Srinagar, Sep 27: A two-member team from National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) held wide-ranging interactions with various office bearers of Cluster University Srinagar during their two-day visit to the varsity.
The team comprised of Prof. Sudhanshu Bhushan and Dr. Manisha Priyam. Interacting with the visiting team, Vice-Chancellor, Cluster University of Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Qayyum Husain spelt out the vision, characteristics, viability and challenges of the university.
Prof. Husain listed his priority areas including the broader aim to set up a proper university system with state-of-art common facilities to be availed by the students of constituent and affiliated colleges. He also shared his vision to promote research and innovation. Prof. Husain referred to various other initiatives to bring a semblance of university set-up under the cluster model and transform into an institution of excellence in the long run.
In a separate focus group discussion, principals of constituent colleges briefed the NIEPA team about the autonomy with respect to appointment and promotion of teachers, admission of the students, curricular changes and examination among other important issues related to the functioning of the cluster university.
It was followed by a session wherein Dean Academic Affairs, Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, In-charge Registrar, Prof. Khurshid Ahmad Mir, Deans of various faculty and some HODs of constituent colleges shared their inputs about the academic and governance reforms underway in the cluster university.
The NIEPA team visited Amar Singh College campus to understand the sharing and use of infrastructure and other resources. The team also interacted with faculty members to gauge the challenges of quality teaching, research, publication and industry linkages.
Prof. Sudhanshu is Head of the Department of Higher & Professional Education in NIEPA. He specializes in Internationalisation of Higher Education and policy issues in higher education and educational planning. He conducts and guides research to provide policy support to the government.
Dr. Manisha Priyam is Professor of Education Policy at NIEPA and works on issues of development and politics. With a doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in International Development, she examines the politics of education policy reforms in a comparative perspective.
