Colleges autonomy new chapter in Bamu’s history

By Mehboob Inamdar

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University has started a new chapter in its history by adopting an autonomy policy for traditional colleges.

It may be noted that currently all undergraduate and postgraduate colleges are affiliated with the university of the respective region. There are 486 affiliated colleges from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed and Dharashiv to Bamu for the current academic year.

The respective university designs curricula and conducts examinations and after the results, it awards a degree to the candidates. Only one private college and one Government college of professional courses were given autonomy while no traditional college received it until 2022-23. The National Education Policy (NEP) will be implemented across the State in the coming academic year. There is great stress on providing autonomy to the colleges.

Bamu sought proposals from the colleges for autonomy. It received consent from 36 colleges for autonomy.

Talking to this newspaper, Pro-vice-chancellor Dr Shyam Shirsath the autonomy policy is being adopted as per the Government norms within the university’s jurisdiction. He said that an expert committee visits the college and verifies the infrastructure, facilities and teaching staff.

“On the basis of the panel’s report, Deogiri College was accorded autonomy from the academic year 2023-24,” he said. Dr Shirsath said some more colleges would go for autonomy if they improve the facilities and match the criteria. This is a new era in the history of Bamu as it is the first traditional college to have autonomy.

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Freedom to design courses, conduct exams

Commenting on this, the Principal of Deogiri College Dr Ashok Tejankar said that by getting autonomy, the college would be free to design and prescribe their own courses of study and syllabi to provide job opportunities to youths and suit local industries' needs.

“The respective will have its own schedule of admissions, examinations and results declaration. Currently, the university declares the result course-wise. Trhe result is delayed due to some colleges' indifferent attitudes toward the assessment of answer books. Those who are beneficiaries of the scholarship will get it as usual,” he added. Deogir college has 7,500 students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses both traditional and professional.

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Objectives of autonomy

--A college will be able to determine and prescribe its own courses of study and syllabi and restructure and redesign the courses to suit local needs, making it skill oriented and in consonance with the job requirements.

--Evolve methods of assessment of student's performance, the conduct of examinations and notification of results.