Mumbai: Colleges want to transform into cluster universities to gain academic freedom

Mumbai: Colleges and institutes of the city are being clubbed as cluster universities in order to achieve academic freedom, gain liberty to form own curriculum and help students work together. These colleges will be affiliated to the Mumbai University (MU) under cluster universities as the state education department has sent a proposal to Rashtriya Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA) which is a funding agency under central government.

Colleges claimed they will gain academic freedom if they are transformed into cluster universities. Under a particular cluster, all the colleges involved can decide to design and tweak their academic curriculum under the constraints of MU. In addition, examination schedule, methodology of teaching, scope of learning and facilities for education can be enhanced by these cluster universities.

The project approval board (PAB) may approve cluster university comprising of the Institute of Science (lead college), Elphinstone College and Government B Ed College. The other proposals include a cluster comprising of KC College, HR College and Bombay Teachers’ Training College, Colaba and another comprising of three colleges managed by Somaiya Vidyavihar Trust.

Authorities of colleges revealed they will get an opportunity to function as universities with a broadened scope to expand the curriculum. A college principal who did not wish to be named said, “Once our colleges are clubbed together it provides a much broader scope for exchange of ideas and implementation of new measures. Curriculum is an important factor where we can initiate change effectively together. We can add more languages, subjects and other streams of learning apart from Arts, Science and Commerce.”

These clusters universities will not have financial autonomy. A senior official of MU said, “This model is similar to the model of colleges transforming into autonomous institutions. Financial autonomy is not provided as it might open the window for fiscal exploitation. But academic freedom is given so that colleges can introduce new initiatives, add new concepts, adopt innovative methods of teaching and improvise the curriculum.”

Students will benefit in terms of having an upper hand in deciding subjects of their choice, choose specific stream of learning and avail choice-based credit system as per the state. Sanjana Patil, a student said, “A university generally has a wide range of choices in subjects and courses as compared to one particular college. If colleges are clubbed together then they will have more to offer combined and we will get more options to choose from.”