South Asian University, the flagship educational institution of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), is likely to receive much required official attention in the coming weeks. A highly placed source in the university said a new campus which was earlier delayed is expected to be ready this year and necessary officials will be recruited to run the multi-nation institute which draws students from all the eight SAARC member-states.
“A full-time Indian president of South Asian University will be appointed as early as in the next few weeks,” said the source in the university, which was set up as an example of regional collaboration on the educational front among SAARC member-states.
Shut down till April 14
Responding to the COVID-19 crisis, SAU has shut down till April 14 and has postponed the entrance exam for the coming semester. The university has been in news from the beginning as it failed to offer a common course of history because of differences among the member-states and the university’s affairs were affected as India had preferred other regional organisations over SAARC after continued terror attacks from Pakistan during 2016, which led to the cancellation of the Islamabad SAARC summit. However the coronavirus crisis also opened a window of cooperation for SAARC as Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated region-wise dialogue in a videoconference on March 15.
It is understood that some of that new found spirit of cooperation in SAARC will influence SAU. The university had been left without a full-time president after previous occupant of the post Kavita Sharma retired last year. The university’s new campus in Maidangarhi has also been delayed with some sections suggesting that the Ministry of External Affairs had not shown interest in completing the work earlier.
Health concerns
There has been health-related concerns about the suitability of Akbar Bhavan in housing hundreds of students along with dozens of faculty members especially in the backdrop of viral infections like COVID-19. Though a large part of the students have evacuated from the university, at least 200 remain in the building, sources said, highlighting the need for an early completion of the new campus spread across 93 acres. The students in SAU represent all the South Asian countries that are currently dealing with the coronavirus infection.
Though there has not been any infection among the students so far sources expressed concern as the students share common space.
