NATIONAL / CO-OPERATIVE FACILITIES
[National - Regional - State level facilities . Autonomous
Institutions on Industrial Campuses.]
15.0 NATIONAL / REGIONAL INSTITUTION A number of research-cum-service or only research institutions have been established in the post-Independence period in the country. A sample of some of the institutions are:-
1. Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia [MCRC]
2. Institute of Genetics, Osmania University, Hyderabad [IGOU]
3. Regional Computer Centre, University of Poona [RCCP]
4. Regional Computer Centre, Jadavpur University [RCCJ]
5. Western Regional Instrumentation Centre, University of Bombay [WRIC]
6. Nuclear Science Centre, J.N.U. Campus New Delhi [NSC]
7. Inter University Centre in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Poona. [IUCAA]
8. Inter University Consortium at Indore.
Each of these has special features in its management structures dictated mainly by its origin and the specific nature of its purpose.
THE MCRC, JAMIA MILLIA The MCRC, Jamia. Millia, was established under the provisions of the then byelaws of the Institution. It is now provided for under the Act establishing Jamia Milia as a Central University, under which a Board of Management is established as a parallel authority to the Executive Council [Majlis-i-Muntazaimah] with all the powers for efficient administration and management of the Centre. It has no Academic Council of its own; however, the Academic Council [Majlis-i-Talimi] of the University has been authorised to
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make recommendations on the appointment of examiners, etc. for the academic programmes of the Centre. The annual accounts and budget estimates are approved by the Senate [Majlis-i-Maliyat]. Its incorporation is done at the level of the Act itself. The Management Board has a Chairman nominated by the Chancellor from the Panel of three persons recommended by the Majlis-i-Muntazaimah.
REGIONAL COMPUTER CENTRE [JADAVPUR AND PUNE] These Centres were established due to the initiative taken by the Department of Electronics in establishing mainframe Computers in a. University to provide immediate facilities for the academics of Universities in the region, for their academic work. The structure evolved is thus at the behest of the Department of Electronics,
These Centres are established as Registered Societies with the representation on the Governing Body for the DOE, UGC, the University and the other users of the mainframe who might have made substantial contribution towards the cost of the Computer. The rest of the rules and regulations are similar to those found in any conventional registered society involved in educational activities.
WESTERN REGIONAL INSTRUMENTATION CENTRE The Centre was established without any proper understanding about its status between the University and the UGC. The University ha's consistently tried to see that the Centre being a regional activity will not get intimately absorbed in the University like other developmental programmes for which it receives support from the UGC. The UGC on the other hand maintained that it is a developmental programme of the University. The status of a registered society given to the Centre was a clear indication of its intention to the Commission's office. This exercise has unfortunately proved to be otherwise as there was no real legal way available to keep the Centre out of the University. The Commission has now agreed that it may be converted into an Inter-University Centre.
INSTITUTE OF GENETICS, UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY
& JAMNALAL BAJAJ INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES of these, the Institute of Genetics, Osmania University is envisaged as research-cum-service institution, where services are rendered through the hospital attached to it.
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The other two institutions are of the University of Bombay. The University Department of Chemical Technology is one of the most successful, university departments and gets a large number of grants and contracts for research. J.B. Institute of Management Studies is self-sufficient in terms of its income. Both the institutes were given certain degree of autonomy recently.
These three organisations derive their autonomy by virtue of resolutions of Executive Council / Syndicate, by which certain powers are delegated to the Management body or the Director by the Syndicate. However, these powers are subject to the control of the Executive Council/Syndicate.
It would be seen that such a status would be fragile as it is subjected to the control of a body consisting of elected element. The system can be indirectly subjected to controls by administration through procedural wrangles.
15.1 U.G.C. INTER UNIVERSITY CENTRES U.G.C. has established two inter-university centres as autonomous National Facilities viz. Nuclear Science Centre at New Delhi and Inter-University Centre in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Poona. These are registered societies having bodies consisting of academics from Universities/research organisations etc., with UGC Chairman as their Chairman.
CONCLUSION It is apparent that the group of institutions involving more than one university are constrained by the University Acts which had never envisaged a situation of such autonomous institutions being established in the University set up. Each University has found a method of internalising the institution at different levels of involvement while deciding upon the autonomous status.
However, the success of each of them depends to a large extent on whether the University provides appropriate ambience for the institute to exercise its autonomy.
IT WOULD, THEREFORE, BE DESIRABLE THAT THE FUNDING AGENCY, UGC OR GOVERNMENT OF INDIA OR STATE GOVERNMENTS SHOULD ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY TO ESTABLISH A NEW CENTRE / INSTITUTION / FACULTY ON THE CAMPUS ON THE BASIS OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WHICH SHOULD BE REGISTERED WITH THE REGISTRAR OF SOCIETIES. The agreement should provide among other things for the following;-
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- Constitution of the Governing Council and its powers to make rules
- Funding agency's commitment to provide plan and non- plan funds to the Centre / Institution.
- University's obligation to consider future expansion of the Centre as a part of its responsibilities under this agreement.
- The University's readiness to consider recognising the Centre / Institution for the purpose of research, extension and advanced studies in their areas of specialisation.
- The Centre / Institution will have appropriate structure to promote suitable decentralisation of authority through participatory process. It shall also establish proper linkage for collaboration between the universities, industry and national laboratories.
15.2 MODEL OF A NATIONAL FACILITY / INTER UNIVERSITY CENTRE The primary objective of a National Facility / Inter-University Centre in any discipline is to provide within the University system a first class facility for research which cannot be obtained or managed within the framework of an individual university. This facility will be made available to the staff and students of all other universities and research institutes in the region/country. It is expected to attract young talented persons to the discipline in question and provide them training for making them competent research workers and moulding them into leaders in their field. In achieving this goal, the Centre will continuously interact with other workers in the field within and outside the country and upgrade the existing facility to make it a first-rate research institute in the discipline in question.
The detailed objectives of such a centre can be broadly enumerated as follows:-
1. To promote, guide and conduct research.
2. To continuously upgrade and augment the available facilities of the Centre.
3. To undertake design, development and construction of new equipment.
4. To organise training programmes for students and teachers at the national/regional level.
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5. To record, collect, scrutinize, publish and supply research data.
6. To interact with the relevant departments of the University/ Universities.
7. To arrange seminars and symposia for diffusion of knowledge of the discipline.
8. To invite research workers from different universities and institutes in the country and from abroad, who are actively engaged in similar research work, to deliver lectures and to participate in the research activities of the Centre.
9. To sponsor research expeditions in and outside India for obtaining vital input and data for research.
10. To institute and award fellowships, scholarships, prizes and medals for encouraging promising young men and women.
11. To cooperate and collaborate with other national and / or foreign Universities / Institutions and international organisations in the field of specialisation.
12. To take up any other activity conducive to the fulfilment of the objective of the Centre.
The National Centres may be established directly under the funding agency in a university campus as a Registered Society to function as an autonomous institution with full academic, administrative, financial and budgetary autonomy.
15.2.1 ORGANISATION The organizational structures of the national centres [UGC-funded] will conform to: [a] guidelines as per the UGC Notification No.F. 1- 81/84(CPP) dated 21.12.85 given in Annexure 4 and [b] the requirement for a Registered Society under the Registered Society Act 1860. Further,there will be bodies as under to ensure effective planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and follow-up measures of the programmes of the Centre.
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GOVERNING COUNCIL The Governing Council will be an advisory apex body of the Inter University Centre/facility and presided over by the Chairman of the UGC or by nationally accepted experts, The Council will provide general guidance and will take an overall view of the programmes of the centre. The composition of the Governing Council has to be carefully balanced with representation of the parent university, other universities in the country, the UGC and outside experts.
GOVERNING BODY The Governing body should be the body which will be responsible to manage and ensure implementation and administration of the Centre. It will consist of academics and experts.
A MODEL OF GOVERNING BODY NAMELY THAT OF THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE CENTRE
IS GIVEN IN ANNEXURE 13. The Director of the Centre will be given wide powers but he will work under the overall supervision of the Governing body.
OTHER COMMITTEES There may be other committees such as Scientific Advisory Committee, Evaluation and Planning Committee, Users Committee, Finance Committee etc. Some broad guidelines bout these committees are given below:
[a] SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE - It may consist of about 6 experts, four of whom would beexperts from the Governing Council and the other two would be appointed by the Governing Council from a panel of four to be submitted by the Director who should be the ex-officio Member-Secretary of the Advisory Committee. This committee should:
[1] Review the Research Programmes of the Centre.
[2] Advise the Governing Council on matters of academic activities of the Centre.
[3] Suggest the upgarding of the available facilities at the Centre.
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[b] FINANCE COMMITTEE It should consist of four members two to be nominated by the Chairman of the Governing Council, the Secretary, UGC [in case it is funded by the UGC] and Director of the Centre who should be the ex-officio Chairman of the Committee. It would:
[1] Examine the budget proposals of the Centre and make recommendations to the Governing Body.
[2] Scrutinise the audited accounts of the Centre.
[3] Take up any other other matter put before it by the Governing Council Body / Director for their opinion.
[C] USERS COMMITTEE - It may consists of six members, three from the staff of the National Centre and three from regular users of the facility to be nominated by the Governing Body.
It would:
[1] Scrutinize the requisitioning of the facility by users from all parts of the country, on the basis of merit of their proposals.
[2] Make recommendations regarding improvement of the equipment and supporting facilities.
[d] EVALUATION COMMITTEE - In order to ensure accountability the UGC Funding agency may appoint an Evaluation Committee after regular intervals of 3 to 4 years to examine fully the working of the Centre, offer comments concerning the fulfilment of the objectives of the Centre and suggest remedial measures for any lacunae found therein.
STAFF STRUCTURE The faculty of the Centre will consist of Professors,, Readers, etc. as also scientific and technical staff needed for the specialised activities to be carried out by the Centre in addition to the administrative service staff.
15.3 CO-OPERATIVE FACILITIES The Committee is of the view that national facilities be created either by the UGC or by the Government of India. The Committee is also of the view that it might be desirable to create certain state level facilities for the use of the various universities in a State. Such facilities could be
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funded both by the UGC / Government of India and by the State Governments and 'their management could be suitably organized in a participatory manner between the universities, UGC Government of India and the State Governments,
It would also be desirable to encourage industries and other organizations to establish autonomous research institutions / service facilities on the campuses of the Universities. These facilities could be in the form of autonomous institutions created under the Societies Registration Act. It will have management structures similar to the national facilities but the participants of management structures will also include the representative of agencies responsible for the establishment of these facilities on the University campuses.
15.4 AN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTE ESTABLISHED BY A UNIVERSTIY IN
AN INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. It has been accepted that university education should aim to link education, research, industry and economic development. To achieve this integrated goal, a close inter-action among education, research And industry has been recommended by us.
Universities can play a very positive and active role by setting up their Schools in the heart of industrial complexes with administrative and academic freedom. These schools besides providing the basic conceptual skills will also concentrate on providing inputs to satisfy the specific needs of the industry. The academic autonomy in such a situation will go a long way in making the curriculum relevant, effective and need-based.
These institutes could be given full administrative and finanical autonomy to function effectively as it is being practised in Bharathidasan University. The Bharathidasan Institute of Management is managed by a Board of Governors for administrative purpose with representatives of industry, and other user sectors along with the university.
Eminent people from the industry and the related fields could also be co-opted. Autonomy in curriculum making and in the design of the evaluation system would make the institute effective.
The autonomy could be ensured by an Ordinance or in a similar way, if not through amendments to the Acts and Statutes of the University. Alternatively, the Institues could be registered under the Societies Act and the University could extend support as practised at Bharathidasan University. WE RECOMMEND THAT ACTS OF UNIVERSITIES SHOULD PROVIDE FOR
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THE CREATION OF NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND STATE LEVEL INTERUNIVERSITY FACILITIES AS ALSO FOR TYE CREATION OF RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS TO BE ESTABLISHED BY INDUSTRIES OR GOVERMENT ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES AND BY UNIVERSITIES ON INDUSTRIAL CAMPUSES.