Hyderabad: Four years ago, the Telangana State Higher Education introduced the cluster universities and colleges model, which was supposed to be a significant reform similar to the New Education Policy-2020 (NEP-2020). However, the impact of this reform has not been as significant as expected.
The Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) implemented the cluster universities model in 2021. This initiative aimed to make better use of the resources and facilities of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in the State. It also aimed to provide students with opportunities to study at different HEIs with new course combinations.
Despite celebrating the initiative recently by awarding prizes to students for their performance, the model has not gained much traction among students even after four years. The main idea behind the cluster universities was to bring together six conventional State universities to collaborate and share expertise.
In this model, universities within a cluster would work together to improve standards in sister universities. They would exchange resources, faculty, and even allow students to choose subjects from different universities within the cluster. Credits earned in one university could be transferred to another university within the cluster.
For example, students from Mahatma Gandhi University or Kakatiya University could take credit courses from Osmania University. The model also aims to extend this co-working and co-creating approach to colleges within a cluster, enabling credit transfers and exchange of expertise and infrastructure.
Implementing such models would not only benefit students by expanding their study areas but also enable the University Grants Commission (UGC) to provide matching grants. This would allow students to pursue interdisciplinary courses and earn credits from different schools and departments within a university.
However, there has been a lack of enthusiasm among students for this model. To make it successful, all universities and HEIs, regardless of their specialization, need to be involved in co-creating interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses. This would make the courses more relevant for both the job market and advanced research.
