SAARC Nations to Adopt Common Curriculum for Post-graduation

At the international conference of Vice chancellors of Universities of all SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations at Udaipur, it has been proposed that they would share a common syllabus for five different curriculums in the next two years.

If approved, the shared courses might be implemented at the Post-graduation level for subjects like corporate governance, digital governance, regional economic planning, sustainable development and heritage & culture. This proposal of common PG programs will get its final touch at the next VC’s meet of SAARC nation universities, scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in 2015.

The two-day international conference of SAARC Nation VCs was held on 16 & 17 October 2013, and was hosted by Mohanlal Sukhadia University (MLSU) in Udaipur.

At the conference, the educationists agreed to join hands on the theme of “First cooperate, and then collaborate” with Udaipur selected as the Headquarter of the common curriculum agenda.

The academicians at the conference made recommendations that a common publisher for the shared courses to eliminate the probability of publishing errors. To bridge communication gaps among universities, they also suggested an online forum to exchange ideas.

While the representatives from Bangladesh expressed their concern over survival requirements, the educationists from Afghanistan pointed out their backwardness in agricultural promotion due to unfavorable climatic conditions.

Among other recommendations, the set up of an executive committee to monitor the progress regarding uniform curriculums is also included.

The universities also agreed upon to have a cultural and sports exchange program on an international level for the benefit of their students.

Another innovative idea that came up during the conference was of a VC exchange program wherein the VCs would visit other universities to analyze the management and working of institutions at various levels.