This story is from August 23, 2021

‘NOU to shift to its permanent campus in Nalanda next year’

‘NOU to shift to its permanent campus in Nalanda next year’
PATNA: Newly appointed vice-chancellor of 34-year-old Nalanda Open University, the only centre of distance learning in the state, Krishna Chandra Sinha, is all for taking this university to greater heights by streamlining its activities. He tells B K Mishra in an interview that the university will soon be shifted to its own campus at Nalanda. Excerpts:
Open universities have their own limitations in imparting education to the learners.
How do you propose to overcome the constraints and make it a vibrant university?
As the open universities have to cater to the academic needs of distance learners, they must have a student-friendly approach. I would ensure timely printing and distribution of study materials to the students. For some reasons, NOU has not been distributing the study materials on time, causing dissatisfaction among the students. Study centres located both in urban and rural localities will be strengthened in such a manner that any leaner need not visit the university headquarters for redressal of his/her grievance.
The number of students seeking admission to different courses in this university has declined from 1.25 lakh to just about 20,000 in recent years. How would you improve the enrolment figures?
This sharp decline in student enrolment clearly indicates that all is not well with this university. I will soon find out the reasons and try to plug the loopholes by taking corrective measures. Increasing student enrolment is also crucial for enhancing the state’s gross enrolment ratio. It would be ensured that the students get quality study materials and proper guidance from the university. A separate cell with competent staff would be set up at the university headquarters to answer the students’ queries.

The university has been functioning from rented buildings at Patna right since its inception obstructing its desired expansion. When would it be shifted to its proposed campus at Nalanda?
The construction of university’s building on the land allotted at Nalanda is nearing completion. Hopefully, the entire university will start functioning from its Nalanda campus next year.
How would you streamline the functioning of the university office with only a few regular staff?
Steps will be taken to regularise the services of all the officers and staff of the university as per government rules. I have come to know that some posts of full-time teachers and staff have been sanctioned to the university recently. Necessary steps would be taken to make appointment against all these posts. Steps would also be initiated for receiving the annual budgetary grants from the state government for its better functioning.
How do you propose to raise the academic standard of this university, one of the oldest open universities in the country?
The university would have to meet the guidelines set by the UGC and other regulatory bodies of the country if its academic standard were to be raised. Necessary steps will be initiated for getting it assessed and accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) at the earliest so that its courses might not be derecognised by the Distance Education Bureau. Then, semester system and choice-based credit system will also be introduced in all the academic programmes of the university without further delay.
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