Though the term ‘education district’ is not recognised, the Ahmedabad Education Society will introduce it.
The announcement of three new universities by chief minister Narendra Modi brought much cheer to educationists in the city, but the most thrilling development for the city is the university status for Ahmedabad Education Society (AES) - the city’s oldest education society. Having acquired the university status, members of the society have the vision to turn Ahmedabad into the country’s first education district on the lines of Cambridge and Boston in Massachusetts.
“Eleven colleges and six schools in the city are currently affiliated with AES, most campuses within the periphery of about 3-5 km in the Navrangpura-University area. Though we have requested for more land, to begin with, campuses for the new courses will be developed on existing property of AES. With this, the Navrangpura area will be perhaps the country’s largest cluster of educational institutes in such proximity - qualifying for an educational district status,” said a member of the AES governing council.
A formal recognition of ‘education district’ does not currently exist, but AES will coin this term and introduce it, sources said. “Some of the 11 colleges run by AES, currently affiliated with Gujarat University, will be pulled into Ahmedabad University and some others will get affiliated with Gujarat Technological University.
Though details are yet to emerge, at least 10 new faculties will be started. Law, finance and hospitality are some of the focus areas. Impetus will be on research and human index development.
Moreover, because of its contemporary corporate backing, AU is expected to have more international exposure through exchange programmes, faculty and course content,” a source said.
To be set up at a cost of Rs350 crore, efforts are afoot to commence the university in the coming academic year (2009-10) itself. Keyed up about the announcement, president of AES Sanjay Lalbhai said, “We have clear plans, but they need to be articulated. Details of the university are being finalised. The AES governing council will meet shortly. Faculty will be pulled from our existing institutes, but development of the syllabus of various courses is on by the academic council.”
Though members of the governing body are tight-lipped, the buzz in academic circles is that either Sudhir Mehta, CMD Torrent Pharma or Sanjay Lalbhai, MD of Arvind Mills could be the vice-chancellor of the university.
Getting the university status for AES was Kasturbhai Lalbhai’s dream, but ironically, it might spell doom for his other protégé the Gujarat University. “Colleges like HL Commerce, LD Arts, LM Pharmacy and MG Science are amongst the best performing institutes in GU’s kitty. The grand old university of the state will have a tough time if these colleges were to exit,” a source in the industry said. AES was established in 1935, when there was only Gujarat College — established by the British Raj, giving higher education in arts and science faculties.
In 1949, Kasturbhai donated land for Gujarat University, where the campus currently stands. It was the textile baron’s dream to see Ahmedabad prosper as a knowledge hub, attracting the maximum educational institutes here.
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