SPPU Vice-Chancellor Dr Nitin Karmalkar said, “SETU means a bridge and that is exactly what this project hopes to achieve.
(Written by Alifiya Nalwala)
While exchange programmes between state and foreign universities have become commonplace now, for the first time, students from one state university will be able to take up a subject or course at another university without enrolling as a full time student.
Soon, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) is likely to become the first state university to start the programme, tentatively named SETU (student exchange transfer amongst universities).
SPPU Vice-Chancellor Dr Nitin Karmalkar said, “SETU means a bridge and that is exactly what this project hopes to achieve. Across the state, we have started offering students the choice to study whatever subjects they are interested in, through the choice-based credit system, thus ensuring horizontal mobility for students. Also, we have often collaborated with foreign universities and also those from other states. But so far, we haven’t had a programme where a student from one state university can choose a subject at any of the other 14 state universities.”
Proposed by SPPU, SETU aims to give students the mobility to study seamlessly across state universities.
“Supposing if the Mumbai University has a subject which is very popular or a faculty under whom a student wishes to take up a subject, we should be able to allow the students to take it up. It is basically a student exchange between state universities, which we haven’t had so far,” said Karmalkar.
Registrar Prafulla Pawar said that a budgetary provision is being made for the programme which can be offered from next academic year.