The University of Kerala is set to add to its academic disciplines 10 new departments in strategic subjects that will provide facility for studies in emerging areas.
Regarded the ‘mother university’ of the State, the 84-year-old establishment houses 44 departments out of which 11 came under the faculty of Science, seven under Science and Technology, and 26 under Social Sciences, Languages, Commerce and Education.
The Syndicate recently granted approval to launch the departments of Communication Science and Electronics, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Data Science, Functional Organic Materials, Oceanography and Blue Economy, Public Health, Renewable Energy, Integrative Biology, Atmospheric Science, and Design.
Before the Senate
The proposals will now be laid before the Senate and later sent for the assent of the Chancellor.
The university had last launched a teaching department (for Kerala Studies) in 2019.
Pro-Vice Chancellor P.P. Ajayakumar pointed out the accreditation process and ranking systems prevalent in the country most often focus more on research outputs and funding from external agencies.
Such factors favoured universities that ensured greater thrust on science and technology.
Faculty strength
Besides, an increase in faculty strength will enable more research scholars to pursue research, and also lead to an increase in project funding and publication.
Hoping to launch courses in the proposed departments this year, the university will initially utilise its existing faculty and facilities for the new programmes. It envisages creating one post each for Professor and Associate Professor, and four for Assistant Professors in each of the 10 departments.
VSSC
Kerala University also hoped to leverage its proximity with Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and other research centres in the capital to exploit the potential of disciplines such as Atmospheric Science.
Design
The proposed Department of Design, which is expected to strengthen the fine arts division of the university, could cover a wide range of subjects that could apply to different segments such as fashion design, interior design, and web design.
The proposed Department of Public Health will focus on teaching and research programmes in biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, nutritional sciences, population and health sciences etc.
The Data Science department is likely to introduce fields such as cybersecurity, financial analytics and health analytics.
