The existing faculty and some visiting faculties will together take lectures in these four new disciplines. The Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute has proposed four new post-graduate degree courses. The courses will be introduced subject to the attainment of required approvals from the state government.
The introduction of the new Master of Science and Master of Arts courses is being planned to coincide with the bicentenary year of Deccan College, which is being celebrated in 2020 – 2021.
Two among the four soon-to-be-launched courses — Computational Linguistics and Heritage Site Management, and Scientific Conservation — are presently offered as short-term courses but will now be extended as full-time M.Sc/MA courses. The two other new courses are in Museology and Environment Archaeology.
“The courses will be self-financed and the student in-take based on the entrance test. We will seek approval of the College’s Academic Council, a meeting of which is scheduled sometime next week. An approval from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Maharashtra will be sought. We are hopeful of getting approvals from both these bodies and offering them from this academic year (2021 – 2022),” said Prof Pramod Pandey, the newly-appointed vice-chancellor of Deccan College.
The existing faculty and some visiting faculties will together take lectures in these four new disciplines. “These are rare courses and are available at not more than eight or 10 universities. They are in demand and graduates will have a high chance of getting inducted into the industry and doing good work,” said P D Sable, head of the Department of Archaeology at Deccan College.
Despite being one of the three oldest educational institutions in India, Deccan College is severely cash strapped and is in dire need of financial support from both the government and private sectors. A major chunk of the college’s budget is spent on the upkeep of the huge campus and its Gothic-style buildings. The College’s library, with about 1.8 lakh books, rare manuscripts and toposheets and more, also requires a good sum for its maintenance.
The college authorities noted that the government funding, during the past seven years, has been shrinking which has added to its existing financial stress.
“We need a seed fund to get started… we urge industries and the government to come forward and offer grants. We also invite people to offer fellowships to our academically bright students. There is also a proposal of setting up an Irawati Karve fellowship. We have written to the Ministry of Education, Culture and UGC in this regard,” said Prof Pandey.
Another proposal put forward by the Deccan College is the establishment of an Institute of Contemporary Indology with help of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, some Indology departments from outside India and other departments.
Postal stamp to Commemorate 200th year of Deccan College
The India Post will release a postal stamp on October 6 this year, to mark the 200th year of Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute. The Rs 5 stamp will bear the Gothic-style main building of the College. A First Day Cover of Deccan College, too, shall be released on the occasion.
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