P. Duraisamy, who took overover as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras on Saturday, has a ten-point agenda to improve one of the oldest universities in the country.
He topped the list of the three probables in the interview for the V-C post with the Governor-Chancellor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao on Friday. Top among the ten-point agenda he presented to the Governor was to return the institution to its position of academic excellence.
“The university has highly qualified teachers with international exposure. We will work towards improving the overall performance of the university and restore academic excellence,” Mr. Duraisamy told The Hindu .
‘Varsity can do better’
Madras University had received UPE (University with Potential for Excellence) along with five other older universities. But in the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, it ranks 41 among universities and 64 among higher education institutions, he said, underlining that the university has to do better to be a premier institution in the country.
“We will also make it one among the top 500 in the World University ranking by QS/THE/Shanghai,” he said. The V-C has three years to accomplish his agenda.
He plans to take up remedial measures to improve NAAC grading. “My experience as a former member of the accrediting body will help to remedy the weakness identified in the university in 2014,” he says.
At present, the university is accredited with A grade and a score of 3.32. “An A+ (3.5-3.76) or A++ (3.76-4.0) is required to attract research and development grants from national-level funding agencies such as UGC, DST and DBT. It will also make us eligible for Category I of graded autonomy to be introduced by MHRD,” he notes.
Distance education
Another aspect he will look at is to improve the efficiency of the Institute of Distance Education.
“The UGC has limited IDE operation but there is huge potential even in the State. We can prepare and deliver lessons through the Internet and include regular students also in MOOC (Massive Online Open Course). We could use video conferencing to increase student enrolment by reaching out to those in remote areas, women and girls and poor students,” Mr. Duraisamy says.
“The university can make its students employable through skilling programmes that will be part of the curriculum in arts and science colleges,” he notes.
Asked if he would continue to be soft as his former colleagues consider him an amiable person, he says, “My tenure will allow for transparency. There won’t be any room for complaints of favouritism.”
On Monday, his first challenge begins with the Syndicate meeting.
