The countdown has alrThe countdown has alrThe countdown has alrThe countdown has alrThe countdown has already begun...eady begun...eady begun...eady begun...eady begun...

I believe, there is considerable excitement, most surely, amongthe more informed people of the SAARC region, about the

South Asian University (SAU) that is scheduled to start its firstacademic session around July 2010 in New Delhi. Already,inquiries that have started trickling in from people andorganizations in the SAARC region about the type of universitythat SAU would be, the nature and modus operandi of academicprogrammes, including research outfits and specializations, theadmission and examination procedures, the fee structure andthe fellowship possibilities, the added value of degrees to beawarded, particularly for ensuring enhanced employability ofthe future job aspirants, etc., do reflect the SAARC people’sinterest as well as anxiety about the SAU. On the other hand,occasional inquiries from academicians and researchers,including those working and well-established in the westernacademic institutions, about the pay package, working facilitiesand career prospects at SAU, etc., convince us that the SAU isbeing spiritedly watched by the world academic community atlarge and that certainly enhances our optimism on being ableto create and disseminate a world-class academic ambiencehere at the SAU.

We are sure, in the days ahead, we will receive many more, andmore searching, inquiries from various quarters, perhaps moreincreasingly from prospective students themselves, and we willanswer them with more certainty and clarity, as we draw closerto the start-up deadline. We believe, SAU newsletter can beanother, possibly equally effective, medium for reaching out tothe academic community as also the aspiring young boys andgirls of South Asia. Through the future issues of SAU-CONNECT,we promise to inform, and update, them about the strides thatwe scale, from time to time, in terms of campus development orchiselling and refinement of academic programmes or admissionfacilitation processes or other aspects. Admittedly, only one ortwo striking topics would be accommodated in each such issue.

The most assuring message of this issue is that, from our side,the countdown has already begun. Everybody connected withthe SAU is working energetically to ensure that the first batch of50 postgraduate students, admitted from all the eight SAARCcountries, does stand out together in full public view when July2010 arrives. It is hugely gratifying to say that governments,education development institutions, and individual scholars fromeach of the eight SAARC countries, as well as inter-governmental

committees and members of thevarious task forces, are allpursuing the SAU project with adeep sense of commitment andresoluteness, that, in SAARC’sown historical context isunprecedented. As I havewatched the developments of thepast few months, it is the sharedvision of educationaladministrators or academicpersonalities, including those fromPakistan and India, that has made them sit with ease, think coollyand work out SAU plans together in different committees or taskforces. That I am personally learning a lot through such a-historical initiatives, needs to be emphasized in particular. Irecord my gratitude to each one of such functionaries, ‘guidingcolleagues’ and ‘patient friends’.

The second message, directly addressed to young boys andgirls in the SAARC region, more expressly those aspiring to geta seat at the SAU, is that a very exciting but highly challengingcareer awaits you. You may discover that the SAU is a differentacademic world where, somewhat surprisingly, you have tocompete with yourself, where you have to set your own standardsof excellence, where you would have sufficient freedom to settleon teaching courses or research areas of your choice but wouldbe constantly answerable for what you do, or what you fail todo. You would have to face a continuing process of evaluationcomprising occasional class tests, term papers, mid-semesterand end-semester examinations, often transcending the narrowdiscipline-led learning, viva-voce on written essays, and so on.Of course, teacher-student academic committees, the trustedhallmark of collective thinking, course corrections, confidenceand trust building and progressive harmonization of what istaught and what needs to be taught, would be a regular featureof the SAU academic life, yet you, and you alone, would decidewhether you would pass out as a physicist or a botanist fromSAU, or else as an enlightened, proud scientist of the SAARCregion, capable of facing the world-level challenges of scienceand technology. I am sure, you would vindicate the SAU’s trust,and investment, in you.

PrPrPrPrProf G K Chadhaof G K Chadhaof G K Chadhaof G K Chadhaof G K ChadhaCEOCEOCEOCEOCEO

An Update frAn Update frAn Update frAn Update frAn Update from South Asian Universityom South Asian Universityom South Asian Universityom South Asian Universityom South Asian University VVVVVolume 1, April 2009olume 1, April 2009olume 1, April 2009olume 1, April 2009olume 1, April 2009

Humans have evolved from other life

forms but have the unique capability

of contemplation and problem solving. Inorder to progressively increase its overall

intellectual capabilities, human race

needed a mechanism of leaving all theknowledge and wisdom they had

acquired and the expertise they attained,

to their subsequent generations. This theydo through the process of education

which is much more than merely being a

route to a good career. When we study inschools, colleges and universities, we

become a part of the colossal process

that ensures that the accumulated humanknowledge and wisdom is not lost and is

efficiently transmitted from generation to

generation. If this inter-generationaleducational link is diminished for any

reason, the human civilization as we know

it would denigrate and get lost.

Efficiency of inter-generational knowledge

transfer determines the affluence and

sophistication of any society. The SouthAsian University is expected to make a

significant dent in this knowledge transfer

and render the process as one ofcontemporary competitiveness that is the

demand of this age. Academic Task Force

of SAU has made an academic structureof the University keeping this requirement

in mind and has concluded that the most

important feature that would set the South

InterInterInterInterInterdisciplinardisciplinardisciplinardisciplinardisciplinary Appry Appry Appry Appry Approach at SAUoach at SAUoach at SAUoach at SAUoach at SAU

Academic structure for SAU hasbeen planned to be trulyinterdisciplinary in nature. Whilebasic academic units must existas they do in all universities, it isthe way these units would interactand make multi-pronged jointefforts in delivering a multi-dimensional educationalexperience that would make theSAU unique in this region saysPrPrPrPrProf. Rajiv K. Saxena*of. Rajiv K. Saxena*of. Rajiv K. Saxena*of. Rajiv K. Saxena*of. Rajiv K. Saxena*

Academic TF March 09: Academic Task Force of SAU met in New Delhi during March 2009. (L toR) Prof. Rajiv K. Saxena (Member Secretary), Prof. Sohail J. Mallik (Expert from Pakistan), Prof.Pema Thinley (Convener from Bhutan) and Prof. GK Chadha (CEO).

Asian University apart from other

institutions in the region would be its

interdisciplinary approach to education

and research.

Even until a few decades ago, knowledge

was more or less compartmentalized.

Thus, there were discrete subjects like

Physics, Economics and Philosophy

taught in universities. Over the last several

decades, boundaries between these

compartments have started vanishing to

the extent that today a modern research

effort rarely remains confined to a specific

subject. A scientist seeking to evolve

technologies for increasing crop

productivity today must use tools and

techniques developed in the domain of

Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The

society eventually is as much encoded

in genes as individuals are and any in-

depth research in social sciences must

eventually involve tools of genetics and

mathematical modelling. Inter-

disciplinarity must therefore be inculcated

in the process of education; nay it must

become the central pin around which the

modern process of education should be

weaved in the new SAU.

Academic structure for SAU has been

planned to be truly interdisciplinary in

nature. While basic academic units must

exist as they do in all universities, it is the

2

SAU prSAU prSAU prSAU prSAU project well on track…oject well on track…oject well on track…oject well on track…oject well on track…

The academic structure of SAUenvisages to have nine Faculties,engaged in graduate andpostgraduate teaching and cuttingedge research. These are LifeSciences and Biotechnology, EarthSystem Sciences, Physical andChemical Sciences, Mathematics andInformation Technology, Arts andDesign, Social Sciences, Humanities,Economics and Management. Aseparate undergraduate College ofArt and Science is also contemplated.Besides, Interdisciplinary ResearchCentres and an Institute of South AsianStudies would promote high degreeof research and global facultyinteractions.

Procedures for governing academiclife are being evolved under theadvice of experts from all the eightSAARC countries. The first draft of theacademic structure, statutes andbusiness plan are already underconsideration of the eight-countrySteering Committee of SAU. Plans areafoot for having minimum essentialbuildings readied before the closureof 2009 to begin the first academicsession in July 2010. Finally, expertcommittees are working hard to evolveguidelines for starting an intra-SAARCcompetition for getting the Master Planand detailed architectural plans of theUniversity.

An Update from South Asian University

way these units would interact and makemulti-pronged efforts in delivering a multi-dimensional educational experience thatwould make the SAU unique in this region.Most basic Faculties in the SAU areproposed to be boundary-less and thesystem would offer great flexibility tostudents in non-conventional yet cruciallyimportant choices of courses they shallbe able to pick. Academic super-structures like the InterdisciplinaryResearch Centers and an interdisciplinarySouth Asian think-tank in the form of anInstitute of South Asian Studies are otherunique features of the University. I shallwrite more specifically about theacademic structure of SAU in futureissues of this Newsletter. Suffice to say atthis time that we have a tremendous senseof excitement about this new universitythat all the eight SAARC countries wouldpartner with a rare sense of pride andregional consciousness. When the vasthuman resources, in the form of eager andbright students of the South Asian regionget together at SAU, that we think wouldbe an interdisciplinary powerhouse ofeducation and research, and nothingshort of magic is expected.

*Author is OSD (Academics & Planning)in the South Asian University.Email: rajivksaxena@hotmail.com

3

A GrA GrA GrA GrA Green Campus ineen Campus ineen Campus ineen Campus ineen Campus inthe Makingthe Makingthe Makingthe Makingthe Making

South Asian University’s New Delhicampus is coming up on the 100

acres of prime land allotted by the DelhiDevelopment Authority in South Delhi.

The site is part of the proposed newinstitutional area, which will be eventuallyconnected by a 100 m wide road to thecity network. It will then be about 10 kmfrom the international airport.

As per the Master Plan of Delhi, which laysdown the guidelines for the quantum ofdifferent constructions, a total of 429,250sq mts will be constructed, of which218,160 sq mts is academic, 202,000 sqmts is residential and 9,090 sq mts is forthe sports and cultural complex.

The quantum of buildings toaccommodate 5000 students on SAUcampus has been estimated by the TaskForce on Infrastructure to be about140,000 sq mts for academic and othernonresidential buildings. Residentialbuildings and hostels would occupyabout 158,000 sq mts area. The remainingpermissible areas for buildings will beused for future expansion.

The SAU Campus will be designed as a‘green campus’. Since the permissibleground coverage is only 30 per cent foracademic buildings and 33.3 per cent forresidential buildings, about 70 per centof the campus will be open and green,and will be developed into playing

It is proposed that an

international design competition

be held to create the best

Master Plan for the SAU campus.

For the architectural design of

individual buildings, in order to

reflect the architectural diversity

of the SAARC region,

involvement of reputed architects

from the region is proposed,

says PrPrPrPrProf. AGK Menonof. AGK Menonof. AGK Menonof. AGK Menonof. AGK Menon

grounds and landscaped parks. The bye-laws also require the use of alternateenergy, rainwater harvesting andenvironmentally sustainable wastedisposal.

It is proposed that an international designcompetition be held to create the bestMaster Plan for the SAU campus. For thearchitectural design of individualbuildings, in order to reflect thearchitectural diversity of the SAARCregion, involvement of reputed architectsfrom the region is proposed. The landsurvey has been completed and soiltesting will commence shortly.

In the meantime, an exercise was beenundertaken to examine the feasibility ofusing pre-engineered buildings to kick-start the academic program in time for theacademic session 2010-11.

*Prof. AGK Menon is a consultant to theSAU Task Force on infrastructure.

Infrastructure Task Force during a visit to the site in New Delhi where the SAU campus wouldcome up. The visit took place on April 3, 2009. (L to R): Prof. SBS Abayakoon (Expert Consultantfrom Sri Lanka), Prof SIH Gilani (Convener from Pakistan), Prof. Rajiv K. Saxena (MemberSecretary) and Prof. AGK Menon (Consultant).

SAU connect

The SAU Project Office functionaries

An Update from South Asian University

4

After Dr. Manmohan Singh asked:“Why cannot we, as seven member

countries, pool our resources to create acentre of excellence, in the form of a SouthAsian University, which can provide worldclass facilities and professional faculty tostudents and researchers drawn fromevery country of our region?” (SAARCSummit, Dhaka, Nov 12, 2005), Prof.Gowher Rizvi (Harvard University) wasasked to prepare a report. His report (15th

Feb 2007) talked about a residentialuniversity “with democratic ideals,tolerant worldviews, multiculturalperspectives and possessing critical andthoughtful minds” (Rizvi 2007). The initiallocation was left open: Some Indian citiesand Lahore, Karachi, Colombo, Dhaka,and Kathmandu.

Soon, in a ‘Brainstorming meeting’ (March2, 2007) chaired by Foreign Secretary(FS) Shiv Shankar Menon, a number ofinstitutional heads were invited (UGC,ICCR, JNU, DU, CIIL and Rajiv GandhiFoundation), and an ‘Expert Committee’was formed which was to meet later onMarch 8-9, 2007 in New Delhi with twoacademicians from India (Sukhdeo Thoratand Udaya Narayana Singh) and twoofficials (Keshav Desiraju and PreetiSaran), and each SAARC country wasrepresented by two members (the UGCor HEC Chair and a senior academic). Theresult, an ‘Intergovernmental Agreement’was first adopted by the Foreign Ministersby end-March and later endorsed by theHeads of States. The IntergovernmentalSteering Group first met on May 29-30,2007 in Delhi, but the Indian contingenthad a preliminary meeting in early May

The Idea of aThe Idea of aThe Idea of aThe Idea of aThe Idea of aSouth AsianSouth AsianSouth AsianSouth AsianSouth AsianUniversity:University:University:University:University:Initial MovesInitial MovesInitial MovesInitial MovesInitial Moves

The fact that so manydecisions could be arrivedat – in a democratic andunbiased manner provesthat the set of people withwhom the journey wasstarted were able to showgreat patience andperseverance, says PrPrPrPrProf.of.of.of.of.Udaya Narayana SinghUdaya Narayana SinghUdaya Narayana SinghUdaya Narayana SinghUdaya Narayana Singh*****

Meanwhile, Nandan Nilekani and M.D.Paiof Infosys helped us in looking into theirplan for their Global Training Centre inMysore.

By May 24, 2007, we decided on the draftToR for the Steering Committee. The firstever meeting (chaired by the ChairmanUGC, India and coordinated by Mr. Y.K.A.Rohanajith, Director, SAARC) went off verywell, thanks to positive and result-orientedapproach adopted by the participants. Itincluded, besides the Indian team, thefollowing: Professors Abdulhai Nazifee,Kabul Univ; Abas Basir, First Secretary(Afghanistan), Imtiaz Ahmed, Dhaka Univand Aratsoo Khan, JS-Finance(Bangladesh), D.Z. Dukpa, RoyalUniversity of Bhutan and Mrs. PhintshoChoeden (Bhutan), Hassan Hameed,Maldives College of HE and KadheejaAdam (Maldives), Kamal Krishna Joshi,UGC-Chairman and Mr. Laba PrasadTripathee, JS-Edn (Nepal), Riaz-ul-HaqTariq of Bahauddin Zakariya Univ, Multan

along with Dr. Rizvi, and was ready with adraft Charter for SAU along with apercentile-based aptitude test called theSAU-CET. The FS called another meetingon 16th May 2007 to consider a detaileddocument called ‘P-SAU: Project SouthAsian University’ (May 12, 2007) which Iprepared, and much of the latercalculations came from this document.

Third meeting of the Sub-Committee of Steering Committee held in New Delhi

Members of Second Inter-governmental Steering Committee Meeting of SAU held in Dhaka

SAU connect

5

and Mr. Muhammad Javed Khan, DG-HEC with two other officials (Pakistan),and S.V.D.G. Samaranayake, UGC-Chairand MTM Jiffry also from UGC (Sri Lanka).

Many crucial decisions were taken at thismeeting, e.g. to house SAU in India,although Bhutan and Nepal had theiroffers, or to have the interim CEO fromIndia. A Selection Committee was soonset up (under Prof. Swaminathan), and thechoice was narrowed down to three from23 eminent persons. Eventually the finalchoice was made in favour of Prof. G.K.Chadha. In addition, the original timelineof starting SAU by August 09 wasreviewed. By mid-April 08, the new ‘Roll-out plan’ was ready: May 1, 2008Appointment of an Interim CEO; July2008: Selection of experts, landacquisition, and the initial courses; Oct2008: Task Forces; Dec 08-March 09:Bye-laws, Charter, Curriculum,Governance, Admission procedures;June-July 09: Admission; and Aug 2009:the First Session. Before this meeting, theFS met us all on 30th April 2008, by whenDr. Kheya Bhattacharya (JS, SAARC) andSunil Kumar (JS, HE) joined the Indiandelegation. Finally, the experts wereselected in the June 16-17, 2008 meeting.

Upcoming InterUpcoming InterUpcoming InterUpcoming InterUpcoming Inter-gover-gover-gover-gover-governmentalnmentalnmentalnmentalnmental

Steering Committee MeetingSteering Committee MeetingSteering Committee MeetingSteering Committee MeetingSteering Committee Meeting

The Inter-governmental SteeringCommittee of SAU is scheduled tohave its third meeting on the 15 and16 April 2009 at Mussoorie, India. TheCommittee will deliberate upon thedevelopmental issues of theUniversity in view of the plans draftedby the different task forces. The firstdraft of the academic structure,statutes and business plan arealready under consideration of theeight-country Steering Committee.The Member States will also decideon the funding modalities for theshare of each Member State towardsthe project cost. A final decision willalso be taken on the logo to beadopted for the South AsianUniversity.

It is generally felt that economic and social development cannot be ensuredwithout optimum utilization of human resources for which education is a sine

qua non. SAARC has, therefore, emphasized the importance of promotion ofeducation. The Heads of State or Government at the Ninth Summit at Male´ in1997 acknowledged that illiteracy was one of the major causes impeding thedevelopment of the vast human resources of South Asia and a major factorcontributing to the region’s economic backwardness and social imbalance.

Cooperation in education entered the SAARC agenda early with the establishmentof a Technical Committee on Education in 1989. Since reorganization of theSAARC Integrated Programme of Action (SIPA) in 1999, this subject has comeunder the purview of the Technical Committee on Human ResourcesDevelopment. A SAARC Chair, Fellowship and Scholarship Scheme is inoperation. A SAARC Consortium of Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL)has been created with a view to standardization of curricula, mutual recognitionof courses and promotion of transfer of credits. A SAARC Teachers Forum hasbeen established. Nevertheless, a lot more remains to be done before concretebenefits of such cooperative activities are visible.

Education in South Asia suffers from the twin problem of lack of access and ofexcellence. In majority of the SAARC Member Countries, enrolment of childrenof primary school age is far below universal level. This problem is furthercompounded by high levels of dropout. Thus literacy rates remain low. Thesituation at the secondary and tertiary level is no better, in some respects, evenworse.

The SAARC Social Charter, which was signed by the Heads of State orGovernment during the Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, 4 - 6 January), reaffirmedthe importance of attaining the target of providing free education to all childrenbetween the ages of 6 -14 years. The Member States agreed to share theirrespective experiences and technical expertise to achieve this goal.

At the Thirteenth SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, the leadersnoted the achievements of the Member States during recent years in the area ofprimary education and stressed that to meet the challenges of the twenty-firstcentury Member States must make important strides in the areas of science,technology and higher education.

SAARC Agenda on Education

The SAU domain name was registeredand a logo design competition started.But most importantly, DDA allotted 100acres of prime land in Delhi where thefoundation stone was laid. The IndianParliament passed a separate bill to makeSAU to become a reality. The fact that somany decisions could be arrived at – in ademocratic and unbiased manner provesthat the set of people with whom thejourney was started were able to showgreat patience and perseverance.

After the establishment of the SAU projectoffice inside the JNU campus (where theinternal group met again on Jan 2, 2009),we decided to go for a pre-engineered

building and finally admit students bymid-2010. The journey to establish anacademic institution of excellence was agreat learning for all of us, and the creditfor its success would go to all those whoshowed great understanding andaccommodation, with special thanks tothe SAU ProjectOffice.

*Author is Director,Central Institute ofIndian Languages,Mysore (India). He isa member of theIntergovernmentalSteering Committee.

Building Bridges...Pakistani youth delegation to India saysPakistani youth delegation to India saysPakistani youth delegation to India saysPakistani youth delegation to India saysPakistani youth delegation to India says

‘people-to-people’ ties impor‘people-to-people’ ties impor‘people-to-people’ ties impor‘people-to-people’ ties impor‘people-to-people’ ties importanttanttanttanttant

A group of youth activists and students from Pakistan was on a goodwillvisit to India in May 2008 to enlist the help of young Parliamentarians topromote peace moves and people-to-people contacts between the twocountries.

The team said that they were looking forward to more and more interactionbetween the people of India and Pakistan and that they wanted youngParliamentarians of both countries to come together and join hands for along-lasting friendship. The 24-member Pakistani delegation wanted toprovide the young people of both sides a platform to interact with andunderstand each other.

Youth delegates felt that such forums could help to reduce the tensionbetween the two countries. They said that improving of relations betweenthe two countries should not be restricted to negotiations at the politicallevel but should be extended to the people-to-people level also.

Solidarity thrSolidarity thrSolidarity thrSolidarity thrSolidarity through musicough musicough musicough musicough music

Music knows no boundaries, allowing its universality totranscend the age-old divisions and brings strangers - even

rivals – closer to one another. Withthis background, a concert wasorganised by the South AsianFoundation in Srinagar in May 2008.The star attraction of the show wasPakistan’s band Junoon, whichturned thousands of music lovershysterical. The show aimed atspreading the message of peace,love and harmony and its success

and appeal left no doubt that the cultural exchangesbetween the nations can be used as vehicles of people-to-people diplomacy.

StrStrStrStrStrengthening ties threngthening ties threngthening ties threngthening ties threngthening ties throughoughoughoughoughliterarliterarliterarliterarliterary interactionsy interactionsy interactionsy interactionsy interactions

Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL),organised the SAARC Festival of Literature from 12 to 17March, 2009 in the city of Agra, India. It was an importantpositive initiative which covered a wide range of themes,including, impact of terrorism on culture, prevailing conditionsof chaos and confusion, exploring history and memory,resolving ethnic angst and exploring possibilities ofreconciliation. The literary and cultural interactions involvingthe creative fraternity of the SAARC region, created a uniquekaleidoscope of civilisational linkages to decipher and locatethe emotional ties which bind the region closely, in spite ofall the conflicts.

6

An Update from South Asian University

ThrThrThrThrThreads of unityeads of unityeads of unityeads of unityeads of unityAnother highlight of SAARC Festival was ‘Threadsof Unity’ a fashion show which captured the richcultural heritage, textile traditions and indigenoushandicrafts and embroideries of the eight MemberStates. The styles showcased were distinct fromeach other, yet woven with common threads, thethreads which connect people and transcendborders.

Increasing the people-to-people contact in the region as beena focus area of SAARC. Various activities are organised fromtime-to-time to serve as platforms for spreading awarenessamong the youth about SAARC and its development over theyears, at the same time celebrating the unity and spirit of theSAARC countries. The SAARC Festival held in New Delhi inNovember 2007 was an attempt to bring the SAARC nationstogether on a cultural platform.

Fusion of talentFusion of talentFusion of talentFusion of talentFusion of talentIndia hosted the region’s first ever SAARC BANDS FESTIVALin November 2007, a three-day festival which showcasedbands presenting various genres of music ranging from theethnic to the fusion. The leading bands from the eight membernations of SAARC, namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan,Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka cametogether in this unique cultural endeavour. The festival greatlyhelped in increasing the people-to-people contact betweenthe artists of the region and the youth of India will get aninsight into the immense talent that existed in the region.

Forging People-to-people ties...

Cultural continuitiesCultural continuitiesCultural continuitiesCultural continuitiesCultural continuitiesFestival of SAARC Folklore was another such eventduring the festival, meant to project the deepfoundations of Peoples' Culture in the region andto employ oral lore in the service of the culturalconsciousness of the region. About fifty folklorescholars from the Member States came togetherto explore, analyze and explain the differentaspects of Folklore in South Asia. The festival wasa showcase of South Asian Folklore throughdiscussions as well as performances with anobjective to grasp the cultural continuities amongthe countries of the region.

7

SAU connect

Final shortlisting of entries for the SAU Logocompetition was done by a committeecomprising Prof. B N Goswami (Right), Prof.Salima Hashmi (Left) and Prof. Jyotindra Jain(not in picture).

Creating an InstitutionalIdentity: SAU LOGO DesignCompetition

A University of the stature like the SAU,had to have an equally impressive

and unique symbol of identity or logo. Alogo carries the image of an organisationand creates a long lasting, recognisableimpression on the minds of all concerned.

We wanted a logo which could expressthe individuality and objective of theUniversity, not forgetting its genesis.

An Inter-regional competition was held todesign the logo for the University. It hadtwo major objectives, one to spreadawareness and to inculcate a sense ofbelonging for the University amongst thepotential learners of all Member Statesand two, to have a wider choice of ideasand designs.

For any comments/suggestionsplease contact:Pradeep Kumar Rawat, EditorEmail:pkrawat@southasianuniversity.org

For more information:Website: www.southasianuniversity.orgTel No.: +91 11 26741738Fax No.: +91 11 26741741

Editorial Support: Neelam GuptaDesigned and Printed by:Cyberart Informations Pvt. Ltd.

Published by: Pradeep Kumar Rawaton behalf of South Asian University

An Update from South Asian University

8

SAARC Education Ministers’ Meet in ColomboSAARC Education Ministers’ Meet in ColomboSAARC Education Ministers’ Meet in ColomboSAARC Education Ministers’ Meet in ColomboSAARC Education Ministers’ Meet in Colombo

bodies, matters relating to Open &Distance Learning and SAARC Plan ofAction on Higher Education. The SAARCPlan of Action on Higher Educationfocuses on promotion of higher education,ensuring gender equality and measuresfor enabling the low income and othervulnerable groups to receive qualityeducation. The Plan urges for acurriculum with regional themes for study,collaboration in vocational education andtraining and joint programmes amongstUniversities for collaborative research andexchange of students and faculties.

Higher education plays a vital role ineconomic development in the SAARCregion. While facilitating this role SAARCcountries have to face many commonchallenges. The mechanism of HigherEducation Ministers’ Conferences willhelps us in working out commonstrategies.

The First Meeting of SAARC Ministersof Education/Higher Education was

held on 27th March 2009 in Colombo. Itwas inaugurated by Prime Minister,Rathnasiri Wickramanayake, whohighlighted the importance of highereducation by stating that knowledgeaccumulation is now treated as capitalaccumulation. With increasing demandfor higher education, one of the keychallenges faced by SAARC countries isquality assurance. PM Wickramanayakeunderscored this point. He furtheremphasized the need for expanding andstrengthening higher education in theSAARC region as higher education isenormously important to social andeconomic development in the region andthe rate of return on the investment in it isattractive. He called upon the SAARCcountries to come together and work outmethods of closer and greatercollaboration, more sharing of knowledgeand other resources.

The meeting was preceded by themeeting of Senior Officials on 26th March2009. The agenda for the meetingincluded Statement by SAARC Ministersof Higher Education, matters related toSAARC-UNESCO cooperation, role of theCommittee of Heads of UGCs/equivalent

SAU, the pioneer prSAU, the pioneer prSAU, the pioneer prSAU, the pioneer prSAU, the pioneer projectojectojectojectoject

South Asia University is a bold andinnovative initiative and is set to

establish important benchmarks for thehigher education institutions in theregion:

SAU will offer world classeducation to attract the beststudents and faculty from acrossthe region and beyond, anddemonstrate its capacity tocompete with the best universitiesin the world.

It will have an autonomousgovernance structure and will beaccountable through its board ofgovernors composed of eminentpersons drawn from SAARCMember States.

State funds or government grantswill form the core financial supportfor SAU in the immediate future.The SAU will experiment withpublic-private partnership togenerate financial resources toachieve financial autonomy in thelonger run.

With its commitment to socialjustice, the SAU will establish amodel for making quality educationavailable to all academically-giftedstudents (especially from the ruralareas) through its merit-based andneed-based admissions policy.

With its innovative curriculumdesign and pedagogicalapproaches, the University willexperiment with new methods toprovide students with a holisticeducation needed in a complexglobal society. The ‘post-disciplinary’ approach with itsfocus on dealing with the majorproblems and issues of the 21st

Century will endow the students acapacity to study any subject fromthe perspectives of diversedisciplines.

The exercise was challenging, but therewere handsome prizes to be won, hencethe response was overwhelming and theUniversity will soon have its logo.

The selected entry will be awarded a cashprize of 3000$ and the runner up will beawarded 1000$.

SAU is a bold step towards

promoting the evolving

SAARC Education Strategy:

No shortcut to gender-

neutral and inclusive quality

education.