Kerala - Kochi

World-class university: Thrissur in the race

KOCHI: Thrissur and Ernakulam districts are in the race for setting up a world-class university proposed by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). Three sites in Thrissur and one in Ernakulam have been identified for the university. The estimate land required for the project is about 700 acres.

Senior Higher Education Department officials said land identified in Ernakulam is near Malayatur. The sites identified in Thrissur are within the 55-km-radius from Kochi airport at Nedumbassery.

According to the MHRD, the site for the world-class university should be near to the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery.

The locations have been decided keeping in mind the connectivity and the infrastructure. Senior government officials will soon inspect the sites for the ambitious project.

Kerala is among 14 States short-listed by the MHRD to have a university with world-class standards. The Planning Commission has allocated Rs.2, 800 crore for establishing world class universities in the country.

Modelled on the recommendations made by the National Knowledge Commission (NKC), the world-class universities will train students in a variety of disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, basic sciences, commerce and professional subjects, at both the undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

They will admit students on an all-India basis. At the undergraduate level, a nationwide test that objectively measures the verbal, quantitative and analytical abilities of applicants will be administered by an independent testing body.

Admissions will be based on a combination of Class XII results, scores from the nation-wide test, application materials including written work, personal statements and interviews.

At the postgraduate level, admissions will be based on a combination of the applicant’s academic record, application materials, interviews and academic or professional references that indicate his/her aptitude for further studies in the relevant discipline.

Undergraduate degrees in these universities will have duration of three years so that these are in conformity with the duration of undergraduate courses elsewhere in India.

Degrees will be granted on the basis of completing a requisite number of credits, obtained from different courses. Each student will be required to earn a minimum number of credits in his/her chosen discipline.

These world class universities will ensure that an applicant’s ability or inability to pay should not influence the admission decision made by a university.

The academic year will be semester-based. Students will be internally evaluated at the end of each course.

According to the recommendations made by the NKC, the world-class universities will foster strong links between teaching and research, universities and industry, and universities and research laboratories.

These universities will be department-based. They will not have any affiliated colleges.

An appropriate system of appointments and incentives will be introduced to maximise the productivity of faculty in these universities.

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