, Ashoka University, Manipal University and Amity University have applied from the private sector, out of six private institutions that applied by the 12 December deadline set by the ministry. 

The selected 20 institutions – 10 public and 10 private – likely to be finalised by March 2018 on the advice of an 'empowered expert committee', will have administrative, academic and financial freedom to decide their own fees structure and start new courses without the normal University Grants Commission or UGC controls, to match international standards of higher education. 

New HRD channels will telecast IIT lectures live

NEW DELHI: Students across the country would soon be able to watch live telecast of lectures from six IITs and some other top institutions while seated in their living rooms, with the Union human resource department launching 32 Direct-to-Home channels to cater to their needs.



The department of space has agreed to allot two transponders on a GSAT series satellite for this ambitious project, while MoUs have been signed with many institutions, which will provide lessons and content that will be beamed on these channels.

Delhi University among world's elite, again

It may have dropped one notch from last year, but Delhi University again ranks among the world's top 20 institutions for development studies.

Panel approves threefold hike in IIT annual fees

A proposal for a threefold hike in annual fees of IITs from the present Rs 90,000 was today approved by an IIT panel though a final decision would require the nod of HRD minister Smriti Irani.

Another key recommendation the standing committee of IIT council (SCIC) made was that the proposed new entrance examination designed to test the aptitude, conducted by National Authority of Test (NAT), would be held from 2017 onwards.

Soon, free online lessons from IIT professors

Now, poor students aspiring to join the IITs will get free online lessons from the prestigious institutes' professors.

The IITs have agreed to a government proposal for professor-assisted learning, which will be called IITPAL.

"We want to break the stranglehold of coaching centres," a senior government official said.
Former IIT Bombay director Ashok Misra has been put in charge of creating the IITPAL portal.

The interactive portal will have uploaded lectures by IIT professors on physics, chemistry and mathematics. Questions and answers from the IITs' Joint Entrance Examination of the past 50 years will also be uploaded