Allahabad University - Achievements

Achievements

Two of its departments — Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, and Psychology — are recognised as UGC Centres of Advanced Study, and five more are (or have been) UGC Departments of Special Assistance. Several departments in the Faculty of Science are covered by the COSIST and FIST Programmes. Several major research projects awarded by national R&D agencies have been successfully completed, and Departmental or Inter-Departmental Research Groups and individual faculty members are carrying out projects.

These projects (as well as earlier and current collaborative academic programmes with agencies such as the CSIR, the DST, the DBT, the DOD, the DoS, the DRDO, ICSSR, ICHR, UGC, NCERT, Planning Commission, etc.) have helped augment and expand research facilities and infrastructure. The CSIR has granted a ‘Chair’ to the university on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), and the university has already prepared a Plan of Action in the IPR field. The UGC has established the M. N. Saha Chair, the Munshi Prem Chand Chair and the Nirala Chair in the Physics, Urdu and Hindi departments respectively.

The university has professional programmes in Business Management, Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, Law, Medicine, Educational Training, Human Resource Development and Management, Journalism and Mass Communication among others. In accordance with the UGC Scheme for vocational courses, vocational options have been provided in the graduate degree programmes.

The university has developed post-graduate professional courses, and such courses are being offered by the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS). The Centre of Food Technology and Centre of Computer Education are two activities which offer diploma certificate courses.

The university established the Institute of Inter-disciplinary Studies (IIDS) in 2000, designed as a loose collective of centres. The centres of IIDS are the K. Banerjee Centre of Atmospheric and Ocean Studies, M N Saha Centre of Space Studies, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics Mobile Communication for Developing Countries (CMCDC), Bio-medical NMR, and Consciousness Studies have started. Other planned centres will cover inter-disciplinary areas such as Environmental Science, Genetic Engineering, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Human Resource Development, and Globalisation and its Effects. It is conducting a post-graduate programme and several high-end research projects.

The activities of the IIDS are funded by project and other grants from national agencies and institutes by the faculty members of the iversity. The IIDS is seeking special grants for infrastructure and research faculty and staff to enlarge the scope of its activities. The UGC has sanctioned teaching positions for several centres of IIDS.

The university has instituted an inter-disciplinary undergraduate science programme (Applied Sciences) with the objective of inculcating a cross-disciplinary approach involving the Physical Sciences and Biology streams, to give grounding for higher post-graduate studies in such subjects as Biophysics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bio informatics, Environmental Science, NanoScience, Nano Technology, and Medical Physics.

Many university departments in the modular pattern, by themselves or in co-operation with other departments, have initiated or worked out self-financing diploma and proficiency courses. The Department of Psychology, for instance, had instituted a professional inter-disciplinary M. Psy. (Master of Psychology) programme in Human Resource Development and Management in the Ninth Plan period. This programme is, however, not being offered at the moment because of the shortage of faculty. It is also proposed to rename the programme, in view of the recommendation of the UGC, as Master in Human Resource Development and Management. The Department has implemented the concept of ‘Cafeteria choice’ courses/modules, credit courses in other departments and obligatory field studies in their Post-graduate programme. The Regional Learning Resource and Documentation Centre, which was set up by the Department in the Ninth Plan period, is to be further strengthened in the Eleventh Plan period.

The university has established an autonomous Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences under the University Grants Commission scheme of UPE during the Tenth Plan. Specialists from Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Linguistics, Neuro- Science, Philosophy, and Psychology work together in the Centre to offer Masters and D. Phil courses in Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences.

The Geography Department has created a modern Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (RS/GIS) unit (as a Central facility) during the Ninth Plan, for research, database development and the conduct of a Post-graduate Diploma course in RS/GIS.

The Department of Economics has been given a ‘Chair’ by the Planning Commission to promote research in the field of planning and development. The syllabi incorporate teaching and research in Environmental Economics and the economic and societal impact of globalisation on India, with particular emphasis on projects/studies on its social, political, legal, and cultural aspects. The research base is being further strengthened by the upgrade of the Statistics Laboratory. The department has introduced a one year Post-graduate Diploma Course in Foreign Trade.

The salient features of the application of ICT in the university are as follows:

• Computerisation was applied to the admission and examination processes in the mid-1980s and these processes are now completely computerised. Computerisation has been extended, mainly through the Administrative Computer Centre (established in 1984), to establishment records and procedures, finances, accounts and examination records. Work is under way to computerise the proceedings and records of University bodies, student records, the management of academic and research activities, personnel management, and other fields of academic and administrative functioning. The administrative units now have their own dedicated computer systems that are being linked up through the campus-networking project.
• The University Computer Centre (UCC) was instituted in the early 1980s with UGC assistance as a central unit for researchers requiring EDP facilities and for imparting training/experience in computer methods to faculty, research scholars, and students. There has been regular upgrade of the UCC, and it is now also being used to provide familiarisation/training to staff in the use and application of computers. The Institute of Professional Studies is conducting similar programmes of computer education for students as short-term modular courses
• Most of the Science Faculty Departments, as well as some of the Social Science/Management Departments have been equipped with computer systems by the end of the Eighth Plan, and the objective of the Ninth Plan to upgrade existing systems and provide computer systems to the remaining Departments has been largely achieved. The Departments are using their ICT facilities for research as well as teaching activities.
• During the Ninth Plan, the university established the Central Internet Access Facility (CIAF) and commenced the networking of the Departments and other academic/research/administrative units. Networking between the departments and units in the Arts, Science, Commerce, and Law Campuses has almost been completed. This project will realise the objective of optimum sharing of departmental resources and enable cost-efficient global access (through the CIAF) for academic and research work.
• The programme of computerisation and global networking of the Central, Faculty, and Departmental Libraries has moved beyond the planning stage. An electronic library is being planned.
• The university has proposed to institute web-based education programmes, initially through modular professional courses for graduates and then with specially designed courses on Indian Culture, Archaeology and other areas involving several Departments.

The university emphasises ‘outreach’ programmes. Such programmes envisage the integration of extension with research proposals and teaching curricula. The purpose is to involve the University departments in serving the developmental and other needs of the community. The university co-operates with government agencies and NGOS in extension initiatives. Efforts are also underway to establish linkages with the corporate world and impart training to the students in areas of mutual interest.