Four of Indias leading educational institutions have begun consultations on a new collaborative programme that will allow students to mix and match study modules these institutes offer,and create a flexible curriculum. Representatives from Delhi University,Indian Institute of Technology,Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia held their first meeting this month to give shape to the countrys first meta university. JNU Vice-Chancellor S K Sopory,who represented the university in the coordination meeting,said the four universities are trying to provide students the best of choices and more courses. It is still at the preliminary stages. The courses,credit systems and other minor details are yet to be worked out, Sopory told Newsline. Existing rules prohibit students registered at one university from attending classes or courses offered at another,unless there are exchange arrangements. Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh said work on the collaboration began after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced at a meeting of the National Innovation Council that the government was contemplating a meta university. The vice-chancellors of the participating universities met after the announcement and it was decided that as a pilot project,these four universities in Delhi will take it up, DU V-C said. Under the system,the collaborating universities will provide,and recognise,credits to the students for different courses and facilitate student mobility across disciplines. Each of the four institutions participating in the pilot project has constituted a team of two professors,who met about a week ago to look into the intricacies of starting such a university. Jamia Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung said,No new campus would be required for this concept. The current campuses of these varsities will suffice for the needs of the meta university. Jung said the university is likely to start in July next year. A member of the meta university deliberations panel from Jamia,S M Sajid,said the idea is to pool in resources and expertise from all these universities and provide the best to the students. The institutions will take up research projects together in the future,after consulting experts from different fields. Sajid said climate change,education and public health are the areas that will be worked upon.
