HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING AGENCY (HEFA), MHRD, NEW DELHI, has sanctioned a sum of Rs.206.94 crores for construction of new buildings and add-on buildings for academic departments, lecture hall complex, hostels for men and women students, research centres, staff quarters, etc., to name a few.  This grant will be utilised for the development of Pondicherry Main campus, Karaikal and Andaman campuses. In the Pondicherry Main campus, existing buildings will be strengthened with additional space, additional boys & girls hostels, additional staff quarters and state of the art Animal House Facility.  In Karaikal campus, a new hostel will be added.  In Andaman campus also, a men’s New hostel will be added.

          In addition, UGC requested Pondicherry University to submit Proposals to HEFA for additional grants to a tune of Rs.90 crores for construction of new buildings for Departments of Food Science, Performing Arts, Lecture Hall complex for community college, Students Amenity Centre-cum-Internet Access Centre, and for campus development like repairing and maintenance of roads, academic buildings, compound walls, etc. and upgrading of the existing infrastructure.  Proposals were already submitted to UGC for starting new courses in Virology and Pharmacology with new modern lab facilities for extending research on communicable, non-communicable and rare diseases including infectious agents such as novel corona virus.

          The Vice Chancellor of PU Prof.Gurmeet Singh stated that in line with the New Education Policy 2020, the syllabi for all the academic programs are being revised as per New Curriculum guidelines given by UGC, duly updating and making industry-friendly.  Also, steps are being taken to introduce online academic programs for those who could not enrol in on campus programs, whereby more number of student fraternity will get benefitted by this offline academic programs.  At present, nearly 50,000 students are applying for the oncampus programs, out of which only 3000 students are being admitted every year.  Already, first in India, PU successfully implemented Student Academic Management System(SAMS) and Research Scholars Academic Management System(RAMS) whereby all academic and administrative processes are totally operated using online means, in an integrated manner with efficient and time-bound processes.

          He also added that steps were being taken to provide at least two smart classrooms for each department-fitted with cameras and mike to telecast lectures live in the University’s website and also be recorded for future reference, by coordinating with the School of Media and communication of this University.  This will benefit the university in two ways – (1) enabling students to anytime and anywhere to produce better learning outcomes and (2) creating a large academic data base for online teaching and archieves.  To upgrade the campus to international standards, more MoUs with foreign Universities and Institutes are being envisaged for student and faculty exchange programs, research extension activities, etc.  Already a few students of Tourism Studies, International Business Management and French Departments were being sent to foreign universities to undergo one semester academic program there.  Also more number of foreign students are being admitted in PU campus every year, particularly in South Asian Studies, Green Energy Technology and other Social Sciences and Humanities programs.

          Green campus initiatives were already on the move with planting of more useful and medicinal trees and plants in all the on-and off campuses. Waste Management system is already on, with recycling of the bio, food, plastic wastes, etc. Vice-Chancellor thanked all the stakeholders of the University for their cooperation and support.

          The Vice Chancellor is very optimistic that in a couple of years, PU will achieve all the targets that are given in the New Education Policy and reach World Standards and find a place in the top 25 in India and top 200 Universities in the World.

*****

(Release ID: 1651232) Visitor Counter : 119