Imphal: The Manipur government is seriously considering setting up a state university named ‘Maharaj Kulachandra University’ at Imphal East.
The new university will incorporate almost seventy per cent of the 34 existing colleges in Manipur which are currently affiliated with Manipur University, a highly informed source told The North East Affairs.
These colleges, according to the National Education Policy 2020, would be developed into either an Autonomous degree-granting college or a constituent college of a university in the latter cases, they would be fully a part of the university.
However, considering their present status, it may take quite some time before these colleges can be upgraded into autonomous degree-granting colleges under UGC.
Therefore, there is a need to incorporate these government colleges as constituent colleges of a University or Universities till they are upgraded into autonomous degree granting colleges. Moreover, the State Government colleges cannot be incorporated as constituent colleges of Manipur University which is a Central University, the source added.
At present there is only one State University providing general education in Manipur namely, Dhanamanjuri University in which the Government colleges of the State may be incorporated as constituent colleges. However, it may be inconvenient for Dhanamanjuri University to incorporate all the 39 State Government colleges (including its five constituent colleges) as its constituent colleges.
Therefore, the state government is proposing to establish one State Multidisciplinary and Skill University by the name of ‘Maharaj Kulachandra University’ at Imphal East district of Manipur, most probably at the campus of Liberal College, Luwangsangbam temporarily.
Apart from having around eighteen faculties/schools of studies at the beginning, 24 colleges will be incorporated with the new university in the beginning, which include: (i) Liberal College, Luwangsangbam; (ii) Standard College, Kongba; (iii) Modern College, Porompat; (iv) Biramangol College, Sawombung; (v) Imphal College, Imphal; (vi) Manipur College, Singjamei; (vii) N.G. College, Lamphelpat; (viii) Y.K. College, Wangjing; (ix) Thoubal College; (x) Waikhom Mani Girls’ College, Thoubal; (xi) Lilong Haoreibi College, Lilong; (xii) Kha Manipur College, Kakching; (xiii) Kakching Khunou College; (xiv) S.K Women’s College, Nambol; (xv) Nambol L. Sanoi College, Nambol; (xvi) Churachandpur College; (xvii) Lamka College; (xviii) Pettigrew College, Ukhrul; (xix) Tamenglong College; (xx) Hill College, Tadubi; (xxi) Presidency College, Motbung; (xxii) Moreh College; (xxiii) United College, Chandel and (xxiv) South East Manipur College, Komlathabi.
Of the remaining 15 colleges, five colleges are already incorporated as constituent colleges of Dhanamanjuri University. The other ten colleges may also be made constituent colleges of Dhanamanjuri University by amending the Dhanamanjuri University Act, 2017, it informed.
It’s also proposed that parallel Post-Graduate Programmes and higher Programmes may be run on the campuses of seven constituent colleges located in remote/hilly areas in the subjects as required by the local students of the areas.
The proposed campuses of the seven colleges include Hill College, Tadubi, Senapati (North campus-I); Presidency College, Motbung (North Campus-II); Pettigrew College, Ukhrul (North East Campus); Tamenglong College, Tamenglong (North West Campus); Churachandpur College, Churachandpur (South West Campus); Moreh College, Moreh (South East Campus-I) and United College, Chandel (South East Campus-II).
