University of the next millennium
By Jatinder Sharma

INDRAPRASTHA University, set up by the Delhi Government on the threshold of the millennium, would concentrate on major science and technology and engineering education challenges that would be faced by the world during the 21st century.

Indraprastha University, established by the Delhi Government as an affiliating and teaching university, was formally inaugurated on February 24 last to facilitate and promote studies, research and extension work in emerging areas of higher education with focus on professional education like engineering, technology, management studies, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, law etc.

It is perhaps the only professional university in the country located at Kashmiri Gate, near the ISBT, and is housed on the old campus of Delhi College of Engineering. The Delhi Government is in the process of acquiring 350 acreas of land near Chhawla village for setting up the campus of the university.

The government has also decided to establish a campus of the university in East Delhi, for which land is in the process of being identified in trans-Yamuna area.

Prof K.K. Aggarwal, an eminent electronic and computer engineer and an academician par excellence, has been appointed as the first Vice-Chancellor of Indraprastha University. An outstanding academician, Professor Aggarwal conducted research in various subjects of electronics and computer engineering and has published more than 200 research papers in journals of repute, out of which 100 are published in international journals.

Talking informally to The Tribune, Professor Aggarwal recalls with a sense of pride the words of Jawaharlal Nehru about the purpose of a university, conveyed to him by the President, K.R. Narayanan, on the eve of the inauguration of the university "A university stands for humanism, for tolerance, for reason, for the adventure of ideas and for the search of truth. It stands for the onward march of the human race towards ever higher objectives. If the universities discharge their duties adequately, then it is well with the nation and the people".

Professor Aggarwal’s vision envisaged a professional university of international merits and designing the courses in collaboration and close association with the industrial and professional organisations. He is very clear that the design of courses in the university without active involvement of the user groups will not serve the aims and ideals of the university.

During the exclusive interview, he also referred to a study by the Battelle Institute of the USA, which has come up with a list of major scientific and technology and engineering education challenges that would be faced by the world in the coming century. Based on these inputs, the university plans to start eight programmmes from its inaugural session beginning in August.

These programmes are : M.Tech (Integrated) in information technology; M.Tech (Integrated) in chemical technology; M.Tech (Integrated) in bio-technology; Master of business studies (E-commerce); master of business studies (International Marketing); master of computer aided management, Master of software engineering and master of environmental management.

The Vice-Chancellor says that the first three programmes are the most current requirements in the areas of technology. In the next decade the world is to be influenced heavily by tools and techniques of information technology and bio-technology.

It has been envisaged that these two technologies have the potential of bringing India to the position of a leader in the world provided we are able to train and harness the manpower properly and adequately. Indraprastha University, he said, would strive to make a humble contribution towards this objective.

The characteristic feature of these programmes is the integrated nature where the training of the student starts when he is young (at + 2 level) and take him straight towards post-graduation qualification. However, there is a provision to take off with a B.Tech degree after four years or enter after B.Tech degree for M. Tech programme only.

Professor Aggarwal says that these courses will have a strong industry-institute interactive mechanism built into the system. In all curriculum development committees, there is an equal mix of academic experts and professional experts from industries and user groups.

The programme on chemical technology will lay emphasis on pharmaceutical industry where again India has a great potential to develop adequately. Another area which the university will emphasise in this course will be related to the environment protection.

Professor Aggarwal claims that in the case of business management, the three programmes are very novel. The programme in E-commerce is probably the first time in the world looking to the time ahead. Similarly, the programme of computer aided management will make sure our managers will have sufficient back-ground in computer to use the machine as effective tool for management.

The university also proposes a course on software engineering in which the admitted students will have to interact with the industry all through the course. All these courses will really make the university unique as far as emphasis on information technology is concerned. A combined view of all these programmes qualifies this university to be a university for the future.

The Vice-Chancellor also with quite a few other innovations in the planning and growth of this university. For example, the university is planning to be fully automated and work culture is going to be ‘result driven’ rather than ‘procedure driven’.

The desk of every officer and teacher would be fully automated with computer with Internet facility. Professor Aggarwal is also having discussions with the IBM to workout a scheme by which laptop computers can be made available to the students at an affordable price, and once the students own this machine, the university will only need a good backbone with connecting points available in the whole campus.

Professor Aggarwal also believes that we in this country can concentrate on quality distance education using Internet. According to him, after the advent of E-Mail we are still looking for a "killer" application to drive this technology to its optimum use. Some possible applications could be Internet-Technology, E-Commerce and instance Education. He feels this is the only possible solution to the problems of educating masses in workable time-frame. He proposes to take on this job once the university’s final programmes are in tune.