Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. (File)
Maharashtra’s second cluster university, the state’s first by a private entity, was inaugurated on Thursday by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Higher and Technical Education minister Uday Samant.
The Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board has set up the university in Mumbai, and has HR college, KC College and Bombay Teachers Training College as its affiliated institutions.
The Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate (HSNC) University aims to promote skill development, and will include courses such as dance, music and yoga, for which the students will get course credits with an option to avail e-certificate.
A dedicated ‘Incubation Centre’ to help students’ liaison with associations, and self-learning modules in the curriculum to help students to score marks, are some concepts being offered.
“In a Digital – First approach, the new university will bring digitisation of operations, including registrations, enrolments and examinations among others. It will aim at a rapid evaluation system with results being declared within 30 days of completion of examinations. It will create e-content on self-learning, promote virtual laboratories and online teaching platforms,” said a statement from the Board.
The admissions for second and third-year of graduation courses are set to begin soon, followed by first-year admissions after announcement of Class XII results.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Provost of the university, Niranjan Hiranandani, said: “We will do things in phases. The students will have the liberty to complete courses at their own pace. Instead of putting pressure of final-year exams on students, we will be opting for continuous assessment tests, seminars and certificate courses.” The university has announced courses for people of all ages.
The state’s first cluster university – Homi Bhabha State University in Mumbai – was inaugurated last year, and comprises Institute of Science (ISc), Elphinstone College and Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, and Secondary Training (ST) College.
Unlike the traditional universities that offer courses divided by disciplines, cluster universities create integrated courses that give students options across disciplines – science, economics, commerce and humanities. The institutes that form a cluster university are usually located close to each other.