Maharashtra’s First Cluster University In Mumbai Is Open For Admissions

Students applying to colleges this year can choose courses at the state’s first cluster university. Dr Homi Bhabha State University (HBSU), a cluster of four existing colleges, the Institute of Science (ISc), Elphinstone College and Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, and Secondary Training (ST) College — all located in Fort and Churchgate — is open for admissions this academic year.

Unlike the University of Mumbai (MU), which offers courses divided by disciplines, cluster universities create integrated courses that give students options across disciplines — science, economics, commerce and humanities. The institutes that form a cluster university are also located close to each other.

“The idea is to bring together the staff and infrastructure of all four colleges and make them available for students,” said MU vice chancellor Suhas Pednekar, who on May 14, took over as the vice chancellor of HBSU. “It allows horizontal mobility, so students can get credits by choosing from a variety of subjects across the four campuses,” he added.

An official time table for HBSU’s admissions will be announced after Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) results are released.

HBSU is one of two cluster universities proposed in Maharashtra. It was carved out of the MU under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shikshan Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme, a funding agency under the Central government. The cluster universities created out of MU will help decentralise an already burdened university system.

The second cluster university will include three colleges run by the Hyderabad (Sind) National Collegiate Board (H(S)NCB)— KC College, HR College and Bombay Teacher Training College.

“Along with the existing programmes at the four colleges, we are planning to introduce new programmes, such as Masters in Arts (MA) courses in different languages, as well as self-financed undergraduate courses in Computer Science,” said Madhuri Kagalkar, the principal of Elphinstone College.

The admission schedule for HBSU will be released with the MU admissions timetable. As it is the first batch, help desks will be set up at all four colleges for Class 12 students looking for degree college admissions. “Admission in a cluster university will be advantageous to undergraduate and postgraduate aspirants. The Institute of Science is known for the variety of subjects it offers to Masters’ students, some that even MU doesn’t offer. We are expecting more quality research from this new university,” added Pednekar.

(Source: HT Education)