KOCHI: The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, established in the name of eminent spiritual leader Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya at his birthplace in Kalady, has submitted a proposal to the State Government for starting self-financing courses in Architecture and Mural Arts.
The proposal is likely to put the University - which teaches Sanskrit, Indology, Indian Culture, Indian and foreign languages, Indian Philosophy, Fine Arts and Social Sciences - under the spotlight as it is against the government statute and University Act.
Speaking to ‘Express’, University Vice-chancellor M C Dileepkumar said, “we have submitted a formal proposal to the State Government in this regard. We are planning to start Bachelor of Architecture course at the regional centre at Koyilandy in Kozhikode, and postgraduate programme in MFA at the Kalady centre.”
“The University Syndicate and the Academic Council have approved the proposal for starting the new courses. We are awaiting approval from the All-India Council for Technical Education authorities, who visited the Koyilandy centre a few days ago, for launching the new courses,” he said.
“We like to call the new courses self-sustainable courses, rather than self-financing courses, as they require more investment and infrastructure facilities than the other courses. Hence, the students pursuing these courses will have to shell out higher fees.
The B-Arch course will be a blend of traditional ‘vastu’ and modern architecture, and 25 per cent the syllabus will be based on vastu. The MFA course will be a premium course offered by the university,” he said.
“The University will have to amend the government statute and the University Act to start self-financing courses as the subjects being considered have not been included in the agenda of the Academic Council,” Association of Sree Sankaracharya University Teachers secretary M Moosa told ‘Express’.
“When the proposal was listed in the agenda of the Academic Council, the members, cutting across party lines, opposed it, forcing the authorities to retract it. We will not support the idea of starting self-financing courses in the University as it would jeopardise the functioning of the University, which is already cash-strapped,” he added.
Jose Antony of the Sree Sankaracharya University Teachers Association said the Association would not support the proposal to start self-finance courses in the University as it was against the University Act.
The proposal is likely to put the University - which teaches Sanskrit, Indology, Indian Culture, Indian and foreign languages, Indian Philosophy, Fine Arts and Social Sciences - under the spotlight as it is against the government statute and University Act.