The Azim Premji University, which can potentially create education experts and people who can design education policy for systemic reforms in the sector, will kick off from July 2011. The university will commence three post-graduate programmes in education, development and teacher education. It has announced the admission process, promising ?outstanding education? that is ?purposeful, relevant, contemporary and deep?.
The university, approved by the Karnataka government under a special legislative Act, is promising excellent placements. Passouts are likely to be employed in the social, government and the private sectors. The Azim Premji Foundation itself will hire 5,000 people over the next five years.
The university has been putting together a multi-disciplinary faculty team from humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences, mathematics and engineering ? it has 28 members already and offers have been accepted by another 20. The university would start with about 200 seats and the post graduate programmes would run for a period of two years. Candidates will be selected for final admission based on performance in written tests and interviews. Tests are expected to be conducted across 38 centres on April 17.
The university said it would ensure ?broad and deep? student support. This implies financial support to make sure that no student offered admission is deprived of education at the university because of financial issues.
?We are making an explicit commitment that we will arrange for a scholarship or a loan to those who need it,? Azim Premji Foundation?s co-chief executive Anurag Behar told FE.