The largest public university in the Capital region, Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) located between Guntur and Vijayawada, has not figured in the recent review on Higher Education by the Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. In the meet on May 12, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that new benchmarks of excellence have to be set up for Andhra University, SV University and Padmavati Mahila University apart from JNTU-Kakinada, but surprisingly, ANU was left out of the review.
ANU had been catering to the needs of the students and research scholars in Guntur, Krishna and Prakasam districts for many decades until Krishna University was established recently at Machilipatnam. It houses colleges of Arts and Commerce, Science, Law, Engineering, Pharmacy and Architecture on the campus, brimming with more than 10,000 students.
NIRF rankings
The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), under whose aegis the meeting was held, had taken the rankings of the National Institute Ranking Framework. The NIRF has five broad parameters to rank universities – Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research, Research and Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity and Peer Perception.
ANU, with a permanent faculty bench strength of just 80 members, does not fit into the NIRF rankings but it is largely due to lack of recruitment of permanent faculty for over 11 years. The university, meanwhile, has recruited a large number of faculty members on contract basis.
“ANU should not be judged solely on NIRF rankings as it had secured several global ranks, including London-based Times Higher Education rankings. It is probably among the few universities that successfully completed the coursework and conducted examinations for all the students, and staff members worked throughout the pandemic,” observes a senior professor.
In-charge VC
Rajasekhar Patteti has been holding full additional charge as Vice-Chancellor for over 18 months. The delay in appointing a full-time Vice-Chancellor is also adding to the problems.
The university has faced a few turbulent moments in recent years and the suicide of an engineering student in August 2015 plunged it into a turmoil. Mr. Rajasekhar, who was then registrar of the university, helped steer it out of troubled waters and restore peace and discipline on the campus. The security protocols were tightened and several anti-ragging measures were initiated.