When it comes to fresh plans, the 126-year-old University of Punjab, Chandigarh is pretty much on the ball. The varsity plans to start an institute akin to the Indian Institutes of Management, not to mention one in bio-technology and an institute in nano-technology.
The vice-chancellor of Panjab university, R C Sobti observed that the university had always been alive to change. He said that the university, ?was working on the premise that everyone has access to education for which it has started the department of community education?. It also plans to enhance that department by conducting an outreach programme and to start short-term courses on weekends for those who cannot afford regular varsity classes. There is little doubt that this university has been able to keep intact its national character and standards despite the coming up of universities in the region at Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Rohtak, Hissar, Kurukshetra, Shimla and Palampur. Meanwhile, the Panjab university is funded by the Centre, and the state of Punjab in a ratio of 60:40. It is here that this university has suffered the most. During the current fiscal, Panjab university has got only Rs 11 crore as grant from the state government out of its share of Rs 19 crore whereas the Ministry of Finance allocated a Plan Budget of Rs 267.53 crores for of Union Territory, Chandigarh including a grant-in-aid of Rs 32 crores for Panjab University for 2007-08.
University officials say that this has been happening for the past decade. In view of its expected annual expenditure of about Rs 125 crore, the university has to generate funds from other sources including a fee-hike of about 10% every year that has become a practice with this university.
A university, it is said, is often judged by the quality of students that it produces and the faculty it employs, and by these standards, the university established in 1882 has a lot to be proud of. Its distinguished alumni include eminent scientists such as the Nobel Laureate Hargobind Khurana and Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, the first chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of India. It is from here that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh graduated in Economics (Hons) and completed his masters. The Panjab university also provided the young Manmohan Singh a scholarship to pursue higher studies at Cambridge University in the UK.
Meanwhile, the university has 52 teaching departments, 11 faculties including faculties of science, arts, business management and commerce, medical, design, fine arts, education, engineering and technology among others.
The current student strength at the university is 17,660 and at its affiliated colleges, it is 1, 79,238. While it has seven hostels for boys and an equal number for girls, it has provided for 5.87 lakh books and 800 journals in its library. Accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, the university has been awarded the ?Centre for Potential of Excellence in Bio-Medical Sciences?. It has started a new masters courses in human genomics, environmental science, e-commerce, defence, national security studies and a five-year integrated course in economics.
Meanwhile, spread over about 360 acres, the university needs funds to acquire adjacent lands for the extension of its campus. In fact, for Punjab to improve its investment climate, the state needs to develop skills needed for supporting the process of industrialisation in the state. Officials, however, maintain there is no faculty crunch as ?new teaachers, once appointed, remain in the varsity for more than 30 years?. In fact, many students of the varsity were being absorbed as teachers in its various departments. The vice-chancellor said that currently the university is trying to appoint teachers from other institutions.