Prospective Plan of Autonomous Colleges Under Institute of Eminence Tag

Cutting-edge courses, incentives for faculty and off-campus centres are some of the initiatives that will be taken up by the 52 higher learning institutes that bagged the Institute of Eminence (IoE) tag. The Union HRD Ministry has granted autonomous status to these institutes as a reward for maintaining high standards and as a unique step for liberalising education sector in India.

Among the institutes that bagged the IoE tag, Jai Hind College, Mumbai is all set to implement the long-pending ideas. After taking the views of parents, experts and teachers into consideration, the college is clear on the changes that must be brought in courses, teaching methods and syllabus. Based on the feedback from students and the industry, the college has come up with a new Certificate Course in Indian Cultural Heritage and Risk Management as well.

Also Read: AMU Teachers’ Association Not Satisfied over UGC’s Decision of Autonomy

Jai Hind College is also taking professional guidance and assistance from a multinational accounting company KPMG for designing its certificate course. On the other hand, a plan to transform certificate courses into full-fledged diploma courses is expected to take shape in the coming days. The college is also planning to launch courses in: -

• Software Management
• Travel Management
• International Relations

Jai Hind College is also planning to bring some changes in the existing evaluation process. Students’ performance in class and their involvement will be taken into consideration for assessing the students. Greater importance will be given to skills acquired by the students rather than what is memorized.

The other institutes that bagged IoE tag are planning to launch courses that are globally relevant. For instance, Vivekananda College, located in Kolhapur is planning to launch a course in Water, Soil and Food Analysis under the ambit of B.Sc Chemistry.

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS – Deemed University) will take local needs and market insights into consideration for launching new courses and expand its reach. Greater autonomy will enable the colleges to take an experimental and unconventional approach, said the Vice Chancellor of NMIMS.

Off-campus centre in under-serviced regions across the country is also one of the ideas of NMIMS that will soon take shape. The popular deemed varsity will either form a new campus in such regions or reach out to the students virtually.

A plan to extend three-year Bachelor’s degree course is underway so that the final year of the course can focus on international markets, highlighted NMIMS VC.

OP Jindal University, located in Haryana is mostly excited to collaborate with international institutes. With the autonomy status in their hands, the institute will be able to recruit 20% international faculty. The reputed institute is also planning to launch new courses in: -

• Science and Innovation
• Environment and Sustainability
• Banking and Finance

Even though the institutes are happy with an autonomous status, there are some concerns and challenges that are worrying these institutes. Affordability is one of the major concerns among the academicians. For instance, the higher learning institutes with IoE tag need funds to launch new courses, design modules and set up off-campus centres. For these initiatives, the funds have to come from other sources and not just hiked fees.

Also Read: IoE Status will not privatize the Education Sector: Prakash Javadekar

Cost of education will increase due to the autonomy status, as most of the new courses that will be launched by the institutes are self-financed. The course fee for self-financed courses is expected to be around Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 80,000. In all, the autonomy status is expected to restrict the institutes from launching the courses that are not directly market-oriented.

Within few days, more clarity on the plans of the higher autonomy institutes is expected. Stay tuned to CollegeDekho for more updates in this regard.