Looking ahead

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">It has been three years since Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Kashmere Gate was established to cater to the growing demand for quality professional education in the Capital. <br />The university will soon have two new campuses at Shahdra and a 60-acre campus at Dwarka. Education Times speaks to K K Aggarwal, vice-chancellor, GGSIPU for an update on the university.<br />How has it evolved over the years?<br />GGSIPU is reasonably well-equipped for a university, which is barely three years old. We are presently working towards making it a self-sufficient university. Non-productive expenses are kept to the minimum and our manpower is reasonably low, two crucial factors because of which other universities are suffering.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">University’s focus</span><br />Our focus is on professional education. I believe that education for tomorrow will be professional education. We always keep an eye on quality and the relevance of what is taught to the students. We have devised ways and means of keeping a check on our affiliated institutes. We screen the non-performers and even disaffiliate them if they continue to lag behind. However, most of them are doing well. We encourage the involvement of industry representatives and professionals in the education imparted.<br />Our popular courses are in biotechnology; engineering, which had attracted 21,000 applications this year; Information Technology (IT) and chemical technology; B Ed; journalism; and the five-year law programme, which really makes a difference.<br />We are contemplating on starting a new programme in banking and insurance, maybe at the graduation level. We have one medical college affiliated to us right now, but I feel there is need for more. We will be starting a course in dentistry from next year and have already linked up with a college for the same.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Part-time courses</span><br />The trend of continuing education is missing in our country. We require more need-based courses. People who already have a qualification in the discipline, want to augment their skills and qualifications but have fewer opportunities. We are starting a M Tech programme for working professionals on weekend basis.<br />The session will commence from September this year. We are introducing Bachelors in Architecture degree as an evening programme for architects who are currently diploma holders. Another plan is to start diploma programmes in ‘alternative dispute resolution’ and ‘water management’. We would like to spend more effort on offering a flexible system of learning.<br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Student friendly university</span><br />Here at GGSIPU, we care for students. We try that in one visit, at one window the student is able to get his work done. One can even download the application form from our website. We believe in planning. </div> </div>