UoP plan 8212; Add 10 to autonomy list

8220;The statutes will be placed before the Senate of the UoP only in March 2000, and then recommended to the management council in early April for approval,8221; says Vice-chancellor Dr Arun Nigavekar. 8220;I have begun discussions with interested heads of colleges and university departments to gear them up for the additional responsibilities,8221; he says.

As a first step, the UoP will limit the sanction, for a period of five years, to two colleges each from Nashik, Ahmednagar, and six from Pune, says Pro Vice-chancellor Dr N J Sonawane, adding that one of the primary objectives of the exercise is to reduce the workload of the UoP, increase the pace of decision-making and drastically overhaul falling academic standards.

Students from autonomous colleges will have the choice to take a break from post-graduate courses to pursue a career and rejoin at the same stage later, without facing disqualification. The process of appointing teachers will no longer need the cumbersome university approval, and colleges will be free to enter into collaborations with industries and institutions to further research and initiate specialised programmes for students and teachers.

Active post-graduate departments of the University can also apply for autonomy, to enable them to reduce the time required to introduce new courses, revise syllabi, or appoint staff, to a few weeks. 8220;Not more than 10 departments out of 41 may apply in 2000,8221; says Sonawane. 8220;They would rather wait and observe the implications before going for such a major policy change.8221;

Similarly, with the application fee of Rs 75,000 per college, the resulting radical increase in the responsibilities of principals and college managements, the exceedingly high criteria for sanction of autonomy and the long-drawn procedures, a lean response from colleges is expected the first year.

The Vice-Chancellor admits that though he is trying to push the process ahead, he 8220;is doubtful if it can be completed by June 2000,8221; because each application will first be scrutinised by a committee, forwarded to the academic council, which will appoint a local inquiry committee to visit the college or university department, before submitting its recommendation to the management council. The application will then be forwarded to the state government and the University Grants Commission UGC for approval.

Criteria for autonomy
Only colleges permanently affiliated to the University of Pune, with a standing of 10 years or more, and a consistently good record for the last five years, will be eligible to apply for autonomy.

The criteria include high academic standards, adequate infrastructure, trained and sufficient teaching staff, motivated management, sound finances and the ability to generate revenue.