The Azim Premji University, when it rolls out next year in Bangalore, will be designed to create education experts who can impart knowledge to teachers. The university is aiming to create education experts and people who can design education policy for systemic reforms in the sector.
Starting with about 250 odd seats in mid-2011, the university in Bangalore will offer post-graduate and post-doctoral programmes ? Masters in Education Policy, Masters in Assessment Methods, Masters in Philosophy of Education and M.Phil in the Philosophy of Education among others.
?This university is unusual across the world; it is focused on educating a capable cadre of education and development sector professionals who will go on to join the government, the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), universities, and NGOs. There is a massive demand in the NGO sector itself for education experts,? Azim Premji Foundation co-chief executive Anurag Behar said.
The university is being setup under the aegis of the Azim Premji Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation. The university is being established under the Government of Karnataka?s Azim Premji University Act, 2010, created earlier this year. Over the next five years, the university could hit a capacity of 1,500 seats.
The foundation, started in 2001, has worked on the quality of education with various state governments focussing on the underprivileged. The university is being seen as the foundation?s next growth phase.
?To have a teacher, you need a teacher educator. But where does the teacher educator come from and who designs a curriculum for them?? asked Behar. ?NGOs who are working in the education space are struggling everyday for people of this nature. The government is struggling with a similar lack of talent ? it is more evident in the DIETs,? he added.
There are 640 districts in the country; 577 of them have DIETs, which are the district level centre for academic support for schools. Most of them today are non-functional because there are no people to man them.
The university, said Behar, will also have a very large continuing education centre to provide in-service training to education professionals. ?One would be admitted by a comprehensive evaluation related to the programme. There would be admission tests, and candidates would be evaluated for past track record and experience,? the executive said.