Building Smart Cities alongside University Towns

 Sandeep Sen
In the Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had promised allocation of a sum of Rs. 7,060 Crore for the development of the smart cities. This investment from the ruling government serves to supplement the Prime Minister's vision of creating 100 such settlements nationwide. Going hand in hand is the allocation of Rs 27,656 Crore for higher education. The new figure is an increase of almost 13 percent on the amount allocated in the 2013 Union Budget. This sum brings us to another stark revelation. According to Brookings Institution, Indian students spent $3 billion to study in the U.S. from 2008 to 2012. If India loosens its reigns on non-state sponsored education eco-systems and allows it to thrive then we can very well match the goal of building the smart cities throughout the country by starting more than one smart University Towns in and around the smart cities.

Many State run universities are in a bad condition, the gap can be filled by private universities. These private universities will be able to provide adequate faculty, research facilities, relevant curriculum and adequate infrastructure � the reason why Indian students go abroad to study. With greater autonomy, these institutions can change the way higher education is imparted in India. Indian youth needs learner-centered model of higher education where they can be mentored to make their careers in the areas of their strength and abilities. These Universities will also help Narendra Modi's plan to build smart cities across the country. Smart cities can be built around universities with world class academic infrastructure.

To encourage this idea we have come up with "Management College of the Year, 2014," with an aim to identify institutions that are providing out of the box facilities to students. The institutes have been identifies based on the parameters of Infrastructure, Faculty, Industry interaction, Innovative programs, research and placements, by our team of experts consisting of top HR managers and Educationalists. We sincerely hope that our efforts will help the large community of students who are confused about choosing the right management college in the country.

The cover story of this issue features New Castle University in its vibrant life style and alluring story of how one man unwittingly became a part of an Oscar winning story. We hope this proves to be useful for your needs.

Please do let us know.

Current Issue

TheHigherEducationReview Tv