University of Hyderabad, Osmania University gear up to implement autonomy
Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) was given Category-1 status by the University Grants Commission (UGC) which gave the institution greater autonomy in academic, administrative and financial matters. The Vice-Chancellor will soon initiate a multi-layered dialogue within the University and evolve mechanisms to implement this newly- granted status. UoH is one among the two Central Universities that has been given this recognition.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Appa Rao Podile said, ‘’I am aware that this comes with responsibilities and expectations. The University of Hyderabad, through its teachings, research, and outreach activities, has been constantly setting high standards for itself. While we can take pride in what we have achieved so far, this new recognition should serve as an incentive to work even harder, to achieve global benchmarks of excellence in higher education.’’
“The autonomous status will facilitate Universities to undertake curricular reforms, start new courses, introduce academic innovations, hire foreign faculty, enroll foreign students, give incentive-based emoluments to the faculty, enter into academic collaborations and run/open distance learning programmes, provided they generate their own resources rather than depend on the government,” the UGC said.
These Universities can also set up new campuses, start own centres as per their own Act and introduce regulations governing them and have the freedom to fix fees. Osmania University is also gearing up to put in place a series of initiatives to take full advantage of the status. The University authorities are holding discussions with the departments, centres and faculty on how best the autonomy can be implemented across the varsity.
Osmania University, a Category I institution by virtue of its A+ status for seven years and a CGPA score of 3.52 from the National Accreditation and Assessment Council, is the only University in Telangana to be granted ‘Graded Autonomous’ status under Category I. Professor S. Ramachandram, Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University, said, “The university has been making efforts towards achieving the excellence by ushering in several reforms. The decision by the UGC in the centenary year of the university comes as a double delight’’.
University Registrar Professor Gopal Reddy said that the autonomy status will give flexibility to the university in this globally competitive world.
