Page 58 - EW May 2020 for Flipbuilder

Cover Story

UoM’s Dr. Pednekar (centre): digitalisation & internationalism pride Deepak Mukadam: quality & inclusion
get a higher ranking next year,” vows which is not an assessment param- vide 126 study and 176 diploma and
Prof. Surappa, an alumnus of Mysore eter in your survey, to ensure that our certificate programmes. As for inter-
University and Indian Institute of Sci- teaching-learning excellence is not nationalism, we have signed collabo-
ence, former dean of the engineering monopolised by the privileged elite. ration agreements with 105 foreign
faculty at IISc, Bangalore and former We will carefully scrutinise the results higher ed institutions. Our institu-
director of IIT-Ropar (Punjab) who of your survey and take necessary tional response to the Covid-19 crisis
was appointed AU vice chancellor in steps to boost our ranking next year,” has also been swift. We have begun
2018. says D r. S u ra n j a n D a s , an alum of work to establish a multi-purpose lab
In this context it’s also noteworthy Calcutta and Oxford universities and for Covid-19 testing and an Inter-Uni-
that AU and J a da v p u r U n iv e rs ity , former vice chancellor of University versity Centre for Community Health
ranked #7, are the only state govern- of Calcutta who was appointed VC of and Public Policy,” says Pednekar. An
ment universities conferred Institute Jadavpur U in 2015. Currently, this alum of UoM and Stevens Institute of
of Eminence status by the Union HRD unitary university (unlike most state Technology, New Jersey, USA, Prof.
ministry. Despite being massively in- varsities JU doesn’t affiliate colleges) Pednekar served as principal of Ram-
filtrated by members of CPM (Com- has an enrolment of 11,000 students narain Ruia College, Mumbai prior
munist Party of India-Marxist) during in 21 inter-disciplinary schools, 37 to his appointment as VC of UoM in
34 years (1977-2011) of uninterrupted departments and 20 research centres 2018.
rule over West Bengal by the CPM-led staffed by 800 faculty. Adds D e e p a k k u m a r J . M u k -
Left Front government, Jadavpur Uni- Likewise, D r. S u h a s P e dn e k a r, a da m , member of the management
versity, Kolkata (estb.1955), has man- vice chancellor of the U n iv e rs ity council of UoM and former senate
aged to keep its head above water and of M u m b a i ( U oM ) , is pleased that member of the university: “The Top
retains its reputation as an island of UoM — one of the country’s three old- 10 ranking of UoM is validation that
higher education excellence in West est universities established in 1857 a university can offer high-quality
Bengal which has yet to recover from — is ranked among the Top 10 with education and also practise social in-
the continuous flight of capital during highest scores under the parameters clusion and equity. The university’s
communist rule. of range and diversity of programmes sub-centres in Kalyan, Thane, Rat-
“I am delighted to learn that Jadav- and internationalism. nagiri, and Sindhudurg are doing an
pur University is ranked India’s #7 “We are delighted to receive this incredible job of ensuring that district
public university and #1 in West Ben- news. UoM is the sole university coun- students get access to quality univer-
gal. Our high scores on the param- trywide to use digital marking for as- sity education.”
eters of research and innovation and sessment of over 500 exams. I am also A peculiarity of government uni-
range and diversity of programmes very pleased that the survey respon- versities including Mumbai, Anna,
are particularly satisfying. Moreover, dents have given us high scores for Delhi (ranked #4), Calcutta (12) and
it’s noteworthy that in JU we practice range and diversity of programmes. Bangalore (20) is that most of them
the principles of equity and inclusion The university’s 56 departments pro- are affiliating varsities. Mumbai has

58 EDUCATIONWORLD MAY 2020