Obama–Singh venture to boost education, economic progress

To encourage higher education in India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched a programme called the, ‘Obama–Singh 21st century knowledge initiative’, which has been taken up in association with the US government.

It is fundamentally an Indo–US joint venture, which focuses on the formation of higher education partnerships between the US institutions and institutions of higher learning in India.

The UGC has invited proposals from various national-level higher education institutions.

According to the official circular issued by the UGC, this joint initiative aims at development and enrichment of the junior faculty.

The objective of the programme is to encourage educational reforms and economic development. The Obama-Singh initiative offers opportunities for the exchange of faculty, administrators, postgraduate Indian students, and US graduate students who have the ability to work independently.

“The proposals from institutions should demonstrate the needs of the participating institutions for the project that they are proposing. The proposals should explain how each participating institution will utilise the project to address the needs of both institutions as well as larger needs of both countries,” said an official from the UGC.

“The applicants should describe the needs and deficiencies as well as capabilities and strengths of the Indian institution and how each institution will contribute to, and benefit from, the achievement of the project objectives. The proposals must realistically assess institutional capacities and contain compelling objectives that address institutional needs and justify a request for support,” the official said.

The proposals prepared by the institutions should explain in detail how the project will help the participating institutions to achieve specific institutional changes that support the goals of the Obama–Singh initiative. The proposals should outline a series of activities for meeting specific objectives for each participating institution.

The project objectives may include the development or revision of courses, curriculum development, and programmes of study at participating institutions to support mutual understanding, educational reforms and economic development. Areas of interest include Indian junior faculty development programs in respective fields.

The proposals may outline the parameters and possible content of new courses, new teaching specialisations or pedagogic methodologies, collaborative research, new or revised curriculum, and new programmes for outreach to educationists, professional groups, or the general public.

Proposals may also describe strategies to promote administrative reforms through faculty or staff development.