HIGHER EDUCATION
The National Policy on Education underlined the importance of maintaining proper standards in University Education. It laid down that there should be adequate provision of funds to enable universities to achieve this aim. The policy also laid stress on the improvement of the quality of training and research at the postgraduate level and the strengthening of the Centres of Advanced Study. Research in Universities, it emphasised, should be increasingly supported. In addition, it upheld the necessity of developing part-time education and correspondence courses. In this chapter, an account is given of the activities of the Union Ministry in conjunction with the University Grants Commission in the field of Higher Education during the year under report. It Starts with an outline of the work and programmes carried out by the Central Universities with which the Union Ministry is directly concerned.
CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES
Aligarh Muslim University During the year under review, the University had 45 Academic Departments in eight Faculties, in addition to colleges maintained by the University. The total enrolment in these Departments was 9335, including 410 students reading in the evening classes. This showed an increase of 1,148 students over the enrolment in 1970-71. During the period the University bad 816 teachers, of whom 101 were women.
A new Hall for 375 students was commissioned during the year. Over 5,000 students, men and women, including foreign students from 33 countries reside in the different Hostels.
38
39
The tradition of close teacher-student relationship, a distinc- tive feature of this University, continues to be zealously maintained.
The University has a Dean of Students Welfare who, besides looking after their welfare, coordinates and organises with the assistance of the Provosts of the different Halls of Residence, co- curricular and extra curricular activities. The members of the teaching staff in the different Faculties advise students and guide them in the choice of subjects and maintain records of their academic performance.
To make the academic pursuits of Students more purposeful and better suited to their needs and capabilities, examination reforms were undertaken during the year. Due weightage to the students' performance throughout the semester and two University Examinations each year have contributed to a more rational system of assessing the academic performance of students. Work in this direction to still continuing.
The Executive Council of this University has recently appointed a Special Officer to take stock of the progress achieved in academic planning and the role of students in various facets of corporate and community living and to recommend measures towards involving the students more and more in the Organisation of their curricular and co- curricular programmes.
The University Social Service Committee which has been in existence for quite some time and has considerable experience in organising proper rural and urban community centres, has been entrusted with the task of implementing the National Service Scheme. The NSS has proved very popular and within the period under report the enrolment has gone up from 500 to about 1,000 voluntary student participants. The NSS has a number of useful schemes in hand and is continuing to work and expand the scope of service further through the 10 centres already established.
40
Conferences and Seminars
Subject Auspices
"The Dollar Crisis and its Impact Department of Com- Under the chair-
on India", September, 1971. merce. manship of Prof.
Q.H. Fqroo-
quee.
"Terminology" Tarraqqi-e-Urdu
Board, Aligarh.
"Urdu Fiction" (Sir Syed and his re-
levance today.)
15th & 16th January, 1972. Departmnent of
Urdu.
"Tulsi, Jayanti" Department of Hindi
"Criminal Procedure Code" Department of Law
May, 1971
The Department of English proposes to organise the Centenary of Donn's death and also to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Keat's birth in February, 1972. The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College organised the U.P. State Indian Medical Association Conference.
Staff Participation in Seminars Here and Abroad
Name Place
Col.M. Tajuddin, Principal Kabul University (as guest lecturer).
Medical College.
Dr. N. Ansari, Reader, De- The Students IV Asian Conference in Hong
partment of Survery. Kong.
Dr.S.K.Johri, Readerin Radio- Australia, 1st Asian and Oceanic Congress of
logy. Radiology at Melbourne.
Prof. S.M. Shafi, Head, De- Hungary,to preside over the symposium on
partment of Geography. Agricultural Typology.
Do. Budapest,to attend the European Regional
Conference of the International Geographi-
cal Union, August, 1971.
Mr. S.A. Jafar, Lecturer, De- Vienna. To represent Aligarh University at
partment of Geology. Refresher Colloquium.
41
The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College which was started in 1962-63 is now working in full swing, under a separate Faculty of Medicine. Apart from the regular M.B.B.S. course, the College introduced, this year, two year post-graduate M.D. course in Medicine, Pharmacology, Pathology, Social and Preventive Medicine; Physiology, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and Paediatrics. Besides, post-graduate diploma in Radiology and Child-Health has also been introduced. A diploma in Clinic Surgery was also introduced.
In Tibhiya College, a two-year postgraduate Diploma (D.U.M. Doctor of Unani Medicine) was instituted to meet the post-graduate requirements in Unani Medicine.
In the Faculty of Commerce, the post-graduate, (part-time) Diploma course in Business Management which was introduced on the recommendation of the Government of India, has now been converted into Master's degree in Business Administration to meet the requirements of the Managerial personnel in the country. A postgraduate diploma course in Bank Administration was introduced to cove with the requirements of the Nationalised Banks in India.
A postgraduate diploma course in Linguistics has been started from the beginning of the current session. Urdu/Hindi have been introduced as an optional subject at the Pre-University level both in day as well as in evening classes.
In the Faculty of Law, special interest has been taken in coaching the candidates for the various competitive examinations. It would not be out of place to mention here that seven students qualified in the written examination of the U.P. Civil (Judicial) Service examination and out of these seven, three were finally selected securing first, fourth and eleventh positions among the successful candidates.
42
Apart from several notable achievements in other sports and games, this year the University students won the championship in the All-India Inter-Varsity tournament in Tennis held recently in Madras.
The Library maintained its tradition of being one of the most important Centres of activity in the campus. Apart from the re- orientation of the library facilities, 13.693 new tides were added bringing the total to 425661 volumes till December, 1971. There were additions in the manuscript division adding up to a total of 13271 at the end of the year. The total periodicals received in the Library rose to 2250. During the period under review 96980 volumes were issued to readers.
As this is a Central University, a substantial part of the financial commitment is met by the University Grants Commission. The original budget estimates for the year 1971-72 showed an expenditure of Rs. 5,06,61,000/- against an anticipated income of Rs. 4,88,66,000. The receipts included a Block grant of Rs. 2,25,72,000 from the University Grants Commission, Rs. 2,90,000/- from the U.P. Government. The receipts also include other minor grants for Research Projects in the different University Departments.
Banaras Hindu University The enrolment during the year in the various Departments and colleges of the University was 13,701. In order to meet the demand for more admissions, evening classes for B.A. (Pass) were started. The University Grants Commission has appointed a Visiting Committee to assess the financial implication.
Some hostels are under construction with assistance from the U.G.C. under the IV Plan allocation, and Students Amenities programmes, grants from the I.C.A.P. and a donation of over
43
Rs. 15 lakhs from Shri L.N. Dalmia. These hostels are expected to provide an additional accommodation for nearly 1000 students.
The Commission in addition to the grants sanctioned under the Fourth Plan for the development of the Institute of Medical Sciences has agreed to sanction a sum of Rs. 18 lakhs for the construction of Teaching and Non-teaching staff quarters. The construction work will be taken up after the plans and estimates are approved by the University Grams Commission.
The University Grants Commission has sanctioned assistance for starting a Neuro-Physical Research Unit with particular reference to Yoga in the Institute of Medical Sciences.
For the development of the Epidemiology in the Institute of Medical Sciences, the Commission has sanctioned one post of Reader and one post of Demonstrator.
The University Grants Commission in order to provide essential library facilities to the students in their residential areas, has agreed to set up two "Study Centres" at Varanasi. These centres will be managed by the University.
The proposal of the University for splitting up the Faculty of Arts in to the following two faculties has been approved :
1. Faculty of Social Sciences consisting of the Departments of Economics, History, Psychology, Sociology and Political Sciences.
2. Faculty of Arts consisting of the Departments of English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Philosophy, Arabic, Persian and Urdu, Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology, Art and Architecture, Foreign Languages, Indian Languages, Indo-Sumerian, Studies and Library Sciences.
44
The creation of the following additional Departments has also been approved:
1. Faculty of Medical Sciences
(i) Department of Bio-physics,
(ii) Department of Orthoaedics,
(iii) Department of Anaestbesiology,
(iv) Department of Psychiatry,
(v) Department of Dentistry,
(vi) Department of Otolaryngology (ENT) and
(vii) Department of Medicinal Chemistry.
2. Faculty of Agriculture
(i) Department of Horticulture and
(ii) Department of Entomology and Agricultural Zoology.
3. Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Department of Electronims.
The Department of Silicate Technology has been renamed as the Department of Ceramic Engineering.
4. Faculty of Science
The existing Department of Spectroscopy has been merged with the Department of Physics.
The following New Courses have been introduced from the current session:
(i) One year Certificate course in English
(ii) Two years Diploma Course in English
45
(iii) One year Certificate course in Urdu, Arabic and Persian
(iv) Two years M.A. course in German
(v) Evening College. for B.A. students only
The University has taken an active and sustained interest in the programme of students services and welfare, realising that such programmes are integral to educational development. A visiting team of the Commission reviewed the needs of the University in the sector of provision of student amenities. Its recommendations entailed an expenditure of well over Rs. 1 crore. A number of programmes were initiated with the 1st assistance of nearly Rs. 30 lakhs. These programmes are nearing completion and it is expected that by the middle of 1972-73, a 212-seated hostel for boys 100-seated girls' hostel, extensions to the Cafetaria, Health Centres would have all come into being and thus many of the shortcomings in the hostel would have been removed. Apart from the Commission's assistance, the University has attended to a large number of programmes from its revenue budget.
Nearly 150 Research Scholarships and Fellowships of the value of Rs. 250 p.m, and Rs. 300 p.m. are to be awarded to research scholars from the Block Grant and assistance received from the U.G.C., apart from renewal of scholarships to a large number of students.
Necessary steps to streamline sports activities have been initiated. Proposals have been admitted to the U.G.C. for a lst phase sanction of nearly Rs. 2 lakhs, under the students amenities programme, towards the improvement of the Swimming Pool, repairs to fencing, flood lighting of courts, improvement of Gymnasiums etc. etc.
The Commission have sanctioned funds for the appointment of 5 Coaches.
46
3 agencies attend to the health needs of students in the University Campus, viz. Birla Dispensary, Health Centres run by the Department of PSM and the expert advice available in the S.S. Hospital. The Health Centres maintain health records of students. The Commission have sanctioned in 1971, funds amounting to Rs. 2.84 lakhs, under the Students Amenities Programme, for the construction of a Health Centre Building.
Financial assistance is being made available to students from the assistance received from the U.G.C., under their scheme of 'Students Aid Fund' augumented by the Students Aid Fees realised from the students, The U.P. Government has sanctioned special help to the students who have been affected by floods. The University is under correspondence With Bihar Government to render help to cover students coming from the flood-affected areas of Bihar.
Proposals for the creation of 'Revolving Loan Fund' are under consideration. They are meant to provide assistance in the form of scholarships etc.
Efforts are being made to set up a Student Affair Committee, on the lines suggested in Part-I "Report of the Committee off Governance of Universities and Colleges".
The Block grant of the University for the year 1971-72 has been raised from Rs. 2,63,00,000.00 to Rs. 2,76,15,000.00 exclusive of Rs. 4,32,000.00 contributed by the University Grants Commission for the maintenance of 144 beds of S. S. Hospital @Rs. 3,000.00 per bed.
In addition, a grant of Rs. 5,50,000.00 has been sanctioned by the Commission for the year 1971-72 as the University Grants Commission's share for maintenance of the S.S. Hospital beds.
University of Delhi As on 31st August, 1971, the University had 64538 regular students on its rolls, in addition to 14,721 registered with the
47
School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education and 3,195 Non-Collegiate women students on the rolls (of the Non-Collegiate Women's Education Board. The number of private candidates was 14,793. Out of a total number of 97,247 students enrolled, 40,034 were women students.
The number of students reading for various post-graduate courses was 10,314. While there were 12,768 students studying for Honours Courses in Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, 3,009 students were doing Honours Courses in Science subjects. There were 1632 research students working for their Ph. D. Degree. Nearly 2000 students were enrolled in the Medical Faculty and 1,308 in the Faculty of Technology.
Out of a total number of 3969 teachers in the University, 59 are Professors and 172 Readers.
Two additional Colleges were started to meet the increasing demand for admission to various courses (1) Bharti Mahila College sponsored by the Delhi Administration for B.A. (Pass) Course, and (2) University Medical College to meet the rush of admission for medical education. Besides, the University granted permission to the School of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education to start a separate Co-educational Teaching Wing. Further a second Evening Law Centre was started in South Delhi to meet the rush for admission to the LL.B. Course.
The University introduced the following New Courses during the Session:
(a) The Certificate Course in Bulgarian Language in the Department of Modern European Languages.
(b) Diploma in Health Education under the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
(c) B. Pharmacy Course.
48
With the approval of the University Grants Commission, B.Com. (Pass) Course was introduced in 5 Colleges and B.Com. (Hons) Course in 2 Colleges. Two more colleges also have introduced Urdu as a subject for the B.A. (Pass) Course.
There are at present six Centres of Advanced Studies in the University in the following departments: