Cluster system to be initiated in nine Hyderabad colleges

HYDERABAD: Starting this year, the Telangana higher education department will implement a cluster system in nine autonomous degree colleges in the city, helping students opt for courses available in other institutions within the cluster.
The new cluster system is being introduced as a pilot project in Osmania University College for Women, Koti, Nizam College, Government City College, Government Degree College for Women, Begumpet, Raja Bahadur Venkat Rama Reddy Women’s College, St Ann’s College for Women, St Francis College for Women, Bhavan’s Degree College, Sainikpuri and Loyola Academy.

To start with, the system will be implemented for second-year degree students in the identified colleges. The cluster system will facilitate mobility of students and faculty from one institution to the other. For instance, a bachelor of arts in history, economics and political science student of one institution can pursue a psychology or mass communication course being offered by another institution or vice-versa. Similarly, the teaching faculty can also be exchanged between the colleges in the cluster. “Credits allotted to a particular course will be transferred on completion. Apart from the mobility of students and faculty, the system will also facilitate pooling or sharing of resources such as library, infrastructure, best practices and other human resources,” said Papi Reddy, chairman, Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE), adding that students of an institution can get access to rich collection of books available in another institution. Likewise, the laboratory facilities will also be made available between the nine institutions.
This new system will be executed between the institutions by entering into an agreement. The TSCHE has recently constituted three working committees with principals of these colleges -- one each on academics and credits transfer, infrastructure and sharing of resources and guidelines for implementation. The committees have been asked to study and prepare a timetable for offering courses and how courses and resources could be shared between the institutions. They have been asked to submit a report within 15 days.