NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Culture is preparing a roadmap to transform the Indian Institute of Heritage (IIH) in Noida into an international centre of excellence for heritage education, with a focus on producing skilled professionals in archaeology, museology and conservation.
As part of the restructuring, the ministry has appointed Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi as the Vice-Chancellor of the institute to provide academic and administrative leadership. “The idea is that IIH should become an international institute of excellence,” officials said.
Officials said India has a rich cultural heritage but awareness about career opportunities in the sector remains limited. They said the institute has the potential to emerge as an umbrella institution for heritage education and attract the best students from across the country.
The ministry plans to expand IIH’s academic offerings beyond conventional heritage studies by introducing specialised programmes in archaeology, museology, numismatics, manuscriptology, art history, heritage management, conservation and tourism management.
According to officials, there is a growing demand for trained professionals as museums, cultural institutions and heritage projects expand across the country. They said IIH can play a key role in meeting this demand.
To improve visibility, the institute has increased its student intake by 45 seats this year and recently conducted the first All India Heritage Test through IGNCA’s regional centres to attract students nationwide.
Officials acknowledged that developing IIH into a global institution would require stronger infrastructure, quality faculty and expanded academic programmes.
They added that the institute is expected to benefit from consultancy and professional projects. IIH is already providing expertise for museum development, including defence museums, the Kedarnath project and conservation activities.
‘Jan Se Gan Tak’ learning programme launched
The Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) has launched ‘Jan Se Gan Tak’, a museum-based programme to familiarise Delhi’s higher secondary students with the Constitution, democratic traditions and civic values. The inaugural session saw 21 students from five schools participate in guided tours and interactive discussions.
