New Delhi: Aimed at encouraging research and
teaching activities, the proposed 14 Innovation Universities
is likely to get exemption from CAG audit, a privilege
currently enjoyed by institutions like Bhaba Atomic Research
Centre, Atomic Energy Commission and ISRO.
Expenditure on teaching and research by the Innovation
Universities, which are proposed to be set up during the 11th
Plan period, would kept be out of the scrutiny of Comptroller
and Auditor General, a final concept note prepared by the HRD
Ministry said.
However, the exemption will not extend to expenditure on
administration and non-academic areas. Accountability will
be ensured by two peer groups -- one for research and another
for course work and teaching, it said.
These provisions are aimed at encouraging research and
teaching activities in the universities. India has been
lagging behind other countries in the area of research. While
4,700 professionals per a million people are engaged in
research in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) countries, the number of meagre 156 in
India, the concept note observed.
These universities will follow a `cafeteria approach` in
designing courses at under-graduate, post-graduate and
research levels, where a large variety of disciplines will be
offered.
Since boundaries in various disciplines tend to crumble,
faculties can coordinate to introduce courses based on needs.
The final concept note said: Operational autonomy shall
be available with faculties in such universities to decide the
intake and course structure and no approvals at the university
will be required. There will be inter-faculty coordination and
choice-based credit system in these institutions.
The faculty board shall have the freedom to prescribe fee
structure for the under graduate programmes, while the
university will decide the fee for PG courses.
The university shall offer scholarship to 20 per cent of
students at Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate levels. These
fellowships could be varied upwards in case the performance of
student is beyond expectation.
At the doctorate level, all the students should be
awarded fellowships to enable partial compensation for pursuit
of career of research rather than entering labour market, the
concept note said.
The institutions will enjoy autonomy in matters of
academics, faculty personnel, finances, administration and in
the development of vision for future.
Universities will have the freedom to define their own
appointment criteria. This includes appointment by invitation
to academics of eminence. The university shall have freedom to
define pay structure through a negotiated arrangement for
senior faculty.
A University Finance Commission consisting of eminent
academicians preferably Nobel laureates and selected national
research professors and experts could work out set of criteria
for provisioning per-student expenditure for these
universities, the concept note said.
The university shall have the freedom to formulate its
own statutes and ordinances with the approval of board of
governors and no further approval of visitor or government
will be required.
The concept note also touched upon different approaches
for setting up of such institutions.
These are: setting up green field innovation universities
or identifying few of the existing universities and other
institutions of repute and granting them Innovation University
status.
The proposed universities could give more weightage to
students keeping in view the educational attainments of their
parents, the learning capacity of the parents and the nature
of school the student has passed out from.
The university shall have the freedom to evolve
methodology of arriving at weight. The weight will replace the
concept of reservation to represent affirmative action, the
note said.
For admission, such institutions can follow two stage
testing process -- a screening process in the first stage
involving a standardised aptitude test in broad areas of
higher learning and then essay type questions.
PTI
