Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Univ introduces unconventional job-oriented courses

Kolkata: In a bid to thoroughly gear up its students for the industry, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (Makaut) is introducing some new job oriented courses from the academic year 2018-19. These courses will be somewhat different from the conventional engineering courses run by the university both at the undergraduate and post graduate level.

"We are introducing courses in big data, data analytics, data science and BSc programme in Artificial Intelligence, Real Estate Management, Stock Exchange Management. It will not be the same as the four year regular programme of All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). These will be of three year or other short term courses," Makaut vice-chairman Saikat Maitra said.

It may be mentioned that as many as 197 colleges in the state are affiliated to Makaut. "There have been applications from a number of colleges seeking permission for introducing vocational and research oriented courses.

We are examining the infrastructure and if we find that they are equipped to commence these unconventional but job oriented courses we will give them the go ahead. The industry now wants students who are job ready,"

Maitra said.

It is learnt that the university is also mulling with the idea of integrating Robotics in their courses. The engineering colleges affiliated with Makaut offers post graduate in as many as 54 subjects while undergraduate studies are being imparted in more than 50 subjects.

Makaut's own campus in Salt Lake has UG courses in two subjects like Computer Science and IT while there is PG courses in as many as 11 subjects like Biotech, Bioinformatics, including MSC in three subjects like Genetics, Microbiology and Molecular Biology.

"Our new campus is coming up on a 40-acre land at Haringhata in Nadia that has been given to us by the state government. It is nearing completion. It will have a guest house, quarters for professors and hostel facilities for students. Infrastructure for distance mode progammes will be available from the new campus," Maitra added.

The present campus in Salt Lake is crammed for space and the process of shifting infrastructure to the new campus has already begun. The incubation centre has already been shifted along with the examination storage infrastructure.

Makaut also has plans to introduce digital method of checking answer scripts to expedite and at the same time bring transparency in checking the scripts.

"We will start it as a pilot project in some subjects from this academic year and will gradually progress," a senior official of Makaut said.

As many as 6.5 lakh answer scripts of students need to be checked in every semester.