HRD plans an arts and crafts university

According to sources, the initial proposal by the Ministry of Textiles was for an arts and crafts institute but the HRD Ministry sought to explore the option of a university offering degrees. The ministry could be considering the possibility of establishing a Central University for the purpose.

However, while the ministry is looking at a dedicated arts and crafts university, traditionally a university is multi-disciplinary, offering a range of courses. In terms of nomenclature, a dedicated course is offered mostly by an ‘institute’.

“The university as an institution has changed continuously over the centuries of its existence, yet it has also functioned as a repository of traditional knowledge and values. At the same time, in creating knowledge through research, the university is also the natural site of new discoveries and inventions, and challenging existing systems. Arts and crafts being the vehicles of creative expression, the promotion of studies in these disciplines is essential for human resource development and capacity building in higher forms of expression and creative thought,” the notification says.

No contours for the committee or the proposed university have been defined, and the former has been left to lay down its procedures and formulate its modalities. The committee has to submit its report within three months from the date of its first meeting.