New departmens, study centres mooted

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two new departments and five study centres have been proposed in the budget of the Kerala University for 2012-13 presented by Syndicate member B S Jyotikumar at the Senate meeting on Wednesday. Five new PG courses, four PG diploma courses and two certificate courses have also been mooted in the budget of the university.The budget envisages an income of Rs 236.64 crore and around the same amount as expenditure. The Centre for Nano Science and Nano Technology and Geo Information Science and Technology Centre would be upgraded to departments. Two new centres, a tourism study centre under the School of Business Management and Legal Studies and International Arabic Translation Centre under the School of English and Foreign Languages would be started. Also a Chinese Centre and a Centre for Venom Informatics would be started. An inter-university Malayalam language centre would be started under the Malayalam Department at an expenditure of Rs 3 crore. A Centre for International Academics would be started to attract foreign students to the University. In a bid to increase administrative efficiency of people in government, semi-government offices and university, a Centre for Administrative Reforms, Training and Research would be started for which Rs 50 lakh has been earmarked.Two new certificate courses in music therapy and film appreciation would be started. New university Information Technology centres would be opened in Harippad, Sasthamkotta and Thenmala. Open defence would be documented and uploaded in website. Rs 1.5 crore has been earmarked for the university portal being developed by the Computer Centre. The grant for research centres has been hiked to Rs 5 lakh. Awards will be given to teachers and departments who fetch the most number of research projects each year. The application and distribution of certificates would be completely made online. Joining hands with the Tourism Department, the university would strive to promote academic tourism for which countries such as US, China and Malaysia would be zeroed in.