The University of Kerala has initiated steps to make its students and faculty familiar with the learning and research environment in reputed universities in India and abroad.
Aimed at imbibing knowledge and expertise in key areas of research, the university will soon invite eminent scholars, including Nobel laureates, to visit the campus and interact with scholars to enhance their learning.
The previous Syndicate had granted preliminary approval to the proposal, which was put forth by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of the varsity. It also entrusted a two-member committee, comprising T.S. Anirudhan, vice-chairman, Credit and Semester System (CSS), and E. Shaji, Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, with the responsibility of studying the proposal and formulating the various components of the project. The subsequent approval of the Syndicate will set the ball rolling for its implementation. An allocation of over ₹20 lakh has been made for the project, sources said.
Each teaching department will identify an expert of international repute, who was related to the particular field, to invite them for one-day interaction with teachers, students and scholars.
From among the listed experts, a screening committee would then identify the academics, who could be invited to the university with special focus on promoting vital exposure to global standards of learning and research. The experts will represent a wide array of studies, including life sciences, social sciences, English literature, foreign and indigenous languages, commerce and management, physical sciences, chemical sciences, and applied science and technology.
Developing long-term collaborations with other institutions, research agencies, professional bodies and centres of excellence is yet another objective of the endeavour.